by Kiyanna Dowling
In Columbia, South Carolina the lottery ticket for the jackpot of $1.54 billion has been bought, but no one has come forward to claim their winnings. This money would not only benefit the winner but their entire state too. This has made a lot of people to wonder as to why no one has . Economic officials have estimated that a total of 61 million dollars was expected to come from the lottery jackpot in income taxes. The taxed money would have also been used to buy new voting machines, give an almost 2% raise to all teachers in South Carolina, and put a police officer in every public school.
Economically speaking, South Carolina is stable with a nearly one billion dollar revenue, without contributions from their lottery earnings. With all the profit the money brings why wouldn’t the winner claim his or her earnings? The winner has until April 19, 2019 to cash in the ticket before the deadline.
Juniors Chris Spellman and Cristian Segura believed that the winner might have not claimed their winnings because “they lost their ticket” or “they thought it was not a winning ticket when in reality it really was.” When asked what the state should do if no one claims the money, both boys believed that the state should donate the money to a charity of South Carolina’s choice to help the needy or less fortunate.
If Spellman were to win the lottery his plans were to “pay off my college, buy a mansion and make sure everything is fine with the house, and spend the rest of the money on cars.” While Segura would “pay it toward college tuition and recreational activities.”
The winner of the lottery jackpot still remains anonymous with the expiration date to cash in the winnings ticking away. Not only are there benefits for the winner, but there are benefits for the entire state of South Carolina. But until now, the billionaire still remains a mystery.