Man collects $3M lottery jackpot two weeks after $40,000 win

Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A South Carolina man who collected a $40,000 lottery prize discovered his lucky streak wasn't over when he scored a $3 million jackpot just two weeks later.

The Grand Strand man told South Carolina Education Lottery officials that he was left feeling lucky after his $40,000 Mega Millions prize, so he bought an extra ticket for the July 27 drawing when he visited the Murphy USA gas station to fill up his car.

The man ended up winning $3 million just two weeks after his first brush with luck.

"I couldn't believe it," the winner recalled. "My family was shocked when I broke the news."

"I asked the kids, 'What are the odds of this happening?'" he said.

Lottery officials said the odds of winning $40,000 playing Mega Millions are 1 in 931,001, and the odds of winning $3 million are about 1 in 13 million.