Small lottery prize leads to $150,000 windfall

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman who won a small prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket she received as a Christmas gift used her winnings to buy a Powerball ticket worth $150,000.

The Myrtle Beach woman told South Carolina Education Lottery officials her lucky streak began on Christmas Day.

"My mom put a $5 ticket in my stocking, and I won a little bit," the woman said.

She used her winnings to buy a Powerball ticket at the Refuel gas station on Highway 707 in Myrtle Beach.

"I remember the store clerk wished me good luck," she said.

The ticket earned the player a $150,000 prize in the Dec. 26 Powerball drawing. The prize was originally valued at $50,000, but since she paid an extra dollar for the PowerPlay option her prize was tripled to $150,000.

The woman did not reveal her plans for her winnings.