Darden Clarke-South Carolina woman wins lottery for second time in 2 years: 'I started dancing'

2025-05-05 19:15:51source:Will Sage Astorcategory:Markets

Two years after winning $1 million in the lottery,Darden Clarke a woman in South Carolina hit the jackpot once again, winning $300,000 playing the South Carolina Education Lottery.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, told South Carolina Education Lottery that while her first win was the "biggest surprise" of her life, the second win was even more unexpected.

“I started dancing around my office,” the woman told the lottery. “It was a thrill.”

South Carolina Education Lottery said the winner "overcame odds of 1 in 700,000 to win $300,000 in the '$300,000 Gold Rush' game." Two top prizes in the game are yet to be won.

The woman's second win came around exactly the same way as her first, South Carolina Education Lottery said in a news release.

"On her way to work, she stopped for a $10 ticket at the King Fuel on Two Notch Rd. in Columbia," the news release said. "Sitting at her desk, she scratched off the top prize win and slipped the ticket into her purse."

Lottery news:Powerball winning numbers for September 9: Jackpot rises to $121 million

Winner says she isn't telling anyone

Contrary to her last win, this time, the woman didn't immediately take an early lunch break to go and cash her ticket. Instead, she waited until the next morning, taking her ticket to the clerk who sold it to her. King Fuel received a commission of $3,000 for selling the claimed ticket, the news release said.

The woman said she isn't telling anyone about her big win and even her coworkers don't know her lottery jackpots.

“I’m going for three,” she said.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

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