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Mega Millions: Owner of store where winning ticket was sold plans to share bonus with employees

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Mega Millions ticket seller plans to share bonus

South Carolina man CJ Patel, who owns the store where the $1.5 billion Mega Millions ticket was sold, will receive a $50,000 bonus from the lottery, and he said he plans to spread the wealth.

SIMPSONVILLE, South Carolina -- The owner of the South Carolina store where the $1.5 billion Mega Millions ticket was sold will receive a bonus, and he said he's planning to spread the wealth.

CJ Patel told the Associated Press that he will share part of his $50,000 bonus with the employees of his store, KC Mart, in Simpsonville.

As for the lucky winner who bought the ticket, Patel said he has no idea who that person is. The winner has six months to claim the prize and can do so anonymously in the state of South Carolina.

But in a small city like Simpsonville, such big news can be hard to keep secret. ABC News spoke to several people around town who said they do know who the lucky winner is. They said he is a likable guy who has already shown up at work and tried to act like nothing had happened. They all said they plan to protect his privacy.

The lucky winner will not get the full amount, but they will still get quite the payout. Before taxes, if the lump sum is taken, the prize will be about $878 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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