By Robert Kittle
The jackpot for the February 11 Powerball drawing is up to $450 million, which could mean anywhere from $3 million to $6 million more going to education in South Carolina, according to SC Education Lottery executive director Paula Harper Bethea.
“It’s exciting times around here when jackpots get like this, and we like the fact that this is the time new players are attracted to the game,” she says. “We don’t want players who are already playing to play more. We like to attract new players to our games.”
People like Mike Johnson, who was buying Powerball tickets Monday afternoon in Columbia, even though he buys them, “Very few times, just when it gets, the Powerball gets real high then I’ll take a couple chances.”
Harper Bethea expects the jackpot to be more than $450 million by the time the drawing takes place Wednesday night. “And if it rolls again, this jackpot could easily see $750 million.”
She says exactly what that additional lottery money for education will be used for is up to state lawmakers. It could go toward college scholarships, lottery K-12 programs, or new school buses to replace some in the state’s aging fleet.