South Carolina Woman Who Won $1.5 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot Will Share Winnings With Charities

A woman buys Mega Millions tickets hours before the draw of the $1.6 billion jackpot, at a liquor store in downtown Washington D.C., on Oct. 23, 2018. (Credit: ERIC BARADAT/AFP/Getty Images)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Mar 14, 2019 / 09:07 AM PDT

Updated: Mar 14, 2019 / 09:07 AM PDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

A South Carolina woman who won $878 million in the biggest jackpot payout to one winner in U.S. history says she wants to give back to the city and state where her good fortune happened.

The woman issued a statement through her lawyer Thursday saying she was giving money to the City of Simpsonville Art Center, the One SC Fund for hurricane relief and a relief fund for victims of the recent Alabama tornadoes.

The woman says she bought the ticket after seeing a sign advertising the jackpot at the KC Mart in Simpsonville.

The woman picked a one-time paymen t of $878 million for the Mega Millions jackpot instead of taking the $1.5 billion jackpot over 30 years.

She says she is choosing to remain anonymous for her safety.