Browse through these frequently asked questions about playing Pick 3 in South Carolina. Learn everything you need to know about playing the game, claiming prizes, and more.
Pick 3 is a lottery where three winning digits are drawn from 0 to 9. You have the option to try and match these numbers in the exact order or any order, or choose another play type. Learn more about how to play.
There is a Midday draw at 12:59 p.m., and an Evening draw at 6:59 p.m.
Evening drawings take place every day, but Midday draws are only held from Monday to Saturday. There is no Midday draw on Sundays or Christmas Day.
Sales are temporarily suspended at 12:45 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and at 6:45 p.m. every night.
You must be at least 18 years old to play Pick 3 in South Carolina.
You can cancel a sale for up to 20 minutes after making a purchase. However, retailers cannot cancel a ticket after sales have been suspended for a particular drawing.
Yes, you can play up to 14 consecutive drawings for Midday or Evening, or 28 drawings for both. There is also an Advance Play option where you can enter a draw on a different day.
This refers to the combination of numbers you pick. A 3-Way play is when you choose two numbers that are the same and a third that is different (for example 2-2-3 or 5-1-1). A 6-Way play has three different numbers (such as 1-2-3 or 9-8-7). Go to the Ways to Play page for more information.
Fireball is an optional feature that you can add to a play. It allows you to replace any of the three drawn numbers with a fourth number between 0 and 9, which is also selected at random as part of the draw. This could potentially help you win a prize if you have just missed out, although it also doubles the cost of a play.
You can choose whether to pay $0/50 or $1 per play for the different methods apart from Straight/Box, which costs a fixed $1.
The most you can win in Pick 3 is $500, which would happen if you paid $1 on a Straight and matched all three numbers. Each play type has its own associated prize amount.
The odds of winning are different for each play type. For a Straight play, the chances of matching all three numbers in order are 1 in 1,000.
As there are no prizes of more than $500, you can just go to any South Carolina retailer to get your winnings redeemed. Alternatively, you can visit the Columbia Claims Center or mail your winning tickets to SC Education Lottery, P.O. Box 11039, Columbia, SC 29211-1039.
You have 180 days from the date of the draw to collect any Pick 3 prizes.
No, although there are versions of Pick 3 in many states, you must claim any prizes won from the relevant lottery. For example, if you’ve won a South Carolina Pick 3 prize but you are a resident of Georgia, you still need to collect your prize from the South Carolina Lottery.