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Lottery player spends $30 on ticket — and hits $5 million jackpot prize in Georgia

Lottery player spends $30 on ticket — and hits $5 million jackpot prize in Georgia

Miami Herald07-03-2025

A Georgia Lottery player tried their luck on a scratch-off — and won a life-changing jackpot.
The lucky player snagged the grand prize, winning $5 million on the Max the Money scratch-off game, the Georgia Lottery said in a news release.
They spent $30 on the ticket at the Grant Country Store in Rockmart, beating odds of 1-in-2,400,000 to hit the jackpot, according to the lottery's website.
The winner claimed their prize at lottery headquarters March 3, officials said. They chose the lump sum payment, taking home a whopping $2,579,679 after taxes.
The Georgia Lottery didn't provide additional details.
It's the latest in a string of big lottery wins across the Peach State. Someone in Woodstock won $150,012 in the Powerball drawing March 5, one day after a Buford resident netted a $1,161,177 prize playing the Cats Jackpot Diggi Game, officials said.
Winners have 90 days to claim prizes on instant tickets and 180 days from the draw date for draw game tickets, according to the Georgia Lottery.
Players are encouraged to sign the back of their winning tickets.
Rockmart is about a 50-mile drive northwest from downtown Atlanta.

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A Powerball winner's 6 secrets to staying rich
A Powerball winner's 6 secrets to staying rich

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The stats are ironic. There are near-impossible odds to hit a Powerball jackpot (one in 292 million), yet a high probability that those that do will squander it (70% of lottery winners go broke). Not Tim Schulz. In 1999, he was a 21-year-old buried in student debt and working at a gas station for minimum wage before an improbable $28 million Iowa Powerball win instantly reversed his circumstances. More than 25 years later, Schultz is happy, successful, and still wealthy. He invested the majority of winnings, and still lives off of the interest on top of earnings from his successful Lottery, Dreams and Fortune podcast. 'I'm still incredibly grateful,' said Schultz, now 48. 'Your life can go in different directions. It's one of the biggest things that's ever happened to me.' Schultz's initial purchases were practical. He eliminated his debt. He hired a financial advisor who put him on a budget. 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