A Hinesville great-grandfather is celebrating a mega Georgia Lottery win. William Hudson matched the first five winning numbers in the Aug. 14 Mega Millions drawing and won $250,000.
Hudson bought his lucky Quik Pik combination at Handyland II at 200 Oglethorpe Highway, where he is a regular customer. He claimed his prize Friday at the Georgia Lottery Corporation’s Savannah District Office.
“I looked in the newspaper last night, and I was shocked,” he said. “Then I looked on the Georgia Lottery’s Web site to make sure. And then I stopped by a store and asked them to check the ticket.”
Hudson, 70, is married with five children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
“I’m going to buy a new car, and then the rest of my prize goes to my wife,” he said. “I told her that she can decide what she wants to do with it.”
According to a Handyland II employee, Hudson is the store’s first printout lotto ticket winner, but he’s not the first winner to have bought a ticket from the store. Another lotto player won $50,000 with a scratch-off card a few years ago, he said.
As with all other Georgia Lottery games, proceeds from Mega Millions will benefit education in the state. Since its first year, the corporation has returned over $9.3 billion to Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Prekindergarten Program. More than 1 million students have received HOPE, and more than 790,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.
Hudson bought his lucky Quik Pik combination at Handyland II at 200 Oglethorpe Highway, where he is a regular customer. He claimed his prize Friday at the Georgia Lottery Corporation’s Savannah District Office.
“I looked in the newspaper last night, and I was shocked,” he said. “Then I looked on the Georgia Lottery’s Web site to make sure. And then I stopped by a store and asked them to check the ticket.”
Hudson, 70, is married with five children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
“I’m going to buy a new car, and then the rest of my prize goes to my wife,” he said. “I told her that she can decide what she wants to do with it.”
According to a Handyland II employee, Hudson is the store’s first printout lotto ticket winner, but he’s not the first winner to have bought a ticket from the store. Another lotto player won $50,000 with a scratch-off card a few years ago, he said.
As with all other Georgia Lottery games, proceeds from Mega Millions will benefit education in the state. Since its first year, the corporation has returned over $9.3 billion to Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Prekindergarten Program. More than 1 million students have received HOPE, and more than 790,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.