ATLANTA – Phillip Goolsby considers his half-million dollar windfall the best accident ever. Goolsby of Atlanta intended to try his luck playing last week’s mammoth multi-state jackpot games, but walked away with a $500,000 top prize from the Georgia Lottery instant game Jumbo Jumbo Bucks.
“I’m pretty lucky,” said Goolsby, 32, as he claimed his prize at Georgia Lottery headquarters in Atlanta recently.
Goolsby purchased his lucky ticket from a Georgia Lottery Instant Ticket Vending Machine at Publix Super Market #1061, 950 W. Peachtree St. N.W. in Atlanta.
“I put in $20, but I intended to insert $10,” he explained. “I couldn’t get change, so I chose the ticket and scratched it in the car.”
The lucky winner couldn’t believe his eyes.
“I didn’t believe it. I just looked at it,” Goolsby said. “I just wasn’t sure it was real.”
Working in facilities management, Goolsby intends to purchase a new home and invest the remainder.
“This is very ironic, but I have no complaints,” he quipped.
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $14.3 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.4 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.2 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.
For more information on the Georgia Lottery Corp., please visit:
www.galottery.com and www.lotterybenefitsgeorgians.com
Play Responsibly – It’s All About Fun!