One lucky Georgia resident just became a millionaire — 450 times over.
The Georgia Lottery announced Tuesday that the $983 million jackpot winner from the Nov. 14 Mega Millions drawing came forward Friday, Jan. 2 to claim the largest lottery prize in Georgia history.
The winner selected the cash option, which amounts to $453.6 million before taxes.
Although the winner opted to remain anonymous, as permitted by Georgia law, they shared some special details, including that they are from Georgia and have family members who have benefited from the Georgia Lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship, according to a release from the Georgia Lottery.
"We are thrilled to celebrate Georgia's record-breaking jackpot winner and their life-changing start to the new year," Lottery Corp. president and CEO Gretchen Corbin Corbin said. "This historic jackpot was also significant for Georgia's students, families and communities who benefit from HOPE and Pre-K. We congratulate our winner and appreciate the support of our players and retail partners during this exciting jackpot run."
According to the winner, they play the Georgia Lottery regularly to support HOPE and Pre-K. They saw the big jackpot on a Georgia Lottery billboard, which reminded them to buy what turned to be the lucky, $453-million ticket.
When they heard there was a jackpot winner, they said they checked the Georgia Lottery website for the winning numbers and saw the astonishing results.
The winner said they plan for the prize to be generational and to give back to good causes. They are thankful to be in a position to give.
The Quik Pik ticket was sold at the Publix on North Highway 29 in Newnan, which resulted in a large reward for the ticket seller. Any Georgia Lottery retailer selling a winning Mega Millions jackpot ticket can earn a $50,000 retailer incentive bonus payment.
The historic payout surpassed the previous record held when one Powerball ticket sold in Buford for the Oct. 23, 2024, drawing won a $478.2 million jackpot. Two individuals shared that prize and selected the cash option of $230.6 million.
Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m.
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $30.2 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 2.25 million students have received HOPE, and more than 2.2 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.