Community Corner

Georgia Woman Bought Winning Mega Millions Lottery Ticket on Way to Work

Lottery officials confirm winning tickets were sold in Georgia and California.

UPDATED 5:15 P.M.: The woman who bought Georgia's winning Mega Millions lottery ticket came forward today to claim her prize.

The Stone Mountain woman who picked all the numbers in the Mega Millions game to win a share of the $636 million jackpot already came forward to claim her prize.

Ira Curry told Georgia Lottery officials that she was on her way to work when she made a last-minute decision to buy a single lottery ticket. Georgia Lottery President and CEO Debbie Alford said Curry told her she used family birthdays to pick the numbers, and her family's lucky number 7 for the Mega Ball number.

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Curry told lottery officials she was driving to work when she heard a radio talk show host talking about the Mega Ball number, which matched what she chose. So she called her daughter to have her check on her ticket. Alford said Curry told them "between joyful tears and laughter," her daughter told her she had won.

Curry chose the cash option when she bought her ticket on Friday, Dec. 13, which means her payout will be a little more than $173 million. It will take a couple of weeks for her claim to be processed so a cash transfer can be made to her account.

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Alford called the Gateway Newstand at 3500 Lenox Road where Curry bought her ticket a "lucky store." Retailers get 6 percent of lottery sales as set by Georgia statutes.

"I don't believe Ms. Curry belived that she won until I walked in and told her congratulations," Alford said.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Did you buy a Mega Millions ticket at the Alliance Center building on Lenox Road for Tuesday night's drawing?

Gateway Newstand at 3500 Lenox Road near Phipps Plaza was the local retailer to sell a jackpot winning ticket.

Mega Millions players in Georgia and California bought winning tickets in Tuesday's jackpot drawing. The exact jackpot amount the two winners will share will be announced once sales figures are compiled.

Don't feel too sad for the winners having to split the prize: The cash option amount for the jackpot winners is $173.8 million each.

Check your tickets closely, because in addition to the two jackpot-winning tickets, there were 20 $1 million winners and many other winners.

Unless you were in Columbus or Winder recently and bought some tickets, you won't have one of the two $1 million winners in Georgia, as those cities are where the tickets were sold.


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