Georgia's biggest winner ever: Anonymous jackpot claimant nabs $983M

The winner played regularly to support HOPE and plans to give back to the community.

News writer, Interviewer

Published Jan 07, 2026, 13:35 EST

Someone in Georgia just started 2025 with $983 million reasons to celebrate.

The winner of the November 14 Mega Millions drawing came forward on January 2 to claim the largest lottery prize in Georgia history. They chose the cash option: $453.6 million before taxes.

Georgia law allows winners to stay anonymous. This one did. But they shared a few details that connect them to the state in a meaningful way.

The winner's story

The winner is from Georgia. They have family members who benefited from the HOPE Scholarship, the program funded by Georgia Lottery proceeds.

They play regularly to support HOPE and Pre-K. A Georgia Lottery billboard advertising the big jackpot reminded them to buy their ticket. When news broke that someone won, they checked the website for the winning numbers.

The results were astonishing.

Their plans? Make the money generational. Give back to good causes. They said they're thankful to be in a position to give.

The lucky retailer

Publix #1816 in Newnan sold the lucky Quik Pik ticket. The store sits at 4000 N. Highway 29.

Any Georgia Lottery retailer that sells a winning Mega Millions jackpot ticket earns a $50,000 bonus. Not a bad day for the grocery store.

Georgia's new record

This jackpot shatters the previous record. That was a $478.2 million Powerball prize from October 23, 2024. A ticket sold in Buford won. Two people shared it and took the cash option of $230.6 million.

The new winner more than doubled that amount.

The impact on education

Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin called it a "record-breaking jackpot winner" with a "life-changing start to the new year."

But it's not just life-changing for the winner. The jackpot run was significant for Georgia students, families, and communities who benefit from HOPE and Pre-K.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $30.2 billion to the state for education. More than 2.25 million students have received HOPE. More than 2.2 million four-year-olds have attended the statewide Pre-K program.

Every ticket sold feeds those programs.