ATLANTA — An Atlanta entrepreneur anticipates buying a franchise with nearly half-a-million dollars in winnings from the Georgia Lottery. Michael Rutledge, 32, won $450,020 playing KENO!
Kroger #0491, 3871 Peachtree Road S.E. in Atlanta, sold the winning ticket.
Rutledge claimed his prize March 19 at Georgia Lottery headquarters in Atlanta.
Using a combination of his own numbers, the lucky winner purchased a nine spot for 10 consecutive draws and selected the multiplier option to increase his windfall.
He opted to wait a few hours before checking the results of the drawing on his cellphone.
“I was very excited. I called a friend, my mom and my brother,” Rutledge said. “I like the experience of winning. It’s an adrenaline rush.”
Self-employed in the entertainment industry, Rutledge also intends to purchase a new car.
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $16 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 1.7 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.3 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.