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Disney World cast member wins $40K in Powerball

ATLANTA — The Powerball ticket sold in Savannah worth $40,000 from the Aug. 7 drawing was claimed Friday. Kissimmee, Fla., resident Carmen Marquez matched the first four winning numbers and the Powerball number from last Wednesday’s $448 million drawing.

Marquez, 48, multiplied her winnings with the Power Play feature for an additional $1 that increased her prize to $40,000. She claimed it at the Georgia Lottery District Office in Savannah.

“I was visiting the historic Savannah area,” she said.

Marquez stopped for gas at Parkway Shell, 4 Park of Commerce Way in Savannah, where she purchased the lucky Quik Pik ticket.

“I needed a receipt from the gas pump, so I went inside and bought (a ticket),” she explained.

A Disney World cast member, Marquez discovered her win after she arrived home and drove back to Georgia.

“I’m excited. This is the first time I’ve won a big prize like this,” she exclaimed.

The lucky winner has no immediate plans for her windfall.

Winning numbers from the Aug. 7 Powerball drawing were: 5-25-30-58-59 and the Powerball was 32.

Wednesday’s drawing is an estimated $50 million to a single annuity winner.

Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Players can add the Power Play feature for an additional $1 per play to multiply non-jackpot prize winnings.

As with all other Georgia Lottery games, proceeds from Powerball will benefit education in the state of Georgia.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $14.6 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 1.6 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.2 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.