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Savannah mother-to-be wins $2.5M lottery prize

ATLANTA — Winning the lottery is as much of a life-changing experience as having a baby. Such is the case for 36-year-old Misty Bowman of Savannah, who won a $2.5 million top prize playing Millionaire Jumbo Bucks, a Georgia Lottery instant game.

Bowman, who is expecting her first child later this year, claimed her prize Aug. 1 at the Georgia Lottery District Office in Savannah.

Discount Corner #0003, 10401 Abercorn St. in Savannah, sold the winning ticket.

“I just went in to pay bills and with the leftover amount, the store manager suggested that I play the lottery,” she said. “I scratched it in the store, and I screamed loud.”

Staring at the ticket, the mother-to-be was in disbelief.

“I had to stare at those numbers,” she said. “I said, ‘Whoa!’ The store owner came from behind the counter and gave me a hug, and the people in the store rubbed my hands for good luck.”

Bowman, who is in the U.S. Army, is no stranger to winning the lottery.

She won $25,000 playing the same game this past January and $5,000 in February playing the instant game $10 Million Cash Spectacular. Both winning tickets also were purchased at Discount Corner #0003.

“I paid off bills,” she shared.

For Bowman, 2014 so far is a life-changing year.

“It was bizarre, and the $2.5 million caught me by surprise,” she said. “I want to find a smart way to invest it.”

The lucky lottery winner intends to save a portion of her winnings toward her child’s college fund, and she plans to financially assist her immediate family members.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $15.5 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 1.3 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.