'Smooth Sailing': Welder coasts to collect $45,000 prize

Monday, November 16, 2009

ATLANTA – A voyage to the store turned one man into a lucky lottery winner. Paul Gruber, a welder, coasted in collecting a $45,000 top prize playing the Georgia Lottery instant game Smooth Sailing.

Gruber, 57, purchased the winning ticket at BJ's Food Mart #0002, 12510 Highway 48 in Cloudland. He felt like he had a chance to win, the father of four sons said, and scratched it in his car.

"I've looked at it several times since," Gruber said.

A resident of Fort Payne, Ala., with his wife, Melody, the couple plan to pay off bills and invest the remainder.

"I can't believe it," he exclaimed. "It's surreal."

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned more than $11.2 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 1.2 million students have received HOPE, and more than 940,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

For more information, please visit the Media Center on the Georgia Lottery Web site at:
www.galottery.com

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Tandi Reddick
Media Relations Manager

P 404.215.5062
F 404.215.8983
media [at] galottery [dot] org

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