Leah Peterson won $500,000 from the Georgia Lottery
Leah Peterson won $500,000 from the Georgia Lottery
Sept. 7, 2012 - A Savannah pharmacy technician was served with a healthy half-million dollar dose in winnings from the Georgia Lottery. Leah Petersen, 39, won a $500,000 top prize playing the instant game Jumbo Jumbo Bucks.

"It's a dream come true," the lucky winner exclaimed. "I was crying with happy tears and jumping for joy," she said. "I said, 'Somebody pinch me!'""

Petersen said winning the prize is "exciting and life changing."

"We're going to pay off all of our bills," she shared. "We're going to invest some and buy a house."

Petersen purchased the ticket at Publix Super Market #0456, 155 Johnny Mercer Blvd. in Savannah, while on her lunch break.

In celebration of her win, Petersen and her husband, Kenny, anticipate vacationing at Disney World.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $13.6 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 1.4 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.1 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.