ATLANTA – Alexander Rivera, a Hinesville resident, has won a $1 million top prize playing the Georgia Lottery instant game Georgia Lottery Black. Rivera, who retired five months ago from the U.S. Army, is excited about his windfall.
Georgia Lottery representatives presented Rivera, 44, with an oversized check Tuesday at Parker’s #0028, located at 59 Old Sunbury Road in Hinesville, where he scratched the lucky ticket.
“I was picking up my son from school, and I stopped for a ticket,” he explained. “I was waiting in the parking lot for my son when I scratched it, and there it was. I couldn’t believe it.”
Ana, Rivera’s wife, was ecstatic when he shared the good news with her over the phone.
“She said, ‘Stop kidding me,’ and she got excited,” the father of two said.
Rivera has served in the military for 25 years and anticipates his time off with family.
“Right now we’re still in shock,” he shared. “I guess I won’t know how it feels until we’re settled in.”