Atlanta man nails $500K in second Georgia Lottery win

By Fran Jeffries

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Second time's the charm for one Atlanta man.

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Georgia Lottery Erik Holmes won a lottery jackpot for the second time.

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Erik Holmes, 44, has claimed a $500,000 lottery prize, less than a year after winning $104,000.

Holmes claimed his $500,000 prize Tuesday, after playing a new scratch-off game called $7 Million Jackpot.

He was leaving work when he bought the ticket at Ponce Food Mart, 689 Boulevard N.E., Atlanta.

“I scratched it in the store and immediately turned it over and signed it,” he said. “Then I gave the clerk a big hug and drove home. I was surprisingly calm.”

The Home Depot department manager says he will donate some of his winnings to the company’s Homer Fund, which helps employees in times of need.

He said he used his previous prize from March 2011 to help family and friends.

“Giving back is one of Home Depot’s core values, and I firmly believe in that,” he said.

Holmes will have a little extra cash to splurge on Wednesday night's Powerball multi-state game where $250 million is up for grabs.

If a single player matches all six numbers and chooses the cash option, that player will receive a one-time payout of about $156 million before taxes.

Who knows, maybe Holmes' third time will really be the charm.

The jackpot for Friday’s multi-state Mega Millions drawing climbed to $41 million after no players matched all six numbers in Tuesday night’s game.