Metro MegaMillions

ATLANTA — A Mega Millions ticket worth an estimated $980 million was sold at a Publix in Newnan, marking one of the largest lottery wins in Georgia history and drawing national attention to the Atlanta metro area.

The winning ticket was purchased at Publix Super Market #1816, located in the Arbor Springs Plaza on North Highway 29. State lottery officials confirmed the sale early Monday and noted that the retailer will receive a $50,000 bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.

Georgia law allows winners of $250,000 or more to request anonymity, meaning the identity of the newest multimillionaire may never be publicly released. That confidentiality option has become increasingly common, especially with nine-figure jackpots.

The massive win also underscores the lottery’s sizeable footprint in metro Atlanta’s economy. The Georgia Lottery has contributed nearly $30 billion to education programs since its inception, including HOPE Scholarships and statewide Pre-K. Large jackpots often drive a surge in ticket sales across the region, feeding into those education funds.

For Newnan, the win brings a short-term economic boost to the retailer and a wave of local attention. Publix customers at the Arbor Springs location steadily increased throughout the day as word spread.

Mega Millions has seen a series of large jackpots in recent years, but a near-billion-dollar winner landing in the Atlanta metro is a rare event — and all eyes now turn to whether the mystery winner will come forward publicly or remain unknown.