A Carlton, Georgia woman has a winning hand.  Lula Hood played the Georgia Lottery instant game Blackjack Showdown and won one of the game’s $300,000 top prizes.

Lula Hood with her $300,000 check won by playing Blackjack Showdown

“When I scratched the ticket, I just sat there for awhile in shock,” Hood explained.  “Then I had to go lie down and take a nap.”  Hood purchased her winning ticket at Tiny Town Minit Mart, located at 7217 Highway 17 East in Carlton.  According to Hood, 61, she will share her winnings with her son, daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren.  She also plans to make home improvements on her mother’s house.  “This is really exciting,” Hood said.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $8.8 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 Prekindergarten Program.  More than 1 million students have received the Hope grant and more than 790,000 4-year-olds have attended the state-wide voluntary prekindergarten program.