By Todd Northrop
ATLANTA, Ga. — A food mart store manager in Cave Spring, Georgia, sold a winning Georgia Lottery ticket worth $3 million, and witnessed the genuine reaction of the surprised winner.
Marathon Food Mart, 150 Gadsden Road S.W. in Cave Spring, sold a winning $3 million top prize from the instant ticket $3,000,000 Taxes Paid.
Douglas Goffaux of Centre, Ala., claimed his prize July 25 at the Georgia Lottery's Dalton District Office.
"The winner scratched it right in front of me," said store manager Ashish Merchant. "For almost 20 minutes he was shaking. He was sitting in front of the counter."
Before scratching the ticket, Merchant asked Goffaux what he'd do with $1 million.
"He was about to fall from his chair," Merchant said of Goffaux upon discovering his $3 million surprise.
A sign outside of the store proclaims Marathon Food Mart as a lucky one.
"I feel very good that my customer got the winning ticket," he exclaimed.
$3,000,000 Taxes Paid is a Georgia Lottery instant game loaded with cash prizes, including top prizes of $3,000,000 after taxes. Players also can enter non-winning tickets into weekly extra chance drawings to win $20,000 after taxes.
(Click to display in gallery)
Congrats to Mr. Goffaux!
I hope he was one of us but God bless him anyway.
Wow! How wonderful. :) Congratulations to Mr. Goffaux! (I also now know never to never scratch a ticket in the store. If I ever won that much money, I'd probably pass-out and by the time I gained consciousness, the ticket would be gone.
... 
)
This also goes to show that driving a few miles to another state can pay off big time.
And that's why you see so many vehicles with Tennessee tags in borderline stores in neighboring states.
The Tennessee Lottery has sucked ever since the Dragon Lady took over and threw out the ball machines and put in computers.
Nobody trusts it like they used to, especially after the big computer cheating scandal she got caught at.
And all our state games suck anyway since she took over.
Everybody in my area spends their lottery money in Virginia.
Amen Brother,lets go to Georgia
Wow I'm glad to see someone else on my side.I go to Georgia almost every saturday morning,I have a $40.00 win ticket on my kitchen table right now...
Way to go Mr. G !!!
You had better be careful regarding your identity though - If rdgrnr decides you are a person that he deems not "one of us," he may lobby to have you disqualified.
By "one of us" I meant a member of Lottery Post.
But I think you knew that, didn't you?
Imagine that, a cool $3,000,000 and not having to pay taxes. And he lives in a state that is not tax greedy. He should be set for life if he is smart.
congrats to the winner ! i'd imagine that taxes are still paid, just that the advertised JP is after taxes have been taken out. but a win is a win is a win ! and what a sweet win it is.
Thast exactly what it is. I remember posting about this particular scratcher a while back when I drove to GA for some Mega Millions tickets. I bought a couple of these.
The back of the ticket says the actual prize is something like "4,500,000"...and after taxes it comes to $3,000,000.
I think all scratchers should be like this =) This man will indeed get $3 mill after taxes. Pretty awesome
Actually, I did not!
Knowing you are capable of expressing the kind of sentiment found in this previous post, I think my first reaction could be expected.
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/232109/2137060
Perhaps readers here will benefit from the context as well.
https://www.lotterypost.com/blogentry/56215/viewcomments
150 Gadsden road!
Hard to keep up with all the flak around here sometimes..and some posters seem to blend into each other...the posts
are the same, the subjects different.
From God, to flags to dead Presidents - there's always a debate/knock down, drag out/one upper going on.
One tried and true contributor is my favorite....
......rdgrnr! He can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.
For all of you who've called him stupid in the past..he is clearly the most intelligent one in the bunch.
I saw a poster buckle today...I saw some other posters lose control....I saw others just go away due to sheer
frustration.
For those that claim to hate him, you gotta admit...he keeps you coming back for more.
Don't waste your time messing with Captain America.
.....and about that $3 Million!! WOW!! What a scratcher, that must've been a real thrill. I'm happy the scatcher didn't
drop dead. I might have.
WTG Mr.Goffaux!!
and rdgrnr rocks!!!he is one of my favorite posters.
Congrats Mr Goffaux,
Jimmy, grow up.
Why is your avatar wearing a bib?
Congrats Mr. Goffaux......
REALLY!!!! Jimmy it was pretty obvious that he meant an LP member, FYI Ridge has stood up for many races on this post...
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/223802
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/211976
You're a phony-baloney charlatan, Nancy. A fake and a fraud. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it.
But I love when you re-run some of my "golden oldies."
You see, I have a bad memory and quickly forget things I've written.
So I'm not ashamed to say I laughed when I read the post of mine you referenced and then when I scrolled down to the one about you and truecricket wetnursing each other... well... I totally lost it! LMAO!
But why you want to dredge up all this stuff is beyond me.
You must be a glutton for punishment or something.
Thanks alot summey now Ridge is going to get the big head...LOL...
Actually I'm kinda shy and bashful, dallas.
dr65,
You are too kind, my friend.
Thank you.
Thank you summey, I think you rock too.
Thanks dallas, but Nancy never lets the facts get in the way of a good story.
He needs dirty laundry for his gossip mill and he'll get it even if he has to use his own drawers.
Really? It was? That depends on your perspective.
Your examples of rdgrnr's kind words were for Christians.
He has a different attitude toward others...
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/234640/2150259
Ahhh, the good ole daze..
That Atheist thread sure did produce some funnyazzshizz...
LMAO - I gotta go back & reread me some a that..
Loved it !!
I knew it, Nancy.
You like getting slapped around. That's creepy.
On another note, I've never seen you keep an avatar so long after I belabor you.
You must really like that guy. Who is he if you don't mind my asking?
Hey Cowboy!
Have you noticed how he slithers out of dealing with the evidence he is a racist Muslim hater?
He just ignores it. I wonder how he treats the "little woman?"
The sad thing about the situation here is that except for joker17, truecritic, and myself,
his low brow racist rants seem to be acceptable...
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/232109/2137060
Back for another ass-whoopin' Nancy?
Or ya just wanna dance for me?
Don't act all shy and delicate, Nancy.
I hear you used to run with a pretty tough crowd in your neighborhood.
I heard a couple guys in your crew would grab a woman and hold her down while you did her hair.
I'm sorry but......................
I couldn't help it..
C'mon, lets loosen up & see things for what they really are......Forest / Trees type a thing.....
Hey Cash!
Sho got tahd a payn dues
Lawdy mama, light mah fuze!
Oooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
I think ya skeered him away Cash!
I think he's askeered a you!
LOL Ridge, You CrayyyZayyyy
WARNING!!!! ....DO NOT READ POST FROM RIDGE WHILE YOU ARE DRINKING!!!!! I am going to need a new monitor thanks to you...LOL...
now... now...now... Ridge the Dragon Lady might see this... LOL
I have been a long time "lurker" but THIS thread, when I read it, finally got me to register. Y'all have me laughing and that is quite the accomplishment.
Thank you to everyone who has posted on this thread and particularly to rdgrnr.
Welcome to the LP Fondant......
Hi, dr! I don't agree with him at all on politics and to a degree religion, but one thing missing in this country is that you can still be cordial to each other even if you are so apart on issues. I don't get into politics here because it sets me off. I respect him as a Lottery Post member, and I remember he wished me a happy birthday on that thread.
Back to the topic: that must have been so awesome! I think I might walk out of the store and collect myself in the car. If I won something that big, I also probably would not post it.
I can remember back in the Seventies reading of winners with a ticket worth that much thinking they needed protection when they went to lottery head quarters to collect their winnings and would hire a couple of local off-duty policemen to accomplished them. I wonder how this guy felt holding his ticket in a public place knowing others around him knew he had a bearer instrument worth $3M, I imagined he didn't want strangers bumping into him as he walked out the store.
I bought a roll of this scratch off in Georgia and I recall I doubled my money. 1st ticket even won $300
I like the format that you actually get $3 Million after taxes
I never hear about big time scratcher winners here in the state of California.Seems like the only states that have big time scratcher winners are in the states of Georgia and Florida.California scratchers suck.
Way to go Mr.Goffaux!
I am hoping for a very nice story about me sometime soon! (Maybe after Wednesday)
I wish i could get that lucky my luck has been on a spiral and i can't seem to shake it loose
but Congratulations to the winner do your thang!!!
i wish oklahoma lottery would come up with a scratcher like this.
Thank you Fondant, I am humbled.
Congrats to him, but I never scratch tickets in the store. I don't even check powerball and mega million tickets in the store. I check them online, but if I check online and it happens to be a winner. I might go check it in the store just to see the those blue letters revel I'm now a muti millionaire. But I would go when the store is not too busy. I think it would be great if it were to happen tonight.
Wow , what a great story, and a great ticket. I wish Florida would be on par with other states in terms of scratchers and second chance promotions
I also like that the second chance for 20 Grand is being done WEEKLY. That's awesome