Published Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Grantville's Baker hits it big with lottery scratch-off ticket

The Times-Herald

Robert Wayne Baker Jr. of Grantville may have to buy a bigger wallet after winning $1,000,000 in the Georgia Lottery's 15th Anniversary Millionaire Extravaganza game.

Baker purchased the winning scratch-off ticket on May 4 at the Money Back store in Hogansville, where he stops every day on his way to the diesel repair shop his family owns and operates in Lone Oak.

Baker says he started scratching the ticket in the store parking lot, but didn't finish scratching until he got to work. When he saw what looked like a million dollar winning ticket, Baker had his doubts about the ticket's authenticity because his brother has been known to pull pranks involving lottery tickets.

"It looked like I'd won a million dollars, but I still didn't believe it," Baker said. "I'd never won anything in my life."

Baker took the ticket to the Georgia Lottery office in Columbus, where officials verified he was indeed a million-dollar winner.

It seemed kind of like a dream," Baker said. "But I got used to it pretty quick."

Baker's father, Robert Wayne Baker Sr., was on hand for the presentation Wednesday at the Hogansville convenience store.

Baker plans to pay off some debts and then deposit the rest in the bank while he takes his time deciding what to do with his windfall.

"In this economy, I don't want to make any decisions about it right off the bat," he said. "I've got time to think about it and that's what I'm going to do."