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Lottery luck turned sour for two gas station employees in Georgia, who found themselves in hot water after scratching their way into trouble. Both employees, working at different Gas World locations, admitted to playing Georgia Lottery scratch-off tickets without paying, costing the locally owned chain thousands of dollars.
What started as a gamble for quick fortune turned into a lesson on accountability, as security cameras and register audits revealed the schemes. Now, with hefty debts to repay and the threat of legal action looming, their pursuit of a winning ticket has turned into anything but a jackpot moment.
The latest scheme
On January 14, the manager of the Gas World, located at 4800 Columbia Road in Grovetown, contacted the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. The manager said an employee allegedly took $2,008 worth of scratch-off tickets that she didn't buy between January 6 and 14.
An officer reported to the Gas World location, and the employee confirmed with them that the manager's account of events was accurate. While the employee admitted to stealing the lottery tickets, no charges have been filed yet.
The employee avoided any charges right now by agreeing to pay back the money she stole, the manager said. So far, the employee has paid back $1,300 and promises to pay the rest later.
Authorities told the manager that if the total amount stolen isn't paid back, she could then contact the sheriff's office again and a supplement report would be generated. This would withdraw the waiver of prosecution and they would apply for a pre-warrant hearing.
The first scheme
This marked the second time in a month that employees at the locally based Gas World chain have admitted to a lottery theft scheme. About a month ago, an employee at Gas World, located at 220 S. Belair Rd. in Martinez, was caught stealing lottery tickets while at work.
According to a December 18, 2024, incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office that was obtained by The Augusta Chronicle, the owner of the convenience store told authorities that the store's lottery and register drawer had been coming up short on the days the suspect was working the register.
Authorities reviewed security camera footage from the store, which allegedly showed the suspect “pulling off lottery tickets from the roll, not purchase them, scratch the barcode, scan them, and still not pay for the tickets,” the report stated.
The owner said the suspect also scanned and printed Quick Pick tickets, pocketing them without paying when people weren't at the register.
In total, the employee took 31 $30 scratch-offs and 27 $10 scratch-offs between December 13 and 18, officials said. The owner didn't have an exact amount for the other tickets the suspect allegedly took.
Officers questioned the suspect, who said, “he knows he messed up the past few days.”
While the other employee hasn't been charged with anything, as long as she pays back the money in full, this employee was arrested and is facing a felony larceny charge for stealing at least $1,200 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets.
Enjoy playing the Georgia Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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