Lottery Win Earns Paulding Couple Cash, New Jeep

Jason and Claire Estopinal of Dallas got the keys to their lottery prize on Friday. The two won a 2012 Jeep Wrangler as well as $25,000 by playing the Georgia Lottery's Jeep Outdoor Adventure instant game.

The Estopinals are Gold Star parents whose son, Marine Pfc. Jason H. Estopinal, 21, died during combat in Afghanistan in 2010.

“We needed a smile,” Jason Estopinal said. “We haven’t smiled in awhile, and this has made us smile.”

Georgia Lottery representatives the Estopinals with keys to new vehicle at on Friday.

Claire Estopinal purchased the lucky ticket at from the lottery’s instant ticket vending machine. She scratched it in the car.

“I got it out of the machine,” she said. “I just guessed.”

The couple, who have another son headed for college, celebrated their 24th anniversary last month.

Learn more about the Georgia Lottery's Jeep Outdoor Adventure game at this link.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $12.7 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 Pre-K Program. More than 1.3 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.1 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.