A Port Wentworth man has won a $500,000 top prize from a holiday-themed Georgia Lottery ticket he purchased in Clermont.

Richard Mixon purchased a Merry Money instant ticket at the Citgo Food Mart at 5971 Cleveland Highway. He claimed the prize Nov. 17 at the Georgia Lottery District Office in Savannah.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $16.7 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 1.7 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.4 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.