Georgia brothers Quinton Watts and Phillip Watts sentenced for Georgia Lottery fraud scheme

Two Georgia brothers receive prison sentences in multi-year lottery fraud case

Quinton Watts, 27, and his older brother Phillip Watts, 31, both from Sparta, Georgia, have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms following a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe into a long-running fraud scheme targeting Georgia Lottery-regulated machines.

According to authorities, the pair were involved in stealing money from Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAMs) — video poker-style machines found inside convenience stores and gas stations — in at least a dozen counties between June 2021 and September 2024. The Georgia Lottery Commission asked the GBI to investigate in August 2024, leading to felony charges that included racketeering, lottery ticket fraud, theft, and possession of tools used to commit a crime.

In Columbia County Superior Court, Judge Barry A. Fleming ordered Quinton to serve 20 years in prison followed by 45 years of probation. Phillip received a 20-year prison term with 35 years of probation. Both men must also pay more than $86,000 in restitution to the Georgia Lottery Commission. In addition, they’re banned from Columbia County, barred from entering the stores tied to the case, and prohibited from playing COAMs.

COAMs are legal in Georgia when properly licensed and can award points redeemable for in-store goods, gas credits, or lottery tickets — but cash payouts are prohibited under state law.