Two Georgia brothers have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms after investigators say they carried out a years-long fraud scheme targeting Georgia Lottery–regulated gaming machines across the state. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Quinton Watts, 27, and Phillip Watts, 31 , both of Sparta, defrauded the Georgia Lottery by stealing money from Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAMs) in at least 12 Georgia counties over a three-year period. The GBI’s Commercial Gambling Unit launched the investigation in August 2024 at the request of the Georgia Lottery Commission. Authorities determined the brothers targeted video poker-style COAM machines between June 2021 and September 2024 , leading to multiple felony charges, including racketeering, lottery ticket fraud, theft by taking, and possession of tools for the commission of a crime . In Columbia County Superior Court , Judge Barry A. Fleming sentenced Quinton Watts to 20 years in prison followed by 45 years of probation , while Phillip Watts received 20 years in prison followed by 35 years of probation . Both men were ordered to pay a combined $86,000 in restitution to the Georgia Lottery Commission. The judge also p
