Guide to the GA Lottery
Georgia Lottery History
The GA Lottery debuted in 1993 after a successful authorization vote by Georgia residents in 1992.
During the first week of ticket sales, the GA Lottery set a lottery sales record with 52 million tickets sold. The per capita sales amount that week was $7.80.
The GA Lottery was so successful that it was able to repay its start up debts within two weeks.
All lottery proceeds go towards educational funding. Since its debut, the GA Lottery has contributed more than $12.5 billion to the state’s education fund.
How exactly is the GA Lottery education money being spent? Georgia students with 3.0 or higher GPA’s qualify for HOPE scholarships, which can be used to pay for student expenses at Georgia colleges. GA Lottery proceeds also help fund pre-kindergarten programs and technological upgrades for K-12 and post-secondary schools.
GA Lottery Rules
The GA Lottery boasts a selection of roughly 40 to 50 instant games at any time. Playing instructions can be found on the front of a game ticket.
Players can also enjoy computer lottery games that can be played at lottery terminals.
Those looking for the excitement of the draw can try to pick winning numbers for Powerball, Keno, Mega Millions, Win for Life, Decades of Dollars, Cash 3, Cash 4, and Georgia 5.
The main premise of all lottery draw games is basically the same. Players pick numbers, and if those numbers match the winning draw numbers closely or exactly, the player can win huge jackpots.
For Georgia 5 in particular, players pick 5 numbers between 0 and 9, a draw time, and the number of consecutive drawings. If the draw number from the appropriate draw time matches a player’s numbers in the same order, the player wins the jackpot.
There are also other, lower paying win conditions for those whose numbers only match partially.
Lottery games and tickets can be purchased at over 8,200 locations statewide.
Past Winners
Shaw McBride, who won $159 million from the GA Lottery in 2009, pledged to give away all of his lottery winnings to charity. McBride lived a troubled life and almost committed suicide before finding God and vowing to dedicate his life to charity. That’s a Georgia Lottery solution anyone can be proud of.
In April of 2011, Betty J. Easter won a million dollars from an instant game she purchased on Good Friday, leading many to speculate that her last name gave her extra luck during the Easter holiday season.
Beware of Scams
The GA Lottery offers many tips for avoiding scams. Any email notification claiming that a player has won lottery money is fraudulent. No official lottery uses email notifications for prizes.
Any email asking for personal information before receiving lottery money is only trying to harvest personal information that can be used for identity theft.
Another good Georgia Lottery solution is that if any time an offer of lottery winnings is prefaced with a requirement to pay a fee, it is a scam. GA Lottery games require no payment beyond the purchase price of the game or ticket.
If someone claiming to be a GA Lottery official contacts someone via a collect call, that person is a fraud.
Never pay cash in return for a supposedly winning ticket, even if the ticket looks like a legitimate winner. Scam artists can modify or forge lottery tickets that look like the real thing but won’t hold up to digital verification.
GA Lottery Trivia
- It’s always a good idea to sign a lottery ticket immediately. Others who find a lost ticket and sign it become the official owner of the ticket.
- Cash 3, Cash 4, and Georgia 5 draw game playslips can be cancelled if a player makes a mistake during the purchase. However, there is only a fifteen minute period after the purchase where cancellation is possible.
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