Georgia Lottery
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Georgia Lottery Corporation, known as the Georgia Lottery, is overseen by the government of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Headquartered in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, the
lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...
takes in over US$1 
billion Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions: *1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is its only current meaning in English. * 1,000,000,000,000, i.e ...
yearly. By law, half of the
money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...
goes to
prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
s, one-third to
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
, and the remainder to operating and
marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
the lottery. The education money funds the
HOPE Scholarship The HOPE Program (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) created in 1993 under the supervision of Georgia Governor Zell Miller, is Georgia's scholarship and grant program that rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, and ...
, and has become a successful model for other lotteries, including the
South Carolina Education Lottery The South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) began in 2002. South Carolina is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), best known for Powerball. Like most US lotteries, on January 31, 2010, it participated in the cross-sell lottery ex ...
.


History

A government-run lottery was explicitly allowed in a 1992
constitutional amendment A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...
to Article I, Section II, Paragraph VIII of the Georgia State Constitution, approved in a
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
. The GLC was created by a separate
bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...
in 1992 by the
Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...
, and then-
governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...
,
Zell Miller Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American author and politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as lieutenant governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as U. ...
, in the
Lottery for Education Act The Georgia Lottery Corporation, known as the Georgia Lottery, is overseen by the government of Georgia, United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the lottery takes in over US$1 billion yearly. By law, half of the money goes to prizes, one ...
( OCGA 50-27).
Rebecca Paul Rebecca Paul (born Feb 1949 as Rebecca Sue Graham) is currently the President and CEO of the Tennessee Lottery. Prior to assuming her current position in 2003, Paul gained national fame within the lottery community for operating lotteries in Illin ...
, who began the
Florida Lottery The Florida Lottery is the government-operated lottery of the U.S. state of Florida. , the lottery offers eleven terminal-generated games: Cash4Life, Mega Millions, Powerball, Florida Lotto, Pick 2, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Fantasy 5, Cash Pop, ...
, then ran the Georgia Lottery for its first decade, before leaving to launch
Tennessee Lottery The Tennessee Lottery is run by the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (TELC), which was created on June 11, 2003, by the Tennessee General Assembly. TELC derives its legal authority from the ''Tennessee Education Lottery Implementation Law ...
in 2004. The original in-house weekly jackpot game, Lotto Georgia, merged with two similar games in 2001 to become
Lotto South Lotto South was a lottery game in Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia. It resulted from the September 2001 merger of three smaller jackpot games, one from each of the three lotteries. This was done in an attempt to create larger jackpots. Drawings t ...
, in an attempt to create larger
jackpot Jackpot or Jackpot! may refer to: * A prize, such as a progressive jackpot * Gardena jackpots, a poker variant * Jackpot, Nevada, a community on the Nevada–Idaho state border Comics * Jackpot (comics), several comic book characters * ''Jack ...
s. In February 2006, Lotto South ended. In the mid-1990s, Georgia, then offering
Powerball Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). From its inaugural drawing on April 19, 1992, unti ...
for the first time, joined ''The Big Game'' (now
Mega Millions Mega Millions (originally known as ''The Big Game'' in 1996 and renamed, temporarily, to ''The Big Game Mega Millions'' six years later) is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery game; as of January 30, 2020, it is offered in 45 states, the Di ...
) when it began in 1996. Several days after Georgia began selling ''The Big Game'' tickets, it was forced to leave the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which continues to administer Powerball. (In October 2009, an agreement was reached between Mega Millions and the Powerball group allowing Mega Millions and Powerball tickets to be available, simultaneously, by each US lottery. Most lotteries, including Georgia's, offered both games beginning January 31, 2010.


Current draw games


In-house draw games


Instant games

Instant games are scratch tickets also called "scratch-offs". A player scratches a thin film from the ticket to see if the ticket is a winner. The prizes are smaller than other lottery games, but there are better odds. There are dozens of instant games on sale at any time, and the selection of games changes frequently. They range in price from $1 to $30.


Cash 3

Cash 3 is played three times daily. Three machines, each containing balls numbered 0 through 9, are used; one ball is drawn from each machine. Play styles vary: for example, a $1 "straight" bet (a player guesses a three-digit number will be drawn in exact order) pays $500 for a winning ticket. Other options of play include "Box" (any order), "Straight Box"($.50 for a straight play and $.50 for a boxed play), Front Pair (where you must match the first two numbers drawn in the exact order), and Back Pair (where you must match the last two numbers drawn in the exact order). Cash 3 began August 10, 1993. The first Cash 3 numbers that were drawn were 1-7-0.


Cash 4

Cash 4 also is drawn three times daily; it is played similarly to Cash 3, except with 4 digits, and four ball machines are used. A $1 "straight" wager (see above) wins $5,000 for a winning ticket. Cash 4 began April 6, 1997.


Georgia Five

Georgia Five is a 5-digit numbers game. Georgia 5 is drawn twice daily; it has a top prize of $10,000. It was introduced on August 1, 2010. Georgia Five is different from most pick-3 and pick-4 games; players do not choose straight, box, or similar wagers. The top prize is won by matching all five numbers in exact order; a player wins by matching at least the first ''or'' last digit.


Fantasy 5

Fantasy 5 is a once daily game that draws 5 of 42 numbers (originally was 35 and then 39). Games are $1 per play. Jackpots begin at $125,000 and increase if there is no top prize winner. Fantasy 5 also has a ''Ca$h Match'' option for an additional $1 per game. Matching the ticket's Fantasy 5 numbers to any of the ''Ca$h Match'' numbers within the ticket wins a cash prize. The ''Ca$h Match'' option can be won up to five times on each ticket. Fantasy 5 has been played since November 14, 1994.


Jumbo Bucks Lotto

Jumbo Bucks Lotto is a twice-weekly game (Mondays and Thursdays) that draws 6 of 47 numbers. Games are $1 per play. Jackpots begin at $1,000,000 and increase if there's no jackpot winner. Jumbo Bucks Lotto also has a ''Ca$h Match'' option for an additional $1 per game. Matching the ticket's Jumbo Bucks Lotto numbers to any of the 'Ca$h Match' numbers within the ticket wins a cash prize. The ''Ca$h Match'' option can be won up to five times on each ticket. Additionally, each Ca$h Match purchase includes a Multiplier that automatically prints on the player's ticket. The Multiplier increases the player's Ca$h Match winnings up to 10 times(1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X). The Multiplier applies to Ca$h Match winnings only and does not apply to Jumbo Bucks LOTTO draw winnings. Jumbo Bucks Lotto has been played since early 2015.


Keno

Keno Keno is a lottery-like gambling game often played at modern casinos, and also offered as a game in some lotteries. Players wager by choosing numbers ranging from 1 through (usually) 80. After all players make their wagers, 20 numbers (some va ...
is played every four minutes at many lottery retailers. Twenty numbers from 1 through 80 are selected and displayed on a monitor. Players choose 1 to 10 numbers. Keno has a multiplier option, for an extra $1 per play, that multiplies prizes by 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x or 10x.


Multi-jurisdictional games


Cash4Life

Georgia joined ''Cash4Life'' on August 29, 2016. (The game is also available in Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.) Players choose 5 of 60 numbers in one field, and 1 of 4 green "Cash Ball" numbers in the second field. Live drawings are held on Monday and Thursday evenings at 9pm
Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...
on
Livestream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
. The top prize (win or share) $1,000-per-day-for-life. The second prize is $1,000-per-week-for-life. Unlike the former multi-state draw game ''Win for Life'' (see below), winners of a "lifetime" prize can choose cash in lieu of the lifetime annuity.


Mega Millions

In the mid-1990s, Georgia helped launch ''The Big Game'' (now
Mega Millions Mega Millions (originally known as ''The Big Game'' in 1996 and renamed, temporarily, to ''The Big Game Mega Millions'' six years later) is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery game; as of January 30, 2020, it is offered in 45 states, the Di ...
) when it began in 1996. (Its drawings usually are held in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.) Mega Millions players choose six numbers for $2; five "white ball" numbers, 1 through 70, and a sixth (''Mega Ball'') number, 1 through 25. (The ''Mega Ball'' number can be a duplicate of a "white ball" number.) The minimum jackpot is $40 million. Mega Millions replaced ''The Big Game'' in 2002. The ''Megaplier'' option, initially available only in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, was made available to Georgia's players on November 7, 2010.


Powerball

In October 2009, an agreement was reached allowing Mega Millions and
Powerball Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). From its inaugural drawing on April 19, 1992, unti ...
tickets to be sold through US lotteries, then with ''either'' game. Georgia, which joined Powerball in 1995, and sold ''The Big Game'' and Powerball tickets for a few days in 1996 before being forced out of Powerball, rejoined
Powerball Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). From its inaugural drawing on April 19, 1992, unti ...
on January 31, 2010. Powerball began in 1992; the ''Power Play'' option in 2001. In January 2012, the price of a Powerball play increased to $2, or $3 with ''Power Play''.


Retired draw games


Monopoly Millionaires' Club

''
Monopoly Millionaires' Club Monopoly Millionaires' Club (MMC) was a series of 16 scratchcard games that differed by its participating lotteries; its players could become eligible to be flown to Las Vegas to take part in an episode of the ''Monopoly Millionaires′ Club'' ...
'' (MMC) began sales on October 19, 2014 in 22 states and the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. Due to unexpectedly poor sales, and an unexpected early jackpot win, only 10 MMC drawings were held. A television game show featuring MMC contestants aired from March 28, 2015 to 2016; later episodes were for contestants who won access to the show via a scratch ticket; the scratch tickets were printed after the draw game ended.


Decades of Dollars

''Decades of Dollars'' began in 2011; it was launched in Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia as an alternative game to Win for Life. (Arkansas joined a few months after DoD began.) DoD was replaced by ''Monopoly Millionaires′ Club'' in Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky; in 2015, Virginia ended sales of DoD. Winners had the choice of $250,000 per year in 30 installments, or $4,000,000 cash.


Win for Life

Win for Life replaced ''Lotto South'' in 2006. It was offered in Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia; it was a 6-of-42 game that drew a seventh number (the "Free Ball") for lower-tier prizes. Top prize was $1,000-a-week-for-life; there was never a gamewide "cash option", unlike the current
Cash4Life Cash4Life is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery drawing game; as of April 2021, it is offered by ten state lotteries, and is drawn nightly. Ticket sales began on June 13, 2014, in New York and New Jersey; the first drawing took place thr ...
(although Virginia offered it when the game began.) ''Win for Life'' ended as a Virginia-only game with a cash option.


Lotto South

Lotto South Lotto South was a lottery game in Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia. It resulted from the September 2001 merger of three smaller jackpot games, one from each of the three lotteries. This was done in an attempt to create larger jackpots. Drawings t ...
was offered in Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia from 2001 to 2006 (it was a 6-of-49 game, using the same matrix as the Virginia-only game that preceded it.)


Change Game

This game began in 2002. In this game players got a six character combination from A0000A to Z9999Z for a change amount ranging from 25 cents to 99 cents for a chance to be one of three guaranteed winners every evening. Players had to match all six characters in the exact order to win a prize that depends on how much money they pay for each game played. The Georgia Lottery ended the game in 2004 due to declining sales.


References


External links

* {{U.S. lotteries State lotteries of the United States 1992 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 1992 referendums