The Georgia Lottery has a lot of games, which means a lot of ways to win. Like a lot of states, proceeds from the lottery go to fund education initiatives and the Georgia Lottery Corporation was actually established through the Lottery for Education Act.
The Georgia Lottery began in the fall of 1992 and has kicked nearly $30 billion towards students across the state, including the HOPE Scholarship Program. Given that there are upwards of 75 to 80 individual games available at any time, the money will keep flowing to both winners and the education system.
Georgia Lottery Games
Georgia is not part of the Multi-State Lottery Association but still participates in the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings. In all, there are nine draw games in the state, but there are only three that Georgia shares with other states.
There are also upwards of 60 instant-win games between scratch-offs and other “Quick Win” computer draw games. The GA Lottery also offers online purchases for tickets through the official lottery website. Third-party sellers like Jackpocket and Jackpot.com are not permitted in Georgia, as players can just buy their tickets directly.
Georgia Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Georgia is one of 45 states to participate in the Powerball drawing. Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
Each state is allowed to set its own cut-off time for ticket sales and Georgia cuts them off on drawing nights at 10 p.m. ET. Players choose five white ball numbers from 1 to 69 and a red Powerball number from 1 to 26. Those who don’t want to pick their own numbers can use the Quick Pik feature.
Each play costs $2 and there is a $1 optional add-on for the Power Play that can increase winnings. For Powerball, the Jackpot grows until the grand prize is won.
Georgia joined the Powerball drawing in 2010.
Mega Millions
Georgia is also one of 42 states to participate in the Mega Millions drawing. Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday night at 11 p.m. ET.
Ticket sales end at 10 p.m. ET on drawing nights and the concept is similar to Powerball, except the regular numbers range from 1 to 70 and the Mega Ball goes from 1 to 25.
Each play costs $2 with a $1 optional add-on for the Megaplier option to increase potential winnings.
Georgia was actually one of the six original states to offer the Mega Millions on September 6, 1996, joining Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Virginia.
Cash 4 Life
Georgia is also part of the multi-state Cash 4 Life drawing. This game originated in New York and New Jersey in 2014 and has been adding states ever since. Georgia adopted the game in the summer of 2016.
Players select five numbers from 1 through 60 and a Cash Ball from 1 to 4. Each play costs $2 and drawings are held seven days a week at 9 p.m. ET. Ticket sales are cut off at 8:45 p.m. ET.
The top prizes available are $1,000 a day ($365,000/year) or $1,000 a week ($52,000/year) for life.
Each play costs $2 and this game, like Mega Millions and Powerball, can be purchased online through the Georgia Lottery website.
Georgia Five
Georgia Five is the state’s twice-a-day Pick 5 lotto game. Drawings are held twice daily at 12:29 p.m. ET and 6:59 p.m. ET. The grand prize is $10,000 for this game, which features numbers ranging from 0 to 9.
Each play costs $1 and various prizes are available for matching numbers, including different combinations across the five-number draw. For example, matching the first and last number, the first two and last two, first number and last two, etc., so there are plenty of ways to win.
Fantasy 5
Fantasy 5 is Georgia’s once-a-day Pick 5 game. This one has a much larger Jackpot that starts at $125,000 and grows if no winners are selected. With this game, players pick or have the computer pick five numbers ranging from 1 to 42.
Each play costs $1 and this is a late drawing at 11:34 p.m. ET, with ticket sales cut off at 10:45.
There is an optional $1 Cash Match add-on for a chance to instantly win $500 by matching one or more of the Cash Match numbers with the draw numbers. The Cash Match draws five random numbers and assigns random prize amounts to the ticket.
Cash Pop
Cash Pop is a game exclusive to Georgia. It is a one-number draw with a range of 1 to 15. Players can all 15 numbers if they want to ensure a winning ticket, but the prize amount may not exceed the size of the wager.
Wager amounts are $1, $2, $5, or $10 and a cash prize amount is randomly selected by the computer when printing your ticket.
This drawing is held five times daily, with Early Bird (8 a.m.), Matinee (1 p.m.), Drive Time (5 p.m.), Primetime (8 p.m.) and Night Owl (11:59 p.m.) drawing held seven days a week. The top prize on a $1 ticket is $250 and the top prize on a $10 ticket is $2,500, so the top prize is 25 to 1 based on your wager amount.
Cash 4
Cash 4 is the Georgia variant of a Pick 4 drawing. There are three drawings daily, with Midday (12:29 p.m.), Evening (6:59 p.m.) and Night (11:34 p.m.). The top prize for Cash 4 is $5,000.
Pick four numbers 0 through 9 and match them up to win. Wager amounts are 50 cents or $1 and players can pick their own numbers or let the computer do it for them with the Quick Pik option.
Each wager is 50 cents or $1 because players can choose to play it Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Combo, or 1-Off. The 1-Off option can be played across one, two, three, or all four digits.
Cash 3
Cash 3 is the Georgia variant of a Pick 3 drawing. Drawing times are at the same time as Cash 4, so 12:29, 6:59, and 11:34. Similar to Cash 4, the balls drawn range from 0 to 9 and there are a lot of combinations and variations that players can choose to wager on, including 1-Off and Pairs.
Each play costs 50 cents of $1 and the top prize is $500. Drawings are held seven days a week.
KENO!
Georgia is also one of the many lotteries to embrace Keno drawings. Drawings are held every 3.5 minutes, meaning that there are over 300 drawings per day.
Keno features Multiplier and Bulls-Eye add-on options to increase the sizes of the prizes. Players select up to 10 spots out of the 80 numbers and can play $1, $2, $3, $5, or $10 per draw. They can also pick from playing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, or 20 consecutive draws with these numbers.
The top prize in this game is $100,000 if playing base KENO!, but the Bulls-Eye add-on can bump the top prize to $200,000. The two combined can win up to $300,000. It all depends on how many numbers are played and how many numbers are matched.
Like all of the other draw games except for Georgia Five, KENO! tickets can be purchased online.
Georgia Lottery Instant-Win Games
Diggi Games
The Georgia Lottery has something called Diggi Games, which would best be described as virtual scratch-off tickets. Players click on the spots much like they would use a coin to scratch off spots on a physical ticket.
These are exclusively available on the web and mobile and players must be 18 or older to try out the games or make any buys. Each play ranges from 50 cents to as high as $20 and there are more than 100 different games to play.
Some will be recognized as slot machine titles, like Siberian Storm, Wheel of Fortune, and Monopoly, while others are just original titles.
Instructions and odds to win are provided for every game, along with a list of recent winners on the right-hand panel on the Georgia Lottery website.
These are fun, fast, and full of cash prizes.
Quick Win Progressive Jackpot Games
The Georgia Lottery also has Quick Win games with Progressive Jackpots. These can be purchased online or at an approved Georgia Lottery retailer.
There are a handful of different variations and denominations, ranging from $2 to $10. The computer will randomly select whether or not the player has won a prize.
The Progressive Jackpot grows until it is won, with $2 Quick Win tickets paying a maximum prize of 20% of the Progressive Jackpot. $5 tickets will pay a max of 50% and a $10 ticket will pay out the top Progressive Prize to the winner.
Georgia Lottery Scratch-Offs
The Georgia Lottery has over 60 different scratch-off tickets at any given time. Tickets cost $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, or $50, so Georgia has some of the highest variation in the nation in terms of ticket cost.
There are many year-round games, but there are also special holiday-themed scratchers. Players can check and see how many top prizes are still available for the entire suite of Georgia scratch-off tickets.
How To Claim Georgia Lottery Prizes
Prizes of $600 or less can be claimed at any Georgia Lottery retailer, at the Georgia Lottery office, or by mail.
Any prize of $601 or greater must be claimed at the Georgia Lottery Headquarters, at a Georgia Lottery district office, or by mail. They require a Winner Claim Form and a valid government ID.
Any prize up to $600 from an online ticket purchase will be credited to the player’s iHOPE account for online play.
It is important to note that players have 180 days from the drawing date to claim a prize.
Federal and state income taxes will be deducted from prizes of $5000 or higher. The Georgia state lottery tax is 5.39%.
District offices are located in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Duluth, Macon, Savannah, and Tifton.
Georgia Lottery Players Club
Losing tickets can be redeemed for second-chance drawings and players can accumulate points in the Georgia Lottery Players Club to win prizes or receive coupons to play lottery games. By joining the Players Club, you can also set up your account to purchase Cash 3, Cash 4, Cash Pop, KENO!, Mega Millions, Powerball, Fantasy 5, Cash 4 Life, Quick Win, and Diggi Games online.
Georgia Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Georgia Lottery sells tickets directly through the official lottery website. Players need to have their iHOPE accounts funded or be part of the Players Club to purchase.
The Georgia Lottery has over 8,400 authorized retailers in the state. However, players can also simply purchase their tickets online from the Georgia Lottery website.