GA lottery was officially allowed in 1992 and has since raked in more than $1 million per year. Half of the revenue money goes to prizes, one-third to state education programs, while the remainder covers operating and marketing services. The majority of education money funds the HOPE Scholarship.
Georgia is particularly specific for being the second US state to fully embrace an online lottery as the maiden GA Lottery app was launched in November 2012. At the moment, it offers an exciting array of instant games like keno and instant scratch-offs and sells tickets for the most popular draw games, including the likes of Mega Millions and Powerball.
GA Lottery – A historic rundown
Although Georgia became only the second American state to introduce the online lottery in 2012, it was also one of the slowest to react in terms of launching a lottery in general. The Georgian residents have not had an opportunity to participate in the draw (or any other form) lotteries until November 1992. The Georgia State Constitution was enriched with Article I, Section II, Paragraph VIII, which permitted the establishment of a state-run lottery.
The Georgia State Assembly then immediately passed the Lottery for Education Act, establishing a body that would oversee the games run by the state lottery. The body is Georgia Lottery Corporation and it still oversees the GA Lottery at present times.
The aforementioned Powerball and Mega Millions quickly became a regular part of the GA Lottery offering, but the joy among the state residents did not last for more than several days as the Multi-State Lottery Association forced the GA Lottery out of their regular program. The ban was active until early-2010 when the two highly-popular draw lotteries once again became available to the Georgians.
Shortly after the US Department of Justice came out with a legal opinion in regards to the Wire Act, thus separating sports betting from any other wagering, the GA Lottery app was launched.
Legal criteria for registering at GA Lottery app
Much like most other states that offer land-based and online lotteries, Georgia has imposed its rules for playing. No person under the age of 18 is thus allowed to create an account on the GA Lottery app. Anyone who tries to register at an online site or through the app is thus asked to provide a social security number or/and a valid identification document such as a driver’s license.
The distinction between the GA Lottery and the vast majority of lotteries in other states is that the Georgian residents can play the games on the GA Lottery app even when they are outside of state borders. The GA Lottery app thus does not utilize geolocation technology.
In general, it is very easy to register a new account. The whole process takes no more than a couple of minutes. You should have no worries at all about the safety of your personal or financial details because the GA Lottery website uses the latest encryption technology trends to keep everything as secure as possible. Also, always bear in mind that this is a lottery run and operated by the state and overseen by the Georgia Lottery Corporation Legislative Oversight Committee.
Deposits
In comparison with other states, the GA Lottery is specific also for unique banking methods. The players can buy online lottery products only by utilizing an iHOPE Discover debit card. Anyone who registers an account at GA Lottery and joined the GA Player Club will receive this card. You can top the card on the GA Lottery website or the GA Lottery app by using the following options:
- Visa/Mastercard debit cards
- Checking or savings bank account
The iHOPE card will be delivered in up to two weeks. It has no monthly fee for the players who use the GA Lottery at least once a month.
Withdrawals
Much like the deposits, the withdrawal transactions are also strictly made through the player’s iHOPE account. The winnings up to $600 will be processed automatically, while those who are lucky enough to win more than $600 are required to visit the GA Lottery district office to complete the cash-out. Additionally, the iHOPE cardholders can shop wherever Discover is accepted.
GA Lottery games
GA Lottery allows the players to enjoy the majority of the most popular options in America. We can sort the games available on the GA Lottery app or website into three categories, including:
- Draw Games
- Keno
- Diggi Games
Draw games take the prime spot which is quite understandable if we know the GA Lottery app has had the likes of Powerball and Mega Millions in its offer ever since it was launched in 2012. It is not tough to see why these games are so popular given their starting jackpots are set at a whopping $40 million. These two giant games are currently available in 44 states across America, as well as in Washington D.C., US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The biggest Powerball jackpot ever recorded has hit an amazing $1.6 billion. Not too bad for a $2 ticket we reckon. Besides these two heavyweights, the Georgians can buy tickets for almost a dozen other draw lotteries, involving Fantasy 5, Cash Pop, Jumbo Bucks Lotto, Cash4Life, and Georgia Five.
Keno is a specific game usually offered at casinos. You set your own ticket cost and up to 10 numbers from 1 to 80. The players have an opportunity to claim up to $100,000 as many as 300 times a day by playing keno games through the GA Lottery app or on the GA Lottery website.
Diggi Games are instant win games or electronic scratch-offs. The difference between scratchers in retails and online instant win games is shown by graphic interfaces. The players can filter these games at the GA Lottery website by themes and prices. In the library of more than 60 instant win games, we’ve highlighted the following as the most exciting ones:
- Royal Jumbo Bucks
- Wicked Cash
- Cash Fever
- Dazzling Diamonds Deluxe
- Quick Pay
- Fast Buck Lucky
- Wheel of Fortune Winning Words
- Cleopatra
- Lucky Falls
- Siberian Storm
- Monkey Drop
- Crossword
The cost range for the vast majority of these goes from $0.50 to $20.
GA Lottery promotions
Anyone who signs up for a new GA Lottery account can join the Georgia Lottery Players Club. Membership is completely free and brings quite an exciting range of benefits with it.
The perks are diverse and their attractiveness depends on your status within the club. The basic ones involve:
- A possibility of turning losing tickets into second-chance drawings
- Invitations to exclusive events and giveaways
- Special e-mails featuring the latest news, winner stories, and jackpot alerts
- Free coupons for lottery games
An upgrade brings some additional benefits like a possibility of playing exclusive Diggi games or a chance to get paid automatically on wins up to and including $600.
GA Lottery app
The Georgians have a chance to enjoy the full content offered by the state lottery while on the go thanks to a native GA Lottery app compatible with all iOS and Android-powered devices. The app is pretty much a copycat of a desktop page and allows the users to do everything available on the website.
GA Lottery app compatible with all iOS and Android-powered devices.
They can thus purchase tickets, play instant win games, make money transactions, register an account, or join the GA Lottery Players Club via the Georgia Lottery app.
GA Lottery customer support
Although the site’s FAQ section does little to impress, it is good to know the GA Lottery customer service team is at your disposal 24/7. If you have any questions, you can get in touch with the website’s customer service team in one of the following three ways:
- Contact form available on the website
- Phone – 1-800-GA-LUCKY
- E-mail – glottery@galottery.org
As you can see, the live chat is still not an option. We hope to see it introduced shortly.
FAQ
GA Lottery app offers a wide array of instant win games or Diggi Games as they call them. We’ve seen more than 60 of these at the time of writing. Additionally, the players can purchase tickets for draw games (including Mega Millions and Powerball) and play several keno games on the GA Lottery app.
The GA Lottery is overseen by the Georgia Lottery Corporation. According to the state laws, half of the revenue is reserved for the prizes, one-third goes to education purposes, and the rest to marketing and lottery operations in general.
No! There is just one requirement a player needs to meet before making an account with the GA Lottery, and it has to do with the age. Only Georgian residents who are at least 18 years old can buy tickets and play games at the GA Lottery app. Your location does not play a role in this matter, as long as you are a resident of Georgia.
You can deposit funds through the iHOPE Discover debit card. It is a prepaid debit card given to the GA Player s Club members. You can top it up with Visa/Mastercard debit cards or a bank account.