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Why Georgia is a bad state in which to win the lottery

Jackpot?
Jackpot?
LC
By Lauren Colley

Maybe it's a good thing that you didn't win last night's $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot.

While all states (except California, Delaware and Pennsylvania) tax lottery winnings, Georgia has one of the highest withholding rates in the country, according to the Tax Foundation.

The organization developed a color-coded map to show the tax rates for each state that has a lottery. So, let's pretend that did you win last night's jackpot and opted for the lump sum of $930 million. Federal taxes of $232 million will be withheld, and $56 million for state taxes. That leaves you with $642 million. However, you will have to pay an additional $136 million when you file federal taxes in April.

Ultimately, you would net $506 million — about a third of the winnings.

States with the highest lottery withholding tax rate

1. New York, 8.82 percent

2. Maryland, 8.75 percent