How much does lottery benefit Georgia education?

Two lucky winners matched all six numbers in Tuesday night’s near-record Mega Millions jackpot, including one player who purchased the winning ticket in Buckhead. The winnings are big for those two, and for Georgia’s education programs.

Since its inception more than two decades ago, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has paid out more than $8 billion in lottery proceeds to fund 1.6 million HOPE Scholarship awards. Another $5 billion in lottery proceeds have funded Pre-K slots for 1.3 million four-year-olds.

Here's an example of lottery proceeds to Georgia's education programs: