Last week’s record Mega Millions jackpot of $656 million generated $25.2 million in profits for education in Georgia, state lottery officials said.
Georgia Lottery profits go toward the state’s HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K programs.
“Mega Millions is a great contributor to our profits for HOPE and Pre-K,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco said in a news release Tuesday.
“Every Mega Millions ticket purchased in Georgia directly impacts Georgia’s students and families, who benefit from the important educational programs we fund,” DeFrancisco said.
Georgia Lottery sales for the week ending March 31 reached $115 million, roughly $14 million ahead of the previous weekly sales record set in February.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 42 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Three tickets sold -- one each in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland -- matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win last Friday’s jackpot.
The winning numbers were 2, 4, 23, 38 and 46, and the Mega Ball was 23.
Though no one in Georgia won the jackpot, six players won $250,000 prizes, and 48 won $10,000 prizes, lottery officials said. Many other Georgia Lottery players won prizes ranging from $2 to $150.
Georgia Lottery retailers also benefited, earning a 6 percent commission on tickets sold, officials said.
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