Georgia lottery sales dip, but a little more goes to HOPE, pre-K
Georgia Lottery ticket sales declined about $29 million during the recently completed fiscal 2017, but the amount of money sent to school programs increased slightly.
The lottery sold $4.218 billion in tickets in fiscal 2017, which ended June 30, compared to $4.247 billion the previous year.
Lottery officials said sales figures in 2016 were helped by a world-record $1.6 billion jackpot and an extra day of sales, since it was a leap year.
Ticket sales have only been down a few years since the games were started in 1993. Ticket sales pay for HOPE scholarships and pre-kindergarten classes.
The lottery transferred $1.101 billion to those programs during fiscal 2017, up slightly from the $1.097 billion going to education the previous year.
For more on whether the slight increase will satisfy state lawmakers, check out our story on myajc.com
About the Author
James Salzer has covered state government and politics in Georgia since 1990. He previously covered politics and government in Texas and Florida. He specializes in government finance, budgets, taxes, campaign finance, ethics and legislative history
