State Lottery enjoys record third quarter

ATLANTA — The Georgia Lottery is coming off the most successful quarter in its 27-year history.

The lottery raised more than $415.8 million in profits for education during January, February and March, an all-time record for a quarter, the Georgia Lottery Corp. reported Thursday.

“The Georgia Lottery’s extraordinary results have a wide-reaching impact on Georgia’s students, families and communities,” Gov. Brian Kemp said. “Lottery-funded Pre-K prepares our youngest students with a foundation for learning, while HOPE keeps our best and brightest students in state, building a strong work force and driving economic development in Georgia.”

The lottery also set a record for the first three quarters of a fiscal year, transferring $1.47 billion to the Lottery for Education Account between last July and the end of March.

Third quarter sales were driven by large Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots that began growing late last year and extended into January.

The lottery has returned more than $23.4 billion to the state since its inception in the mid-1990s. More than 1.9 million students have received a HOPE scholarship, while more than 1.6 million 4-year-olds have attended the voluntary pre-kindergarten program.