$1B Raised For Education, $2M Powerball Winner In GA Lottery

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA — A lucky $1-million winner doubled their prize with a PowerPlay in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, the Georgia Lottery Corporation said Thursday.

The winning ticket was bought from a Stone Mountain Highway gas station and matched five white-ball numbers, lottery officials said. The $1 million prize doubled to $2 million with the PowerPlay option.

The next Powerball drawing will be held at 11 p.m. Saturday with an estimated jackpot of $350 million.

Playing the Powerball costs $2, and drawings are held at 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are sold until 10 p.m. on draw nights. Power Plays cost an additional $1.

Players can choose five white ball numbers from 1-69 and a red Powerball number from 1-26. The Quik Pik option is available for players who want the computer to choose.

In Georgia's Fantasy 5 game, someone won $183,790 in Tuesday's drawing after buying a ticket from a Highway 17 business in Toccoa.

Online winning tickets have an expiration date of 180 days from the drawing date while instant ticket winners have 90 days from the expired date to claim prizes. Instructions on how to receive prizes are here.

Georgia takes 5.75 percent in state taxes and 24 percent in federal taxes for winnings more than $5,000.

" The GLC reports to the IRS and Georgia Department of Revenue the names of winners of prizes above $600. ... Additionally, the GLC is required to check for and deduct any outstanding child support payments for prizes of $2,500 and above and student loans and state taxes for prizes of $5,000 and above, net of wager or ticket cost," lottery officials said on the Georgia Lottery website.

Funding from all Georgia Lottery games benefit education statewide.

Lottery officials on Wednesday announced that $1,471,352,000 has been collected for Georgia's HOPE scholarship and pre-K programs this fiscal year, which spanned from July 1, 2024 to June 30.

“Ten successive years of billion-dollar returns to education in Georgia is an achievement in which we can all take great pride,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said in a news release.

“This milestone represents a decade of tremendous impact throughout Georgia, and we are grateful for the support we have received over the years. Thank you to Gov. Brian Kemp, the legislature, our board of directors and advisory boards, and our valued retailers, vendors, partners, employees and players.”

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