$2.4 million returned to Emanuel through Georgia Lottery last fiscal year
Governor Brian P. Kemp announced last week the Georgia Lottery Corp.’s most successful quarter in its 27-year history. The state lottery raised more than $415.8 million in profits for the third quarter of fiscal year 2021, bringing the total transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account since inception to more than $23.4 billion.
According to Joy Forth, Community Relations Director for the Georgia Lottery, the benefits of the lottery extended to the local area of Emanuel as well. In FY 2020, there were 472 students from Emanuel County participating in the HOPE Grant and Scholarship programs receiving $1,324,372 in lottery dollars and 238 pre-K students receiving $1,084,399 in lottery dollars for a total of $2,408,725 returned to education for Emanuel County students in one year. The retailers in Emanuel County received $1,034,225 in commissions from the lottery in FY 2020.
“The Georgia Lottery’s extraordinary results have a wide-reaching impact on Georgia’s students, families, and communities,” Governor 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 workforce and driving economic development in Georgia.”
Georgia Lottery transfers to the Lottery for Education Account for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2021 total a record $1.147 billion.
“We continue to work diligently each day to fulfill our mission to maximize revenues for HOPE and pre-K,” Georgia Lottery president and CEO Gretchen Corbin said. “I am appreciative of Governor Kemp, our board of directors and the legislature for their support, as well as our employees, retailers, vendors and partners for their dedication and hard work. As always, we are grateful for our players who find our products to be a source of entertainment.”
The Georgia Lottery’s third quarter sales were fueled by the large Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots that grew into January, generating a total of more than $61.2 million for HOPE and pre-K.
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $23.4 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.9 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.6 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary pre-kindergarten program.