Georgia Lottery: $1.54B profit breaks education records

ATLANTA - The Georgia Lottery Corp. raised $1,540,868,000 for education in fiscal year 2026, marking the 11th consecutive year profits have topped $1 billion, officials announced Saturday. 

Georgia lottery education funding

What we know:

The Georgia Lottery Corp. brought in more than $1.54 billion for education programs during the fiscal year that ended in 2026. 

The returns brought the total amount sent to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account to more than $31.3 billion since the lottery started in 1993. 

Gov. Brian Kemp said the lottery has generated $11.48 billion for the HOPE Scholarship and the state Pre-K program over the last eight years. Kemp noted that the funding helped restore the HOPE program to 100% tuition coverage and allowed the state to remove the institutional fee.

Historic profits for education

By the numbers:

The newly announced total beat fiscal year 2025 lottery profits by $69.5 million. Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin credited lottery retailers, vendors, partners, board members and players for the exceptionally strong fiscal year. Corbin stated that every ticket purchased serves as an investment in Georgia families who rely on the state-funded scholarship and preschool programs. 

Massive mega millions winner

The backstory:

The historic financial year coincided with the largest individual prize winner in the history of the Georgia Lottery. A player won a massive $983 million Mega Millions jackpot in Newnan in November, which was later claimed in January. 

Unannounced future lottery projections

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed the total projected sales or revenue targets for the next fiscal year. State leaders also did not release the exact number of students who received scholarship or preschool funding during the record-breaking 2026 fiscal year.