The Georgia Lottery Corp. celebrated its 30th anniversary this week at the Georgia State Capitol.
Today, we’re celebrating 30 Years of the @GeorgiaLottery!
⁰Since 1993, over 2.1 million students have benefited from the HOPE Scholarship and Grant programs, and over 2 million children have attended @GADeptEarlyCare Pre-Ks. Here's to 30 more years of success for our students! pic.twitter.com/vavv77upho— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) June 28, 2023
While marking its 30th anniversary, the lottery also celebrated the billions of dollars transferred to the Georgia State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account since the first lottery ticket was sold on June 29, 1993.
Since the lottery’s first year, it has returned more than $26.5 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All profits leftover from lottery ticket sales go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE program – which includes the HOPE Scholarship, HOPE Grant, Zell Miller Scholarship, Zell Miller Grant, and HOPE Career Grant – and Georgia’s Pre-K Program.
More than 2.1 million students have received HOPE, and more than 2 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program, according to the lottery’s website.
“As we celebrate 30 years of the Georgia Lottery, we also celebrate the 4.1 million students and their families who have benefited from HOPE and Pre-K,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said in a statement. “Thank you to Governor Kemp, the legislature, our board, employees, players, retailers, business partners, education partners, and everyone who has supported the Lottery and invested in Georgia’s students over the past three decades.”
In Fiscal Year 2022, the Georgia Lottery transferred $1,474,003,000 to the Lottery for Education Account – approximately $4.04 million (on average) raised every day for education.
“For 30 years, the Georgia Lottery has opened doors for students and their families through its funding of both HOPE and Pre-K programs,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said in a statement. “Thanks to this transformational state asset, generations of Georgians have enjoyed both a jumpstart on their education and affordable higher education opportunities. The impact of lottery funds is felt by thousands every day, opening doors to opportunity. We’re looking forward to a future as bright as the last 30 years for our Georgia Lottery!”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network.
Photo “Brian Kemp Celebrates 30 Years of the Georgia Lottery” by Governor Brian P. Kemp.
