The Georgia Lottery has posted record transfers to education for the third quarter of fiscal year 2016, officials announced today.
 
Georgia Lottery transfers to the Lottery for Education Account for the third quarter of FY16 will total more than $317 million. FY16 third-quarter profits also include funds generated from coin operated amusement machines in Georgia.
 
FY16 third-quarter profits increased $55.1 million over third-quarter FY15 and year-to-date lottery transfers to education are up over $102 million - making the first nine months of FY16 the most successful start in the lottery’s history.
 
The Georgia Lottery’s mission is to maximize revenues for HOPE and Pre-K.
 
“Strong lottery sales across the board have contributed to the lottery’s success,” said Debbie D. Alford, president and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corp. “Our success is important to us because our proceeds benefit Georgia’s Pre-K and HOPE Scholarship students.”
 
A key factor contributing to the lottery’s FY16 third-quarter success was the record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in January. The record-breaking jackpot generated $43.5 million toward lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K programs.
 
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $17.36 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 1.7 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.4 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.