State Specific Rules
You must be over 18 years of age to play Powerball in GA. You can play at any licensed retailer or by picking your numbers online.
You can watch the Powerball drawings on any one of the following stations, based on your city of residence:
| City | Station | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | WSB | 2 |
| Albany | WALB ABC | 10 |
| Augusta | WJBF | 6 |
| Columbus | WRBL | 3 |
| Macon | WMAZ | 13 |
| Savannah | WSAV | 3 |
Playing In-Store
You can play in-store by filling out a playslip at any licensed retailer in the state. Either pick your own numbers, or mark the relevant Quik Pik box. Enter up to 26 drawings at once by ticking the corresponding Multi-Draw box on your playslip. The sales cut-off times are 10:00pm ET on the day of a drawing, and 1:00am ET on non-draw days.
Playing Online
There is also an option in Georgia for you to enter Powerball online. You will need to register an account with the Georgia Lottery and deposit funds into your account to start playing.
Once you’ve done that, select Powerball from the menu and choose how many tickets you would like to buy. Pick your numbers or opt for a Quik Pik, and decide whether or not to add the Power Play for an additional $1 per line.
Finally, tick the relevant boxes to confirm you are located in Georgia, 18 years of age or over, and are the owner of the online account you are using. Once you select ‘Buy Now’, your ticket will automatically be entered into the next drawing.
How to Claim Prizes
Prizes worth $600 or under can be claimed from any licensed retailer in Georgia. They can also be claimed by mail. You just need to sign the back of your ticket, write down your full address, and mail it to the following location:
Georgia Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 56966
Atlanta, GA 30343
Prizes worth $601 or over - including the jackpot - can be claimed from one of nine lottery district offices or the Georgia Lottery headquarters in Atlanta. You must complete a claim form, which can be obtained from any lottery retailer or district office, and present your winning ticket, proof of current address and social security card.
You will normally receive payment for prizes up to $249,999 on the same day you make your claim, with prizes between $249,999 and $499,999 paid on the same day if you arrive before 16:00 ET. If you make your claim after this time, your winnings will be paid the following day. Prizes worth $500,000 or more are paid into your bank account within 10 business days of your claim. All prizes in the state are subject to six percent state tax.
Lottery district offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm ET, and are closed on holidays. You can also claim prizes up to $25,000 from kiosks at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport District. Kiosks are open from Monday to Saturday, 7:00am to 10:30pm ET, and Sundays between 11:00am and 7:00pm ET.
A full list of lottery district offices in Georgia are shown below, along with the location, address and telephone number of each:
| Location | Address | Telephone Number: |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (Headquarters) | Atlanta, 250 Williams Street, Suite 3000, Atlanta, GA 30303 | 404-215-5000 |
| Augusta | Village at Hereford, 5155 Columbia Road, Suite 103, Grovetown, GA 30813 | 706-737-1320 |
| Columbus | The Landings at Airport Thruway, 2517 Airport Thruway, Columbus, GA 31904 | 706-660-2380 |
| Dalton | Market Street Shops of Dalton, 1001 Market Street, Suite 21, Dalton, GA 30720 | 706-278-3088 |
| Duluth | 1680 Executive Drive South, Suite 800 Duluth, GA 30096 | 770-923-0220 |
| Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport | 6000 N Terminal Pkwy College Park, Atlanta, GA 30320 | 404-762-8842 |
| Macon | 1693 Bass Road, Macon, GA 31210 | 478-784-5420 |
| Savannah | 101 Little Neck Road, Savannah, GA 31419 | 912-920-5100 |
| Tifton | 2406 North Tift Avenue, Suite 101, Tifton, GA 31794 | 229-382-2430 |
If you have won a prize playing Powerball online through the Georgia Lottery, any winnings of $600 or less will be paid directly into your online account. You’ll receive an email with instructions on how to claim your prize for winnings over $600.
Claim Period
You have 180 days from the date of a drawing to come forward and claim prizes in Georgia. Prize money that goes unclaimed is allocated to the Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) and Prekindergarten (Pre-K) programs.
Lost and Damaged Tickets
Damaged tickets may still be redeemed depending on their condition. You can visit any one of the lottery’s district offices for further information about lost and damaged tickets, and the process needed to still claim your prize. Lottery tickets are bearer instruments, meaning that whoever is in possession of one can claim prizes with it. You should always sign the back of your ticket when you purchase it, so in the event someone else does try to claim a prize with it, you can prove that you are the rightful owner.
Going Public
Georgia allows lottery winners of $250,000 or more to remain anonymous. If you win a lower amount your name, place of residence, and the amount you win are deemed to be public information so may be disclosed.
Where Does the Money Go?
Each year, a portion of revenue generated from ticket sales is allocated to the Lottery for Education Fund, which supports educational programs throughout the state, including the HOPE and Pre-K programs.
HOPE gives Georgian students financial assistance to attend universities, colleges and technical colleges in the area, and the Georgia Lottery has distributed over $8 billion to more than 1.8 million pupils since 1993. The Pre-K program allows four-year-olds throughout the state to enjoy a quality pre-school experience before beginning kindergarten. Over $5 billion has been put towards this cause since 1993.
The table below shows exactly how the revenue from ticket sales is split:
| Area of Spending | Percentage of Revenue |
|---|---|
| Prizes | 63.9% |
| Funds to Education | 25.7% |
| Retailer Commission | 6.2% |
| Operating Expenses | 4.2% |
$200,000 of any unclaimed prize money from each fiscal year is also allocated to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to fund education and treatment programs for problem gamblers.
Georgia Powerball Winners
Atlanta-based William and Heather ten Broeke are the biggest Powerball jackpot winners to come from Georgia. The married couple won $246 million following the drawing on September 17, 2016. They bought their winning Quik Pik ticket from a Publix store in Brookhaven, Atlanta, and claimed their prize 16 days later, opting to take a pre-tax lump sum payment of $165 million. They planned to invest some of their winnings, travel, donate to charity, and help out family members.
