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Frequently Asked Questions
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Why is the Cash Option different than the advertised Jackpot? After I buy a ticket, can it be changed from Annuity to Cash Option? How do I find out more information on the Georgia Prekindergarten Program? How do I find out more information on HOPE Scholarships? Can Georgia Lottery tickets be purchased via the mail or the Internet? What if a group or lottery pool wins a jackpot prize? How long do I have to claim a prize? Do I need a claim form to claim my prize? What are acceptable forms of ID to claim a prize? What hours are the Lottery District Offices open? Can a playslip be used to claim a prize? Are State & Federal Taxes withheld on Georgia Lottery Prizes? Is it necessary to sign a lottery ticket? Can lottery tickets be canceled? Which states participate in Mega Millions? Which states participate in Win for Life? Is it possible for one or more numbers to repeat on Quik Pik tickets? Why did the GLC set a liability limit in CASH 3 & CASH 4? How secure are the drawings for the games? When are the drawings held and where can I view them? Is it necessary to fill out a playslip? What is the acceptable form of payment for a Georgia Lottery ticket? What is the acceptable form of prize payment from a retailer? Who can play the Georgia Lottery? When can Georgia Lottery tickets be purchased? How soon after a drawing can a winning ticket be redeemed? What are the locations of the Lottery District offices? What happens to unclaimed prizes? Who develops new game ideas for the Georgia Lottery? Can a retailer sell tickets on Sunday? How are jackpot sizes determined?
A.The Georgia Lottery Corporation advertises its jackpots at the estimated 26-year annuity value for Mega Millions. When players choose the annuity option on their prize, the Georgia Lottery pays the prize out over 26 years by buying U.S. Government Treasury Securities, which earn interest and mature annually over the time period. That annual return is the amount winners receive each year for the 26 year period. With Cash Option, the Lottery takes the amount of money that would have been invested and pays it directly to the winner in one payment. Both payment options have federal and state taxes deducted from them.
A.If you are a jackpot prize winner but did not choose Cash Option at the time of purchase you will have sixty (60) days from the date of your prize claim to decide if you want to choose Cash Option. If you choose the Cash Option at the time of purchase you cannot change to Annuity.
A.The Lottery-funded Pre-K Program provides Georgia's four-year-old children with high quality preschool experiences in order to prepare them for kindergarten. For more information or to locate a Pre-K facility nearby, contact Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning at (404) 656-5957 or 1-888-4GA-PREK. Their web site address is http://www.decal.state.ga.us/
A.The Lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship Program helps students who are legal residents of Georgia with a "B" average to continue their education after high school. For more specific information and applications, please contact Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program at (770) 724-9030 or 1-800-546-HOPE. Their web site address is http://www.gsfc.org/
A.Remaining payments would continue to be paid to the winner's estate in annual installments.
A.The Georgia Lottery Corporation does not offer sale of Georgia Lottery tickets via the mail or over the Internet. By law, all Georgia Lottery tickets must be purchased with cash only - credit cards, debit cards, checks or any form of deferred payment are not acceptable forms of payment for Georgia Lottery tickets - from an authorized Georgia Lottery retailer within the state of Georgia.
A.The GLC cannot advise you about structuring lottery pools because they are arrangements made between private parties. If you decide to play in a group, the GLC will pay only one winner. Prizes may be claimed by a single legal entity, either an individual or one organization. Groups, families, clubs or organizations can designate one individual or entity to receive a prize.
A.All on-line tickets (Win for Life, Mega Millions, Fantasy 5, CASH 4, CASH 3, Millionaire Raffle and KENO! tickets) are valid for 180 days after the draw date. Instant tickets are valid for 90 days after the game ends. The Georgia Lottery encourages players to claim prizes on instant games soon after purchasing them.
A.There are many ways for players to claim Georgia Lottery prizes. A player must present a valid winning ticket, along with proof of current address and a social security card. Prizes of $600 or less can be claimed at one of the more than 7,500 Georgia Lottery retailer locations. All prizes, including jackpot prizes, can be claimed at any Georgia Lottery district office or the Georgia Lottery's headquarters in Atlanta.
A.For prizes above $600, winners must fill out a claim form. Claim forms are available at retailer locations, GLC district offices or by requesting one from a Player Information Representative. Prizes of $600 or less can be claimed at a retailer location or by simply signing the back of the ticket, filling out your complete address and mailing it to the address on the back of the ticket: Georgia Lottery Corporation, P.O. Box 56966, Atlanta, GA 30343.
A.In order to claim a prize above $600, two forms of valid identification must be presented. Preferred forms of acceptable identification are a valid driver's license with current address and a Social Security card. Please contact a Georgia Lottery Player Information Representative for other acceptable forms of identification that confirms the current address and social security number of the claimant.
A.Georgia Lottery District Offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All offices are closed on federal holidays.
A.No. In order to claim a prize, a player must possess a valid instant ticket or ticket generated from a Georgia Lottery on-line terminal.
A.Yes. All Georgia Lottery prizes are subject to applicable federal and state withholdings, and state and federal income taxes. The GLC reports to the IRS and Georgia Department of Revenue the names of winners of prizes of $600 and above. Georgia state income tax of 6% and federal income tax of 25% are withheld from prizes of more than $5,000 at the time the prize is claimed. Additionally, the GLC is required to check for and deduct any outstanding child support payments for prizes of $2,500 and above and student loans and state taxes for prizes of $5,000 and above, net of wager or ticket cost.
A.Lottery tickets are bearer instruments. Therefore, if your ticket were lost or stolen it becomes the property of whoever signs it.
A.In the CASH 3 and CASH 4 games, there is a fifteen minute window after a ticket is generated from the computer in which it can be canceled at the location where it was purchased. Tickets cannot be canceled for Mega Millions, Win for Life and Fantasy 5 games.
A.Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery with twelve participating states - Georgia, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Although it is a multi-state game, Mega Millions tickets must be claimed in the same state in which they were purchased.
A.Win for Life is a multi-state game played in Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia.
A.Win for Life is a new multi-state game that offers lifetime security with a top prize of $1,000 a week for life! The game also offers eight different ways to win including a great second prize of $1,000 a week for a year! Win for Life offers better odds and more winners than its predecessor Lotto South.
A.Because computer-generated numbers are selected at random, it is possible for numbers to be repeated. There is no built-in memory. Once a ticket is generated, the process starts all over again with all the combinations.
A.The GLC has an obligation to raise as many dollars for educational programs in Georgia as we can while also ensuring that we have funds available to pay winners. To accomplish this, we must be able to limit our potential payout to an amount that we expect to reasonably pay based on the sales we generate for this game. The liability limit for CASH 3 is $10 million and for CASH 4 is $10 million.
A.There are stringent security measures in place to ensure the integrity and randomness of the drawings. Our security department and an independent auditing firm attend and monitor each step in the drawing process. Each lottery machine and ballset used go through a series of pre- and post-drawing tests to certify the integrity of the process. In addition, the entire process is videotaped.
A.CASH 3 & CASH 4 midday drawings are held daily (except for Sundays) at 12:29pm and CASH 3 evening drawings are held daily at 6:59pm. CASH 4 evening & Fantasy 5 drawings are held daily at 11:00pm, except on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays when they are at 11:34pm. Win for Life drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 11:00pm and Mega Millions drawings are held each Tuesday and Friday at 11:00pm.
A.A player is responsible for the accuracy of his/her ticket. Using a playslip helps ensure the accuracy of the ticket.
A.According to the Georgia Lottery for Education Act, the sale of lottery tickets shall be for cash only.
A.A retailer can make payment in the form of cash, check or money order. Before a player cashes a winning ticket at a retailer location, it is a good idea to ask the retailer the form of payment to be given. This way the player knows the form of payment before the ticket is cashed.
A.Anyone who is 18 years of age or older can play Georgia Lottery games except for Georgia Lottery employees, Board members and family members residing in the same household; vendors, subcontractors, employees and family members residing in the same household. There are no restrictions placed on retailers and their employees.
A.Instant tickets can be purchased at any time the retailer location is open for business.
Tickets for the Lottery's on-line games, CASH 3, CASH 4, Fantasy 5, Win for Life, Mega Millions, and KENO! can be purchased seven days a week at the following times:
CASH 3 & CASH 4 tickets are sold from 5 a.m. until 12:20 p.m., resume immediately after the midday drawing at 12:30 p.m. CASH 3 tickets then are sold again until 6:50 p.m., starting again immediately following the evening drawing at 7:00 p.m. until 1 a.m.; CASH 4 tickets are sold after the midday drawing until 10:45 p.m.
Fantasy 5 tickets are sold from 5 a.m. until 10:45 p.m.
Win for Life and Mega Millions tickets are sold from 5 a.m. until 10:45 p.m. on the days they are drawn (Win for Life - Wed. & Sat.; Mega Millions - Tues. & Fri.) and until 1 a.m. on all other days.
A.Winning tickets for CASH 3 and CASH 4 can be redeemed immediately following a drawing. Fantasy 5, Win for Life and Mega Millions winning tickets are redeemable the following business day starting at 5 a.m. at on-line retailer locations, Georgia Lottery Headquarters, or District Office claim centers.
A.District offices are located in the following cities: Atlanta (2), Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Duluth, Macon, Savannah and Thomasville. GLC Headquarters is located in Atlanta.
A.Prizes that are not claimed within the specified time go back into the prize pool to be used for special prize promotions, future game prizes, and ultimately are paid out to the players. Also, of this money, $200,000 is transferred annually to the Georgia Department of Human Resources for education and treatment programs for problem gambling. A portion of this money funds HELPLINE Georgia, a hotline for Georgians that provides information and referral resources regarding problem and compulsive gambling. For information, call HELPLINE Georgia at 1-800-699-7117.
A.Ideas for new games to be considered for use by the GLC are researched, developed and created in a variety of ways. The Georgia Lottery contracts with GTECH Corporation for the implementation of new on-line games and with Scientific Games Int'l for instant game products.
A.Yes. Under the terms of the retailer's contract, Lottery tickets will be sold during the hours they are open for business and lottery terminals are on-line (5 a.m. until 1 a.m.).
A.A ballset is a group of all the numbered balls used in a drawing for a particular on-line game. For example, in Fantasy 5 there are 39 balls numbered from 1 through 39, this is considered a ballset. Each on-line game has several ballsets which are individually sealed and bound and are assigned a number. There is a random selection for each drawing to determine which ballset will be used.
A.The GLC's Board of Directors adopted game rules that determine the criteria for payments of all jackpots. Those rules provide that Mega Millions has jackpots paid out over 26 years.
The jackpot prize pool is invested in government securities so that the winners, in effect, receive both the principal and interest on their prizes. If Cash Option is selected on either of those games, cash is paid in one lump sum.
A.The KENO! game was designed to attract those players who would like to have some fun in a social setting where they can linger and spend a few hours. Typical establishments would be restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, salons, etc.
A.Jackpots are based on sales. By using sales from the previous week, a jackpot is estimated based on a projection of what the sales will be for the coming week. Current interest rates determine the value of the money over the 26-year annuity period. |
