Powerball jackpot has Georgians hoping for good luck, while state's students see big winnings
Jackpot fever is sweeping across Georgia as the Powerball climbs to an estimated $905 million ahead of tonight's drawing. While millions of players are dreaming of what they would do with life-changing money, state officials point out that Georgia students are already winning big.
Georgia Lottery officials say more than 40 cents of every dollar spent on a ticket directly funds education programs across the state, including the HOPE Scholarship and Georgia Pre-K.
Since 1993, the Georgia Lottery has generated more than $31 billion for education, helping send over two million students to college and another two million children to Pre-K programs.
"Nine-hundred-five million dollars is a jackpot for this evening, so jackpot fever has hit," said Gretchen Corbin, the president and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corporation. "We can see it here at our Georgia Lottery headquarters where we are selling tickets at our kiosk, and all of the retailers across the state."
Recent legislative changes have expanded those benefits even further, allowing eligible students entering college this August to receive 100% tuition coverage through the HOPE and Zell Miller programs, according to Corbin.
For students like Jayden Graydon, that funding makes all the difference. She is a rising senior studying fashion design at Clark Atlanta University and receives roughly $24,000 a semester through the scholarship.
"The HOPE Scholarship has helped me so much from high school to where I am now, taking away the financial burden, because those aren't constant worries," Graydon said.
Without the scholarship, Graydon says her college journey would look entirely different. In addition to maintaining a 3.7 GPA and joining campus leadership organizations, including Google Scholars, she could spend three months studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan, earlier this year.
"If it wasn't for the HOPE Scholarship, I definitely wouldn't be here," Graydon said. "It's amazing to see how so much money can get so many people invested into something. Make sure y'all keep buying the tickets."
Across the state, lottery retailers are seeing a steady stream of players eager to try their luck. Friends Charlene Brown and Alicia Pierce recently picked up their tickets, already planning what comes next if their numbers are drawn.
"I'm going to get up off the floor because I'd probably faint, and then I'm going to sit here all night waiting for the lottery to open up," Brown said, laughing. They both added that they would help pay off mortgages, set aside college funds for relatives and grandchildren.
"I would thank God first and ask for direction, and then I would do something to help the homeless," Brown said. She also mentioned that she was recently engaged.
"She would have the wedding of the century," Pierce added.
For players hoping Monday night is their night, tickets must be purchased before the standard 10 p.m. cutoff time in Georgia. The winning numbers will be drawn at 10:59 p.m.
Tonight's $905 million jackpot carries an estimated cash payout option of approximately $391 million before taxes.
