Georgians can play a wide variety of draw games, keno games, and instant win games via the official GA Lottery app or the website. Your options include Powerball, Mega Millions, Fantasy 5, Cash 4, Quick Win, and other high-profile games.
This guide explains everything you need to know about playing online lottery games in the Peach State. We will explain which games are available online and which can only be played in-person at licensed lottery retailers.
You will also discover the GA iLottery bonuses you can claim, the payment options at your disposal, and how to claim your prizes if you win.
Options for purchasing lottery tickets online in Georgia
You have two options if you would like to purchase lottery tickets online in Georgia:
- Download the GA Lottery app via the App Store or Google Play.
- Visit GALottery.com and sign up for an iHOPE account online.
Online lottery courier services like Jackpocket or Lotto.com are not available in Georgia. That means you will need to use the official app or website to buy tickets.
How to sign up for an iHOPE account
If you would like to play online lottery games in Georgia, you will need to create a Players Club account and then enable it for lottery games. This is known as an iHOPE account.
Follow these simple steps to set up your iHOPE account today:
Visit the GA Lottery site. Select the orange “REGISTER” button to open the registration form.
Provide your name, email address, and date of birth. Create a strong, unique password.
Check the box “Enable this account to purchase lottery tickets online.”
A new section will appear on the form. Enter your full address, phone number, and last four SSN digits.
Set up security questions and answers. Select your notification preferences, agree to the terms and conditions, and submit the form.
The GA Lottery uses automated software to verify your age and identity based on your uploaded personal information. You should be approved right away, and you can then make an instant deposit and begin playing online lottery games immediately.
Rules and regulations
The Georgia Lottery Corporation regulates online lottery games in the Peach State. These are the key rules to familiarize yourself with before playing:
- You must be at least 18 years old to play online lottery games in Georgia.
- Only Georgia residents are allowed to play iLottery games in the Peach State. You must have a valid Georgia address so visitors from neighboring states cannot play.
- Players must also be physically located in Georgia to play online lottery games. The site and app use geolocation technology to determine whether you are within state lines. If your device is located outside of Georgia or your location cannot be verified, you will not be able to purchase tickets or play instant win games.
Deposits and withdrawals
You will need to fund your online lottery account before buying tickets or playing instant win games in Georgia. There are three available deposit options:
- Debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover)
- Linked checking account
- PayPal
Players cannot use credit cards to fund an iHOPE account. The minimum deposit is $10, and the maximum is $600. Deposits are instant.
You cannot withdraw deposited funds. They can only be used to buy tickets or play keno or Diggi games. However, you can withdraw any winnings that you earn.
There are two withdrawal options: PayPal or an online transfer to your linked bank account. The GA iLottery does not have a minimum withdrawal limit. Payouts can take up to five business days, but they typically take just a day or two if you use PayPal.
Note that prizes larger than $600 must be claimed and collected in-person at the Georgia Lottery Corporation’s headquarters in Atlanta or its district offices. Eight district offices, including one at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Alternatively, you can claim prizes larger than $600 by mail. Write to Georgia Lottery Corporation, P.O. Box 56966, Atlanta, GA 30343, to redeem your prize.
Fees
You will not be charged any deposit or withdrawal fees using the official GA Lottery site or the app. That means you keep 100% of your winnings.
However, a withholding tax will be taken if you win a large prize. You may get some of it back after filing your tax return, or you may owe more, depending on your income bracket.
Promotions and bonuses
The Georgia Lottery offers new customers a 50% deposit match welcome bonus worth up to $125. This deal is available to anyone who sets up a new Georgia online lottery account using the promo code PLAYBONUS.
You just need to make an initial deposit of $10 to qualify. The GA Lottery will match 50% of your deposit amount with bonus credits. For example, if you make a $250 deposit, you will receive $125 in bonus funds, taking your total account balance to $375.
Any winnings you earn will be paid in withdrawable cash, so this bonus effectively has a simple 1x playthrough requirement.
The GA iLottery occasionally offers additional promotions for existing users. Generally, these are either coupons for discounted bonus tickets or entries into drawings for fun events. You can also enter non-winning tickets into second-chance drawings in a bid to win prizes. These promos are only available to those who play the Georgia lottery online, so it’s a nice perk.
Online lottery games available in Georgia
The GA Lottery offers a wider range of online games than most other state lotteries. These offerings can be split into four broad categories: multi-state draw games, Georgia-only draw games, keno games, and Diggi games.
Georgia is a member of the country’s biggest multi-state lottery draw games. These games tend to have the largest jackpots. Here are your options:
Powerball
You can buy Powerball tickets on the GA Lottery site or the app. This multi-jurisdictional game is available in 45 states. Tickets cost $2, and you need to match six numbers to win the jackpot, which can exceed $2 billion. The GA Lottery site allows you to choose your numbers or click “QUIK PIK” to be randomly assigned numbers.
Mega Millions
Another draw game that covers 45 states. Pay $2 and choose five numbers from 1-70, plus another number from 1-25. You will land the jackpot if all six numbers match. The GA online lottery also gives you the chance to play the “Megaplier” feature.
Cash4Life
Georgia is one of 10 states that participate in Cash4Life. The top prize is $1,000 per day for life. The draw takes place at 9 p.m. daily, but the GA iLottery stops selling tickets at 8:45 p.m.
These games generally have smaller jackpots, as they only cover the state of Georgia. However, the prizes can still be substantial, and these draw games also run on a more frequent basis.
You can play these in-state draw games on the GA Lottery site or app:
- Cash 3: Three machines are used for this game, each containing balls numbered 0-9. You can choose from a range of betting options, including straight bets, boxes, front pairs, and back pairs.
- Cash 4: Similar to Cash 3, but with four digits and four ball machines used. This game has more options and potentially larger payouts than Cash 3.
- Fantasy 5: This in-state draw game takes place once per day. Jackpots begin at $125,000 and roll over if nobody wins the top prizes. There is also a Ca$h Match option, which you can activate for an extra $1 per game.
You can play keno online in Georgia. Most states only permit in-person keno ticket sales, so Georgia is an outlier. Draws take place every four minutes.
You can play up to 10 numbers from 1-80, and you can play for between $1 and $10. There are also multiplier and bulls-eye options, which can deliver larger prizes.
Cash Pop is also available online. This is a simple game in which you simply need to pick a number between 1 and 15. If it matches, you win. It’s as simple as that. Draws take place five times per day (8 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., and 11:59 p.m.)
These instant win games are similar to the scratch-offs you can buy at convenience stores, gas stations, and supermarkets in Georgia. However, instead of scratching away a latex coating to reveal the results, you simply click a button, and the results will appear instantly on the screen.
When conducting our Georgia online lottery review, we found more than 90 Diggi games. Betting limits range from $0.50 to $30 per play.
These games cover lots of themes, including sports, seasonal themes, treasure hunts, gems, crosswords, adventure, Ancient Egypt, and so on. You can often win up to $250,000 or $300,000 on these games, and some have progressive jackpots, which can provide even larger prizes.
Popular Diggi games include Cleopatra Clusters Jackpot, Jumbo Bucks, Ghostbusters Prized Possessions, Georgia Cash Expander, Lucky 7s Multiplier, Da Vinci Diamonds Tic-Tac-Toe, and Wheel of Fortune On The Road.
Games that can only be played in-person
Certain games can only be played in-person at licensed lottery retailers in Georgia:
- Scratch-offs
- Georgia Five
- Jumbo Bucks Lotto
- Print ‘n Play
There are more than 8,500 lottery retailers in Georgia, so you should never be too far from a store selling those tickets. You can check your results online, but winnings will need to be claimed in-person or by mail.
Georgia Lottery Draw Times
If you are interested in playing online draw games in Georgia, these are the draw days and times.
| Draw Game | Draw Days | Draw Time |
|---|---|---|
| Powerball | Monday, Wednesday, Saturday | 10:59 p.m. |
| Mega Millions | Tuesday, Friday | 11 p.m. |
| Cash4Life | Daily | 9 p.m. |
| Fantasy 5 | Daily | 11:34 p.m. |
| Cash 3 and Cash 4 | Daily | 12:29 p.m., 6:59 p.m., 11:34 p.m. |
Is it safe to play the lottery online in Georgia?
Yes, it is safe to play online lottery games in Georgia. The GA Lottery uses industry-standard firewalls and encryption tools to keep you safe and prevent unauthorized access. The site also provides a detailed “Avoid Lottery Scams” guide.
Just make sure you set up a strong, unique password and keep it to yourself. Do not log into your account on public computers, either. That should ensure you experience no security issues when playing online lottery games in Georgia.
What do Georgia’s lottery proceeds support?
Georgia’s lottery proceeds are used to support education programs. State law dictates that at least half of the money is returned to players in the form of prizes, and the rest goes to education services (after deducting operating expenses and commissions to retailers).
This was the breakdown in the 2023 fiscal year:
- $3.85 billion was paid to players in prizes
- $1.516 billion went to education programs
- $320.5 million was spent on retailer commissions
- $247 million was used for operating expenses
More than 2.1 million HOPE Scholarship recipients have received north of $14 billion in lottery proceeds in Georgia. HOPE stands for Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally, and the program provides Georgia students with financial assistance for attendance at eligible Georgia colleges, universities, or technical colleges.
Meanwhile, since the inception of the GA Lottery, more than $8.9 billion in lottery proceeds have been used to provide four-year-old students with preschool education via the Pre-K Program.
Responsible gambling resources available for Georgia residents
Players will find a long list of responsible gambling tips on the GA Lottery website and app.
Also, the Georgia iLottery has a few tools to promote responsible gaming. Deposits are limited to $500 per day, $1,500 per week, and $5,000 per month. However, you can set lower limits on your account if you like. You can also set time limits and receive time notifications every hour when playing.
If you need support with a gambling problem, you can call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225 or call 1-800-GAMBLER. Alternatively, visit these sites:
A brief history of iLottery in Georgia
Georgia became just the second state to launch iLottery games in Nov. 2012. That was slightly surprising, as most forms of gambling are illegal in the Peach State.
For example, Georgia is among a dwindling minority of states that have not yet legalized sports betting. The state also does not have land-based casinos, online casinos, poker rooms, or racebooks, so it was not exactly a leading candidate to legalize online lottery games.
However, the Georgia Lottery began running the interactive iHOPE program after the US Justice Department ruled that the federal Wire Act of 1961 only applies to sports betting. That paved the way for states to usher in online lotteries. Illinois became the first state to take the plunge, followed swiftly by Georgia.
Online sales were initially limited to just Powerball, Mega Millions, and Fantasy 5, but the range of options has steadily increased in the ensuing years. iLottery sales continue to hit new record highs each year, according to the Georgia Lottery Corp., which has been adding new Diggi games to the site and the app on a reasonably regular basis.
Latest news about the online lottery in Georgia
Georgia Lottery HOPE Scholarship Program Surpasses $15 Billion Mark
July 26, 2024 |The HOPE Scholarship Program, funded by the Georgia Lottery, recently exceeded $15 billion in grants awarded to students in the state since 1993.
Anniversaries, Sports Deals Provide Opportunity For Localized Lottery Games
July 9, 2024 |The last year has seen a variety of state-run lotteries produce localized games thanks to anniversaries or partnerships with sports teams.
Georgia Lottery Removes $1 Tickets In Hopes To Increase FY24 Scratch Sales
June 27, 2024 |After scratch sales declined the last two years, the Georgia Lottery chose to end production of $1 games with plans to move players to higher price points.
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