State officials observed the 30th anniversary of the Georgia Lottery Wednesday. Since the first lottery ticket went on sale on June 29, 1993, the lottery has transferred more than $26.5 billion to education in Georgia. More than 2.1 million college students have benefited from the HOPE Scholarship and HOPE-related scholarship programs, while more than 2 million youngsters have been able to attend pre-kindergarten through the lottery. HOPE was hit with benefit cuts in the aftermath of the Great Recession more than a decade ago and has been gradually building back toward full tuition coverage. The fiscal 2024 budget, which goes into effect Saturday includes the addition of enough money to cover the full cost of tuition for the first time in a decade.
Georgia Lottery celebrates 30th anniversary
