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Monday, November 9, 2026Nov 9

Georgians reach for lotto tickets amid COVID-19 pandemic blues

Money on top of lottery ticket lottery tile / Getty Images
Money on top of lottery ticket lottery tile / Getty Images Money on top of lottery ticket lottery tile / Getty Images

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgians may be spending a lot of time at home, but it’s not stopping them from playing the state lottery.

Lottery sales set a monthly record in April after dropping in March, said Brad Bohannon, the Georgia Lottery Corp.’s vice president for government relations,

“While most other forms of entertainment were limited, April sales rebounded extremely well,” Bohannon told the state House Higher Education Committee on Tuesday.

That’s continuing in May, with Bohannon saying two of the five highest sales weeks in lottery history have come this month.

He credits much of the increase to a 50% jump in use of the lottery’s online options, which allow people to buy tickets and play dozens of online gambling games at home.