As Powerball jackpot crosses $1 billion, Georgians reap the education benefits

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Wednesday night’s Powerball lottery has surpassed $1 billion, the eighth-highest Powerball prize ever.

Anthony Dixon, a pastor with Word Alive Ministries, said he’d take a different approach if he won, donating a large chunk to the church.

“A billion dollars would cause me to give even more for the Kingdom of God,” Dixon said.

There’s a lot of giving to go around these days.

The Georgia Lottery Corporation announced in July that it raised $1.54 billion for state education programs in 2025, the 11th straight year of surpassing $1 billion.

“We are currently at 2.3 million HOPE scholars and 2.3 million pre-k students,” said Gretchen Corbin, president and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corporation.

That’s where the money goes, to pay for college and pre-k through programs like HOPE and the Zell Miller scholarships.

“I think that is a marvelous, wonderful thing, because there are a lot of people that can’t afford certain things,” Dixon said.

The current $1 billion, which will only go up before Wednesday night’s drawing, can only help.

“Over our entirety, we have returned over $31 billion to the state of Georgia for education,” Corbin said.

The $1 billion is only half the largest Powerball ever, a gargantuan $2.04 billion.

As it stands, $1 billion is the 8th largest jackpot in history.

So, buy a ticket, but don’t get your hopes up. You’re more likely to be struck by lightning twice than win the Powerball.