Across the U.S., state lottery systems use that revenue to boost education, tourism, transportation and much more.
On Friday, the historic jackpot attracted Bryan Byrd, 36, to buy a ticket at a gas station in Columbia, South Carolina. Byrd said he usually only plays when the pot gets this big.“Probably put my two weeks' notice in,” said Byrd. “Hopefully I’m a winner.”
In Georgia, ever since the jackpot started growing in April, the state has collected nearly $22 million for college scholarships and pre-K programs, lottery officials say. He expects the record sales to continue. A typical Friday nets about $5 million in sales. He expects this Friday to crack $80 million.
“When we get to that kind of number, the sales really, really, really ramp up,” Frizzi-Babb said. “And that’s just not something that you can plan for. But we’re excited when it happens.” Over in Tennessee, recent Mega Millions sales tickets have resulted in more than $263 million that will be set aside for scholarships, grants and after-school programs.
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