$1.1 billion Powerball jackpot has locals dreaming up scenarios

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The $1.1 billion Powerball total has people dreaming of a matching ticket.

The drawing is on Monday night just before 11 p.m.

We spoke with locals ahead of the drawing about what they would do with the money.

“I would donate to charity. I would open up, like, different homeless shelters,” said one Powerball player, Cornelius Wright.

“I’m dressed like a golfer right now, so probably a new set of golf clubs,” decided Savannah resident, Sal Jacobo.

“Anything for mom,” we asked one Savannah resident, Wes Carden. Yeah, maybe retire them. I don’t know.”

People are going crazy for the Powerball jackpot and dreaming of ways they would spend all that cash.

“I would first move down to Florida, buy a house on the water,” decided Carden.

“For my kids, say for their tuition and give them some money, two million a piece,” said Wright.

SEE: Two in Georgia win $150K in Powerball drawing, jackpot now over $1 billion

The Powerball doesn’t just benefit the winner.

By law, half of the state’s lottery revenues go to prizes, one-third to education, and the remainder to operating and marketing the lottery; That education portion benefits Pre-K programs and the HOPE scholarship.

Georgia is #2 in the United States for how much money it gives back to beneficiaries per person.

The data also shows that the overall percentage of lottery revenue going to education over the years has dropped.

In 1997, 35% of lottery revenue went to education- $581 million.

In 2023, it dropped to 25.5%. Overall sales have grown, meaning the Georgia Lottery raised $1.5 billion for education that year.

State lawmakers gave the lottery flexibility when it comes to the percentage of its revenue that has to go to education.

The lottery says that when other states, such as Texas, decreased prize payouts, sales decreased too.

In the end, lottery officials argue that higher prize payouts equal more ticket sales, which equals more money for schools.

Click here to visit the Georgia Lottery’s website. Good luck!