Members of the House Regulated Industries Committee raised detailed questions about the Lottery’s advertising budget, sports sponsorships and the metrics used to evaluate return on investment.

Gretchen Corbin and the Lottery’s marketing team described a long‑standing relationship with BBDO Atlanta (creative) and OMD (media buying) and said the agency relationship is periodically put out for bid. James Hutchinson, the Lottery’s vice president of marketing, said the Lottery partners with the Atlanta Falcons, Braves, Hawks, Atlanta United and several colleges including UGA and Georgia Tech on activation and co‑branded products. Hutchinson gave approximate figures for recent sponsorship packages — the Falcons partnership was described as roughly $1.04 million and UGA around $700,000 — and said packages typically include signage, activations, hospitality and co‑branded ticket products.

Lawmakers asked how advertising and sponsorship spends affect net returns to education and whether the Lottery has audits or independent valuations to justify the expense. Corbin said the Lottery uses independent evaluators (for example, Octagon) and internal analysis to validate sponsorship value. She told members the World Cup affiliate sponsorship was evaluated and rejected because the estimated $3 million cost did not meet the Lottery’s ROI threshold.

Several members asked for contract copies and a readable breakdown of sports and advertising terms; Corbin agreed to provide more detailed contract terms and the underlying evaluations. Members flagged the rapid growth in marketing spending across recent years and asked for a clearer presentation of how marketing expenses translate into incremental transfers to education.