Members of the House Regulated Industries Committee pressed Georgia Lottery officials on the scale, regulation and revenue from coin‑operated amusement machines (COAAM), and they sought assurances about the July 1 transition to downloadable gift cards that will eliminate cash payouts.

Gretchen Corbin told the committee the Lottery has regulatory responsibilities for COAAM including licensing, permits and collections. "Licensing's numbers at the end of Q1, there were 40,875 machines in market over at over 7,000 locations," she said, and she reported COAAM returns to education of $192,000,000 in '25. Corbin and staff told members that the COAAM contribution has grown materially in recent years and has helped offset volatility in traditional lottery returns.

Lawmakers probed earlier high fines and settlements tied to master‑license enforcement. Lottery staff explained that several large master‑license fines and license surrenders in prior years accounted for unusually high fine levels that are not recurring. One member recounted constituent complaints about machine downtime and said improved vendor responsiveness has reduced recent calls; the Lottery said service issues with a COAAM vendor were addressed and that vendor staffing had increased.

Members emphasized consumer protection and asked whether the Lottery tracks ticket redemption demographics or redemption rates at locations; finance staff said the Lottery does not track purchaser demographics, but Corbin said Georgia Student Finance could provide district‑level data on program beneficiaries. On operations and accounting, finance staff said the Lottery sweeps excess cash weekly to the Office of the Treasury and that net proceeds are transferred quarterly per statute.

The July 1 policy change to downloadable gift cards —which cannot be redeemed for cash but can be used to buy lottery product or be redeemed in‑machine for play—received particular attention. Corbin said the COAAM team has a detailed communications plan and will notify locations about requirements and timing. "Our COAM team already has communication ready to send out to our CoAIM locations…we're ready for it," she told the committee.

Next steps: Committee members requested district‑level COAAM reports and data on machine locations and returns; the Lottery agreed to follow up with requested materials and to coordinate with Georgia Student Finance on beneficiary breakdowns for education programs.