Four ways. Nothing else.
September 30, 2026 · updated October 29, 2026 · Coam Tracker · 5-minute read
For a Class B machine, only four things: replays, lottery products, a non-reloadable gift card, or a reloadable gift card. Since July 1, 2026, Georgia law says “no other form of redemption shall be allowed” for Class B machines, so a store may never give cash, and may never hand over merchandise or gas straight for a winning ticket.
At the Lottery’s COAM Advisory Board meeting on July 21, 2026, the COAM Division reported that some locations were unaware that “gas and merchandise giveaways were no longer permitted.” For the month of July, the Division reported 599 inspections and 18 written warnings.
Those were the first weeks under Georgia’s new redemption rules for Class B machines. The rules came from House Bill 353, passed in 2024, and they took effect on July 1, 2026. Since that day, the list of what a store may give for a winning ticket has been short and fixed by law.
The law is O.C.G.A. § 50-27-71.1. For Class B machines, it says:
“Only replays, lottery products, and nonreloadable and reloadable gift cards shall be allowed as a legal form of redemption for Class B machines and no other form of redemption shall be allowed.”
That gives a store four choices for a winning ticket:
The law calls each of these a “legal form of redemption.” Anything outside the list is not one.
The Lottery’s notice on the July 1 changes says a store “may choose to offer lottery products, gift cards, or both as prize redemption options.” It adds: “Offering both is not required.”
Lottery products. A store that is already a Lottery retailer may give Lottery products. The notice asks those stores to “maintain sufficient lottery product inventory.” A store that is not a Lottery retailer, and wants to offer Lottery products, “should begin the process of applying to become a Lottery retailer,” the notice states.
Gift cards. The law names no gift card company. The notice says a store that is not yet set up to give gift cards will need to “independently research and establish a relationship with a gift card provider.”
A store may not hand over merchandise or gas in exchange for a winning ticket. That trade is not one of the four. The Lottery’s notice says a location that redeems “products or services, other than replays, lottery products, or gift cards, will be subject to enforcement action.”
The lawful route runs through the gift card. The store places the winning ticket amount on a gift card. The law then says the card may be used for:
“any goods or services which a successful player is entitled or permitted by law to purchase”
A winning ticket cannot be traded straight for goods or gas. The card can be used to buy them.
The same law sets the rules for the card, in O.C.G.A. § 50-27-71.1(b):
Only what was won. No value may go on the card “unless such value has been won by the player” on the machine.
Loaded at the store. The value goes on the card only on the store’s premises. It is put there by the store, its employees, or a self-service gift card device at the store.
Usable away from the store. The card “may be used off the premises.”
Never cash. The card “shall not be exchanged for cash, change, or currency.”
The full card rules, and what the card may and may not buy, are on our page about Georgia COAM gift card rules.
Cash is not one of the approved ways. Giving cash as a reward for a winning ticket is a crime under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-35.
The gift card can never be turned into cash either. On September 16, 2026, the Lottery wrote to COAM license holders that COAM gift cards:
“cannot be used to obtain cash in any manner, whether in whole or in part”
The same letter says COAM locations “may not provide cash back or otherwise facilitate converting the value of a COAM gift card into currency.” More on this is on our page about what cash redemption means.
The law sets the penalty for redeeming anything other than replays, lottery products, or a gift card. The store owner or operator receives “a warning for the first violation.” After that come civil penalties “proportional to any amounts inappropriately redeemed.”
The warning does not replace other penalties. The law says it does not “eliminate or reduce any administrative penalty” under the cash law, O.C.G.A. § 16-12-35. The Lottery’s notice also points to its own rules.
The penalty falls on the “location owner or location operator.” That is the store.
Questions about redemption can go to the Lottery’s COAM Retailer Services line at 1-800-746-8546. That number is in the Lottery’s own notice. Records of each redemption are covered on our page about how long to keep COAM records.
Replays, Lottery products, or a gift card. For a winning ticket from a Class B machine, that is the whole list.
More answers: Georgia COAM gift card rules · what cash redemption means · the 17-question COAM gift card FAQ.
Coam Tracker helps a store record each redemption, each gift card issued and each day’s machine totals in one place — see how →This page shares general information about Georgia law from public sources, with links. It is not legal advice. Coam Tracker helps you keep records. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Georgia Lottery Corporation or GAMOA.