Never cash. Not in any form.
October 20, 2026 · updated November 3, 2026 · Coam Tracker · 5-minute read
No. Georgia law does not allow cash, change, or any currency for a winning ticket from a Class B machine. A COAM gift card can never be turned into cash either. That cannot be done at the counter, at an ATM, through a cash app, or by moving the value to a bank account.
On September 2, 2026, the Georgia Lottery’s General Counsel, Joseph J. Kim, sent a letter to two card companies and a lawyer. They had asked about using COAM gift cards at ATMs and through cash apps.
The letter says vendor demonstrations at an industry expo on August 20 made one thing clear. Saying yes “will create a safe harbor by the GLC for the exchange of COAM gift cards for currency.” Mr. Kim wrote:
“Given that OCGA 50-27-71.1(b) says that gift cards ‘shall not be exchanged for cash, change or currency’, I cannot issue advice that would act as a safe harbor for COAM gift cards being exchanged for currency.”
Two weeks later, on September 16, the Lottery sent that letter to COAM license holders, with a cover letter of its own. Together, the two letters and the law answer the question this page is about.
A customer brings a winning ticket to the counter. If the store hands back cash, change, or currency of any kind, that is cash redemption.
Georgia law lists the legal ways to redeem. Since July 1, 2026, a winning ticket from a Class B machine may be redeemed for replays, lottery products, a non-reloadable gift card, or a reloadable gift card. O.C.G.A. § 50-27-71.1(a)(2)(B) ends that list with these words:
“and no other form of redemption shall be allowed.”
Cash is not on the list. The Lottery’s notice on the July 1 changes says a store may choose to offer lottery products, gift cards, or both. It says offering both “is not required.”
Gift cards are two of the four legal ways: non-reloadable and reloadable. The value on a card still can never come back as cash. O.C.G.A. § 50-27-71.1(b) says the store may honor the card when the customer brings it back, but the card:
“shall not be exchanged for cash, change, or currency.”
The Lottery’s September 16 letter says the same thing in broader words. It says COAM gift cards:
“cannot be used to obtain cash in any manner, whether in whole or in part, and COAM locations may not provide cash back or otherwise facilitate converting the value of a COAM gift card into currency.”
The letter also says what the card is for. It says: “Players may continue to use COAM gift cards to purchase lawful goods and services, but the cards cannot be used as a method to receive cash.” The full rules for the card are on our page about COAM gift card rules.
No. Georgia law does not allow it. The people who wrote to the Lottery had asked about “the use at ATMs (or use via cash apps)” of COAM gift cards.
Both letters look back at an earlier letter from Mr. Kim, dated November 19, 2025. The September 16 letter says that earlier letter advised “that once a COAM prize was redeemed onto a gift card, the GLC had no authority to regulate how the gift card was used afterward.” In the September 2 letter, Mr. Kim wrote that the earlier letter “never contemplated such wholesale exchanges of COAM gift cards for currency,” including by “transferring the value of the COAM gift card electronically to a bank account.” He wrote that it “cannot be interpreted as allowing COAM gift cards to be exchanged for currency.”
He added a warning about law enforcement. He wrote that if law enforcement acted on a COAM gift card exchanged for currency:
“nothing in my November 19 letter could be a defense to such law enforcement action.”
The letter raised one more concern. It says the large-scale exchange of COAM gift cards for currency also raises questions. They are about the “AML (anti-money laundering) requirements” of FINCEN, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. It notes that large COAM redemptions, even $10,000 or more, “are not rare.” It said “entities that are subject to FINCEN/AML requirements should consult with their own counsel.”
The Lottery’s proposed rules, dated October 13, 2026, would also put this into the Lottery’s own rules:
“No gift card, or any portion of the value thereon, awarded for successful play of COAMs may be exchanged for cash directly or indirectly, such as via ATMs and money services, whether at the location where the gift card was awarded or elsewhere.”
Under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-35(g), a person who “gives to any other person money as a reward for the successful play or winning” of a game is guilty of a misdemeanor “of a high and aggravated nature.”
The license is at risk too. The Lottery’s notice on the July 1 changes has an enforcement reminder for Class B machines. It says a store owner or operator that redeems “products or services, other than replays, lottery products, or gift cards,”
“will be subject to enforcement action and any applicable administrative penalties under Georgia law, including O.C.G.A. § 16-12-35 and Georgia Lottery Corporation Rules.”
The Lottery’s Rule 13.1.15 lists what can follow a violation of the law or the rules. The list includes a fine against the license holder, a suspended license, a revoked license, and seizure of the machine, “including any proceeds contained in the COAM.”
Questions about redemption can go to the Lottery’s COAM Retailer Services line at 1-800-746-8546.
Under Georgia law, a winning ticket from a Class B machine may be redeemed four ways, and cash is not one of them. A COAM gift card is spent on lawful goods and services. It can never be turned into cash.
More answers: what a store can give for a winning ticket · the rules for a COAM gift card · 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.