Lottery in Virginia 2024

As mentioned in the introduction, Virginia state lottery was founded in 1987. First lottery tickets in Virginia were sold in November of 1988, kicking things off. For the first ten years, proceeds from the state lottery were sent to the General Fund. In 2000, a new law was passed, stating that all proceeds from the VA lottery are to be spent towards education. Since then until today, the lottery has paid in excess of USD 9 billion.

It is interesting to note that Virginia actually had lottery much before any of these recent changes. In fact, back in the early 1600s, before it even became a state, there was The Great Virginia Lottery. Proceeds from this early lottery went towards establishing the first universities and libraries, building churches, etc.  In fact, University of Virginia was, in part, funded from the proceeds from this early-day lottery.

The total number of lottery draws residents of Virginia can participate in is quite decent although not as big as in some other states. That said, VA players can still buy tickets for two major lotteries, namely Mega Millions and Powerball. They can also try their luck with Cash4Life, another hugely popular drawing in the USA.

Mega Millions is one of the two most popular lottery draws in the US. Taking place on Tuesdays and Fridays, it offers a chance to win a huge jackpot, which starts at USD 40,000,000 but regularly reaches nine figures. Residents of Virginia can but draw tickets online and at live retail location at USD 2 apiece. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302 million, while the odds of landing the second prize (up to USD 5,000,000 with multipliers) are about 1 in 12 million.

You can also buy VA lottery tickets for Powerball draws taking place on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Ticket prizes are the same, i.e. USD 2 a pop and the main jackpot is very similar, as it starts at USD 40,000,000 and grows with each draw. Winning odds are slightly better, though, at 1 in 292,201,338. These tickets are available for purchase on the lottery Virginia website.

Cash4Life is another hugely popular lottery draw that takes place biweekly, on Mondays and Thursdays at 9 PM. Players need to select five different numbers as well as one Cash Ball. To win the jackpot, which is USD 1,000 every day for the rest of your life (adjusted for 20 years) you’ll need to match all five numbers and the Cash Ball. However, matching just five balls will also get you a very nice prize of USD 25,000 every year for the next twenty years.

Virginia Lottery: Bank a Million

How does the idea of winning a cool million with all taxes paid and you getting straight up cash into your bank account sound? If it sounds good, you should check out Virginia-only Bank a Million game, which offers exactly this. You can win USD 1,000,000 with all taxes paid and nothing to worry about whatsoever.

In this VA lotto game, players need to choose 6 numbers out of the total of 40. Draws take place two times a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and tickets are sold at USD 2 each. However, players can split their bets into two USD 1 plays or even four USD 0.50 plays. Of course, to win the Virginia lottery jackpot, you’ll need to play at USD 2. At lower plays, prizes are proportionately smaller as well.

The odds of winning the main prize are approximately 1 in 3,838,000, which isn’t all that bad for a shot at the million. The odds of winning the second prize of USD 20,000, when matching five numbers and the Bonus Ball are 1 in 639,730. Bank a Million tickets can’t be bought online, though, so you’ll need to buy them at one of the retail locations.

If you want to win the Virginia Lottery, you’ll have a much better chance buying lots of lottery tickets. Forming a syndicate with friends is one of the best ways of doing this, as you’ll get to buy lots of tickets and then split whatever wins you make. There’s nothing in the VA Lottery site to stop you doing this. Just make sure that you have a clear procedure for dividing the winnings should you get lucky.

In addition to these main draws, there are several other lottery and lotto Virginia games available to the players as well as a variety of Virginia lottery scratchers offering instant prizes. These often offer smaller potential wins but also much better odds of winning.

• Cash 5 is a classic lotto game where you pick five from the set of 34 numbers. The minimum ticket price is USD 1 but you can play as low as USD 0.25 per combo. The main jackpot is 100,000 times the wager, so the maximum is USD 100,000, with the odds of winning of 1 in 278,000. Draws take place twice a day. Lotto 5 isn’t offered on the site but you can play it on the lottery app.
• Pick 4 is exactly what the name suggests. It is a draw game where you’re trying to guess four numbers but you have several different play options to choose from. Tickets are available at USD 0.50 and USD 1 and the maximum win is USD 5,000. Draws take place two times every day.
• Pick 3 is a very similar game but you have to guess just three instead of four numbers. Odds of guessing and winning the small lottery jackpot of USD 500 are exactly 1 in 1,000.

You’ll probably know that you can buy major lottery tickets like Powerball for just a couple of bucks. Such cost-effective gaming is carried across the VA Lottery site. After all, there are scratchers that you can play from anywhere between $1 and $30. All of which should mean that everyone can get involved here.

If you’re a resident of Virginia, you have access to all the major lottery and lotto draws. While some of the tickets aren’t available online like in Georgia, for example, you’ll have no problems finding them at local retail locations across the state. So, dare to dream big and try your luck chasing some of those huge jackpots. The next one could have your name written all over it!

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Virginia Lottery Highlights

• Play the Mega Millions
• Get Tickets for the Powerball
• Try Cash 5, Pick 4, & More!