virginia lottery

The Virginia Lottery is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was created in 1987 when Virginians voted in a statewide referendum in favor of a state lottery. The first ticket was sold on September 20, 1988.
All profits from Virginia Lottery ticket sales go to K–12 public education, as required by Virginia's constitution. In Fiscal Year 2025, the lottery's profits totaled more than $901 million, accounting for approximately 10 percent of school funding in Virginia. That brought total lottery profits in Virginia (from 1989 through June 2025) to more than $17.3 billion.

Daily draw games include Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5, which are drawn twice daily, and Cash 5; with one drawing a day. The Virginia Lottery also offers numerous scratchers. It is one of 46 lotteries which sells Mega Millions tickets, and one of 47 offering Powerball. Cash4Life is nightly; Mega Millions is drawn Tuesdays and Fridays, while Powerball is drawn Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Bank A Million is also drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. The lottery maintains elaborate security procedures to protect the integrity of its games.