Play Lottery Online
The West Virginia Lottery is a great way to play for cash prizes while benefitting social services across the state. Banking on the substantial gaming options and payout potential of these games, players from all over the state participate enthusiastically in draw and instant-win games daily.
The Lottery goes beyond these traditional numbers-focused features to include other gaming options that bring even more people into the fold. Besides the popular draw games and Scratch-Offs, the WV lottery oversees:
- Loaded With Prizes! Play 5 new games with over $37.4 million in prizes. Enter all Loaded tickets into Players Club for a chance at $500,000 in prizes!
- Play your favorite lottery games and our exclusive diggi games anywhere and on virtually any device. If you win a prize (up to and including $600), you’ll be paid online instantly!
- Video lottery games
- Casino table games
- West Virginia online casinos (regulations permitting)
Let’s take a look at what the WV Lottery provides, how you can participate, and what rewards you can expect to reap from your next big win.
While also tasked with overseeing recently legalized online casinos and sports betting, the Virginia Lottery introduced online instant games in July 2020, allowing players to purchase and even play online lottery games through the Virginia Lottery website. Access to these game via the lottery’s app should become available soon.
West Virginia Sports Betting
The West Virginia sports betting market launched in Aug. 2018. The WV lottery commission presides over the industry and has empowered five West Virginia casinos to offer sports betting. Sports betting is powered by well-known platforms, including:
Residents interested in wagering on upcoming events and matches, races, and live sports can take advantage of legal sports betting in West Virginia at the following casinos:
- Hollywood Casino Sportsbook
After two months of accepting bets, Mardi Gras Sportsbook and Wheeling Island Sportsbook are currently closed. The owner of the two books, Delaware North, is currently headed to court to sever ties with its sports betting partner, Miomni. It will then have the task of finding a new partner.
Additionally, WV had one legal sports betting app, BetLucky Sportsbook. It also is currently suspended and unlikely to return to West Virginia.
However, after a five-month absence, FanDuel Sportsbook WV officially began taking bets through their mobile sports betting app on Aug. 26, just ahead of the starts of the NFL and college football seasons. Then just two days later, DraftKings Sportsbook WV came online providing choice to WV bettors.
We are tracking all WV online gambling launch dates to help keep you in the know.
West Virginia Online Casinos
West Virginia online casinos became a reality on March 27, 2019, when Gov. Jim Justice failed to act on the bill passed by the legislature earlier in the month.
The law allows each of the five WV casinos a license to launch online casino games and allow residents to play online poker in WV. Players can expect games similar to those found in a brick-and-mortar casino, including:
- Roulette
- Craps
Legal online casinos in West Virginia launched in 2021 and quickly produced impressive online casino revenue figures.
West Virginia Lottery Draw Games
The West Virginia Lottery has a substantial selection of draw games in which residents can participate. There are multi-state lotteries with sizeable jackpots and standalone games found only in West Virginia.
WV multi-state lottery draw games
West Virginia participates in three multi-state lotteries:
- Mega Millions
- LottoAmerica
- Powerball
These games offer the biggest prizes of just about any lottery you can find because there is no limit to how big they can grow. Tickets are purchased at retail locations throughout the state. Get yours before the draw to ensure you are among those who qualify to win one of these seven-figure cash prizes.
WV multi-state lotteries draw times:
- Powerball – Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. EST
- Mega Millions – Friday and Tuesday at 11 p.m. EST
- LottoAmerica – Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11 p.m. EST
WV state lottery draw games
The West Virginia Lottery has a substantial selection of draw games that residents can participate in, with standalone games found only in West Virginia and multi-state lotteries.
Tickets for West Virginia-specific lottery games can only be purchased in the state. Games include:
- Keno Bonus
- Cash 25
- Daily 3
- Daily 4
WV state lottery draw times:
- Keno Bonus – Every five minutes, seven days a week, from approximately 5 a.m. to 3:45 a.m.
- Cash 25 – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings at 7 p.m. EST
- Daily 3 – Monday thru Saturday Evenings at 7 p.m. EST
- Daily 4 – Monday thru Saturday Evenings at 7 p.m. EST
West Virginia Video Lottery
Video Lottery may sound like a unique term but, in the state of West Virginia, Video Lottery refers to interactive gaming machines, such as:
- Slots
- Blackjack
- Keno
Video lottery games have been installed in WV racetracks throughout the state since 1994. In 2001 the games made their way into adult environments, namely bars and fraternal organizations.
The number of video terminals has been limited to 9,000. The payout return percentages for each casino are posted for players to review. The most recent report reveals:
- The Casino Club at The Greenbrier: n/a
- Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races: 89.92%
- Mardi Gras Casino & Resort: 90.66%
- Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort: 88.59%
- Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack: 89.28%
West Virginia Table Games
An array of table games are made available for players to participate in at licensed racetracks and casinos in the state of West Virginia.
These table games include many of the staples one would expect to find on the casino floor of any Las Vegas or Atlantic City gaming establishment.
Available table games include:
- Roulette
- Baccarat
- Blackjack
- Craps
- Poker
Other specialty table game varieties include:
- Big Six Wheel
- Four Card Poker
- Let It Ride
- Pai Gow
Remember, the selection of table games will vary from one location to another.
West Virginia Scratch-Offs
Scratch-offs are a low-risk, high-reward game that anyone can engage in with minimal experience.
The concept is simple, buy a ticket and scratch away the surface to reveal if you’ve won a cash prize.
These tickets are available all over the state of West Virginia and come in several denominations, ranging from $1 to $10 or more.
More expensive scratch-off games tend to yield higher cash prizes. If you want the biggest payouts, higher tickets prices come with the territory.
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There are more than a dozen different scratch-offs to choose from with top prizes ranging from $5,000 to $75,000.
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History Of The West Virginia Lottery
The West Virginia Lottery launched on November 6, 1984, after being voted in with the Lottery Amendment. The amendment passed with a 67% majority and was signed into law by Gov. Arch A. Moore, Jr.
Two years later, the first instant tickets would be sold in the state. On the first day of which, more than 1.5 million tickets were sold at retailers across the state.
At the time, only one instant win game was available, the “West Virginia Jackpot”. The game boasted a top prize of $5,000. In its first year, the lottery would take in more than $53 million. West Virginia’s General Revenue Fund received $20 million of that.
How the WV Lottery helps West Virginians
Today, Lottery ticket sales produce more than $1.1 billion in sales annually in West Virginia and more than $520 million of that goes to fund projects for the people of West Virginia.
West Virginia Lottery proceeds have a direct impact on the quality of life for all West Virginians.
The West Virginia Legislature uses lottery proceeds to help improve public education through support of:
- School Building Authority
- West Virginia Department of Education
- Higher Education Policy Commission
- PROMISE Scholarship Program
Lottery proceeds also help the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services provide nutrition programs, in-home care services, and many other programs and services for West Virginia’s senior citizens. Over $1.25 billion of Lottery revenue have directly enhanced the lives of West Virginia’s senior population. Support services include:
- Transportation assistance
- Elderly caregiving
- Medicaid funding
- Medical bill relief
- In-home meal delivery
Lottery proceeds also go toward enhancing the State’s growing tourism industry and improving West Virginia’s State Parks. In fact, more than $1 billion to date has been invested into the lush woodlands and sprawling forests. The WV Lottery funds these efforts through:
- Division of Tourism
- Division of Natural Resources
- State Park Improvement Fund
Overall, The West Virginia Lottery invested more than $9 billion in public education, senior services, and the state’s tourism industry as a direct result of state lottery sales.
In December 2011, the US Department of Justice released a legal opinion on the Federal Wire Act. The opinion stipulated the act only applies to sports betting.
This ultimately paved the way for individual states to allow lottery sales online. Since that time, five states have started online lottery sales programs. A handful of others are considering the idea.
- Green states have passed online lottery bills.
- Red states had online lottery, but suspended sales.
- Blue states had an online lottery bill in 2017.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania passed an expansive gambling law in October 2017. As part of the sweeping measure, the state authorized online casinos, online poker, and online lotteries. The first batch of online lottery games went live on May 29, 2018.
Pennsylvania currently participates in both Powerball and the MegaMillions lotto. These games are not available online yet. Instead, the only online offerings are instant win games. These online games are very similar to a real-life scratch-off game.
As part of the expansion, the Lottery also offers Keno, which also launched in May. It offers virtual sports as well.
Lawmakers hope over the course of the next five years, the lottery will bring the state roughly $250 million in revenue to primarily benefit the state’s seniors. However, legal troubles could sideline the project. Seven PA casinos banded together to sue the state over the iLottery, claiming the instant games are too similar to online slot machines.
Read more about the Pennsylvania Online Lottery.
Michigan
After a successful pilot program in the summer, the Michigan Lottery launched online lottery sales in the fall of 2014. At first, the online games available online were only Instant Keno and electronic online scratch-offs.
In January 2016, the Michigan Lottery began offering online sales tickets for its most popular draw games, including Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto 47, and Fantasy 5.
Lottery Consultant Digital Gaming Group released a report in December 2016 calling Michigan’s online lottery sales program a success. The report showed online lottery sales moved past $8 million a week as of March 2016. Meanwhile, brick and mortar retail lottery operations set all-time records.
Read more about the Michigan Online Lottery.
Georgia
After approval in the summer of 2012, and a bit of a false start, Georgia became the second state to offer online lottery ticket sales. Its lottery went online in November 2012. The Georgia Lottery Corporation offers online ticket sales for draw games, including Fantasy 5, Mega Millions, and Powerball.
Plus, there are also Keno games and a selection of games exclusive to Georgia Lottery website called Diggi Games. These interactive games constitute a hybrid of social games and electronic scratch-offs. Diggi Games include crosswords and bingo games.
Georgia is among the top states in the country in terms of per capita lottery sales. The state maintained that status through the introduction of online ticket sales.
Read more about the Georgia Online Lottery.
Illinois
Illinois launched a pilot program offering online sales of Lotto and Mega Millions tickets in March 2012. At that point, Illinois became the first state to offer online lottery ticket sales.
Illinois then added online tickets to the popular multi-state Powerball lottery in December 2012. The Illinois Lottery website later expanded to include Daily Lottery Games and Instant Games as well.
On March 31, 2014, the Internet Lottery announced online lottery sales totaled $36.9million in the first two years of the program.
Then, in March 2016, the pilot program was actually set to end if lawmakers failed to pass new legislation authorizing continued internet lottery sales. However, Illinois Lottery Communications Director Steve Rossi decided the Illinois Lottery would continue to operate online. After a detailed policy and law review, Rossi determined continued internet ticket sales were permissible under current law.
Read more about the Illinois Online Lottery.
Virginia
The Virginia Lottery has operated in Old Dominion since 1987, resulting in over $12.4 billion in payouts since that time. Now, Virginia has seen online expansion with its lottery.
While also tasked with overseeing recently legalized online casinos and sports betting, the Virginia Lottery introduced online instant games in July 2020, allowing players to purchase and even play online lottery games through the Virginia Lottery website. Access to these game via the lottery’s app should become available soon.
The Virginia Lottery boasts an array of online instant games, with themes ranging from simple reveal to crosswords to symbol-matching, not to mention blackjack, keno and lottery draw.
As the first online gambling site in the state, the Virginia Lottery has set the trend. And it is at the forefront of an online gambling revolution in Old Dominion.
Read more about the Virginia Online Lottery.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire joined the group of US states with online lottery after its governor signed a bill authorizing online lottery sales in July 2017. On Sept. 18, the New Hampshire online lottery went live. Operated by NeoPollard Interactive, it features several online instant win and draw games.
Mega Millions and Powerball tickets can be purchased online or through apps like Jackpocket, with either custom or quick number selection.
Kentucky
Kentucky became the next state to offer its lottery online in April 2016. The Commonwealth offers online sales of jackpot and daily draw games as well as instant play games.
Online ticket sales were actually approved by lawmakers in 2013. However, it took the state three years to develop a complex online ticketing system.
Kentucky also employs strict security regulations preventing players from withdrawing money deposited in a lottery account in accordance with money-laundering laws.
At the time of the launch, Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Arch Gleason claimed online lottery sales were a way to attract a younger demographic accustomed to conducting retail purchases online. He also maintained online sales were expected to help, rather than hurt, sales at 3,200 lottery retailers across Kentucky.
Read more about the Kentucky Online Lottery.
Minnesota
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Minnesota was actually the first state lottery to offer instant-win games online. The Minnesota Lottery launched online sales on the first quarter of 2014 without any kind of legislative approval. In addition to electronic scratch-offs, the lottery offered Mega Millions, Hot Lotto, Gopher 5, and Powerball tickets online.
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However, in May 2015, Minnesota lawmakers voted to make online lottery sales illegal, and the games were ultimately pulled.