Buying lottery tickets from a store is, to be frank, old school. Thanks to modern technology, you no longer have to stand in line to play the Powerball, Mega Millions, or any other state-based draw. Virginia Online Lottery entered the digital arena in 2018 and it’s been evolving ever since. Today, you can purchase lottery tickets online, scratch scratchcards, and play instant games via your desktop or mobile device.
New members can also get $10 free and a bunch of game tickets, as well as access to a host of handy tools. This Virginia Lottery review shines a light on all of these benefits and more. In fact, by the time you’re done, you’ll know exactly why we think this is the better alternative to in-store purchases. So, if you’re ready to learn a bit more, here’s our Virginia Online Lottery review.
Contents
Virginia Lottery history
The people of Virginia spoke in 1987 and they said one thing: give us a lottery. Following a positive vote on the issue, Virginia Lottery was sanctioned as an independent lotto operator under the Commonwealth of Virginia. The first ticket was sold in 1988 and, since then, it’s raised $10 billion for local education projects and paid out over $12.4 billion in prize money.
Following the advent of online betting and gaming, Virginia Lottery went online in 2018. Initially, the mobile app was used as a results checker and accompaniment to in-store purchases. However, in 2019, it started to offer online purchases and instant-win options. Today, Virginia Lottery Online offers a wide variety of games. What’s more, VA Lottery will be the arbiter and regulator of casino operators under the state’s new online gaming laws.
Virginia Lottery fact sheet
| Launch: | 1987 |
| Oversight: | Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Participation age: | 18+ |
| Available to: | VA residents located in Virginia |
| Federal tax: | 24% |
| State tax: | 4% |
| Proceedings benefit: | School funds |
| Mobile app: | Yes, the Virginia Lottery Official App |
Virginia Lottery new player bonus and promotions
As a Virginia Lottery newbie, you’re entitled to a $10 bonus and ten free game tickets. To unlock this offer, you need to follow our Virginia Online Lottery sign-up link. Once you’ve done that, complete the registration process and make an opening deposit of at least $10. For this deal, there isn’t a specific Virginia Lottery promo code. Therefore, you can simply click on our link and make a deposit to activate the bonus.
In terms of what you’ll receive, $10 is credited to your account in the form of bonus cash. As with other online casino and lottery promotions, these credits aren’t cashable. In other words, you can’t withdraw your bonus credits. What you can do, however, is use them to play games. Then, anything you win is yours to keep. Finally — and this is the important bit — there aren’t any post-win wagering requirements.
Whatever you can win is yours to keep, bet with, or withdraw, which is remarkable. When you survey the US online betting and gaming scene, almost all bonuses come with wagering conditions (i.e. you have to reach a certain betting target before you can withdraw your bonus/bonus winnings). This is par for the course, but Virginia Lottery has bucked the trend. This not only makes the welcome bonus more attractive but more accessible to novices.
It’s the same when you factor in the free game tickets. These can be used to play various instants, scratchcards, and draw games. If you win, the cash is yours to keep. So, again, you’re basically getting the chance to turn nothing into something with the Virginia Lottery welcome bonus. Obviously, that’s an attractive proposition for anyone. However, we’re particularly hot on this deal because it’s great for those who are just stepping into the world of online lotteries for the first time.
Regular promotions at Virginia Lottery
In addition to the Virginia Lottery Online welcome bonus, regular promotions are available to all members. The most notable are second chance draws. Known as Extra Chances, these promos give you another way to win if your first shot at glory was unsuccessful.
To get a proverbial second chance, you’ll need to take part in selected draw games. If you bag a token, you’ll go into a second chance draw where you can win anything from cash to tangible prizes. In fact, during this Virginia Lottery review, we scrolled through the results for previous Extra Chance competitions and found the prizes to be mightily impressive.
As well as gift cards and laptops, winners received concert tickets, vacations, the latest gadgets, and more. Compared to what we’ve seen at other US online lottery sites, the team at Virginia are head and shoulders above the rest in terms of creativity, diversity, and value. That, for us, is why this site is bursting with potential. Regardless of whether you’re a newbie, a novice, or a lottery regular, there are plenty of ways to get something extra for your time online.
Participation requirements at Virginia Lottery online
To pay and play, you must be located within the state of Virginia. Additionally, you need to be 18 or older to create an account. Although these are fairly simple participation requirements, they are important. Because Virginia Lottery Online is a licensed and regulated operator, it has to ensure every customer is legit. Of course, it also has to comply with laws and regulations. However, customer ID and verification are also extremely important.
As such, you’ll be asked to provide personal details during the registration process and, in turn, prove them. For example, the final four digits of your SSN are required to verify your details. If the software can’t verify your identity with this information, you may be required to provide your full SSN or contact a member of support. In the event of the latter, you’ll need to upload copies of your passport or another valid form of government-issued ID.
With regards to location, this is important because only players based in the state are eligible to play. Virginia Lottery uses geolocation technology to determine your location. Therefore, you must allow the software to check your device (desktop or mobile) when prompted. If you have an issue during this part of the sign-up process, you may need to turn on “location services” via the settings on your desktop browser or smartphone.
The steps you need to follow to create an account at Virginia Online Lottery are:
- Follow our secure Virginia Lottery sign-up link.
- Fill in the sign-up form, including the last four digits of your SSN.
- Enable the geolocation software.
- Confirm and verify your account.
- Log in and make a deposit of at least $10.
- Wait to receive the Virginia Lottery welcome bonus and start playing.
Virginia Lottery deposits
The minimum deposit at Virginia Online Lottery is $10. All transactions are handled by secure, reputable payment processors and funds should be credited to your account immediately. SSL encryption is used for extra protection and peace of mind.
Available deposit methods at Virginia Lottery include:
- Visa
- MasterCard
- PayPal
- ACH Bank Transfer
How to withdrawals winnings
On the way out, the same levels of security and protection are in place. As a general rule, all withdrawal requests will be screened by the security team before they’re authorized. This means it may be 24 hours or so before the actual transaction is initiated. However, this is for your protection and part of the operator’s regulatory obligations.
As a US online lotto site, VA Lottery has a slightly different claims and withdrawal procedure than you may be used to. Indeed, if you’ve used an online casino or poker site in other states, you’ll know that withdrawals involve your putting in a request and the operator sending the money to your nominated processor.
At Virginia Lottery, things flow in a slightly different way:
- Prizes up to $100 will be credited to your Virginia Online Lottery account immediately.
- Prizes between $100.01 and $600 will be processed by Virginia Lottery on your behalf and credited to your account within minutes/hours (in most cases).
- Prizes over $600 must be claimed through the manual claims process. Virginia Lottery will send you an email with instructions on how to claim your prize.
- Prizes over $10,000 must be claimed through the manual claims process. Virginia Lottery will contact you directly to discuss processing and withdrawal options.
Admittedly, the system is somewhat convoluted. However, this is the way online lottery claims work in the US and, therefore, it’s not something out of the ordinary. What’s more, it’s a system that’s designed to ensure your winnings are guaranteed and processed in the most efficient and secure way.
Available withdrawal methods include:
- ACH Bank Transfer (you’ll need to provide your routine and account numbers)
Virginia Lottery online games
What’s an online lotto site without any games? Fortunately, Virginia Online Lottery has plenty of options. At the top of the tree are lotto draws. As a licensed lottery provider, this site is authorized to sell tickets for local and multistate draws.
Virginia lotto draw games
You can create an account and either buy printable tickets (which will mirror what you’d buy from a store) or use virtual ones. Whichever option you choose, you can play the following draw games at Virginia Lottery:
- Powerball (multistate draw)
- Mega Millions (multistate draw)
- Cash4Life (multistate draw)
- Cash 5 (Virginia state draw)
- Bank a Million (Virginia state draw)
- Pick 4 (Virginia state draw)
- Pick 3 (Virginia state draw)
- The Virginia New Year’s Eve Millionaire Raffle (this is an annual Virginia state draw)
The cost of a ticket is the same as what you’d pay in a store. For example, if you want to play a single line on the Mega Millions, it will cost you $2. If you want to buy five lines for Cash4Life and try to win $365,000-a-year for life, it will cost $10 ($2 x 5). Put simply, whatever you can do offline, you can do online at VALottery.com.
Virginia Lottery instant games
Actually, that’s not strictly true. Everything is the same when it comes to lotteries, but this operator doesn’t stop there. To provide a complete online gaming experience, VA Lottery offers a variety of instant games and scratchcards. This means you can actually do more here than you could if you chose to take part in draws using the old method (i.e. purchasing tickets from a store).
Neo Games has been drafted to help Virginia Online Lottery expanded its betting interests. The collaboration started with 12 instant games and the developers have committed to releasing something new every two weeks. During our Virginia Online Lottery review, we counted 16 games, including:
- Virginia Cash Expander
- Magic Mix-Up
- Summer Cookout
- Fruity Cubes
- Queen of Diamonds
- Wild Win Xtra
- Enchanted Winnings
- Quick 6
- Blackjack Doubler
- Treetop Treasures
- VIP Gold
- Keno Multiplier
- Egyptian Oasis
- Northern Wilds
- Lucky 7s
- Wizard of All
Each game can be played free using its ‘demo’ mode. This allows you to enjoy full functionality without the cost. So, if you’re a novice looking to learn the ropes or simply wanting some entertainment, this option is fantastic. When it comes to playing for cash prizes, the minimum bets range from $0.05 to $0.20. At the top end, you can wager up to $20 per round on certain games.
We can’t dive into the specifics of each instant play game at Virginia Online Lottery. However, we can give you general idea of how they work. Because this is the lotto site, games have a unique dynamic. We like to say that they’re hybrids that combine other games with lottery draws and scratchcards. For example, Virginia Cash Expander allows you to play for prizes worth up to $100,000.
After you’ve set your bet, you hit the play button and symbols fall into view. Each time you match between three and 12 symbols, you win a prize. Essentially you’re still buying a ticket for a draw but, in this instance, the draw involves a random set of symbols instead of lottery numbers.
This element of the game is similar to what you’d see in a lottery draw or on a scratchcard. Therefore, Virginia Cash Expander is actually a mix of dynamics. It’s the same story when you look at Blackjack Cash Doubler. This game takes the general premise of blackjack (i.e. trying to make a better hand than the dealer). However, instead of drawing cards, you ‘buy a ticket’ and random hands are assigned to each participant. If any of your hands is better than the dealer’s, you win.
Virginia Lottery scratchers
The scratchers available at Virginia Lottery continue this hybrid model. Once you’ve bought a ticket, you scratch off the panels to reveal a random selection of symbols. If you make the required number of matches, you win. There are more than 85 online scratchcards at Virginia Lottery. Prices start at $1 and scale up to $30 per ticket. Depending on what you play, jackpots can range from $1,000 to a whopping $10 million!
Some of the most popular scratchers at Virginia Lottery Online are:
- Extreme Millions – $10 Million Jackpot
- 100X the Money – $7 Million Jackpot
- Millionaire Maker – $1 Million Jackpot
- The $5 Million Series – $5 Million Jackpot
- Lucky 7s Cash Blowout – $2,777,777 Jackpot
Multistate options
As we’ve already noted in this Virginia Lottery review, you can play multistate options from inside the state. Once you’ve created an account and made a deposit, you can play instant games, scratchcards, and lotteries for real money prizes. Draws can either be localized or be multistate offerings such as Mega Millions and the Powerball.
Virginia Lottery software and mobile app
Virginia Lottery comes in two digital forms. Android and iOS users can download the Virginia Lottery Official App and check their results, get draw information, and find out about the latest offers and updates. To play games and lottery draws, you’ll need to use the VA Lottery mobile website or desktop site. Whichever option you choose, everything will be safe, secure, and stable.
During our Virginia Lottery review, we were impressed by the use of dropdown menus. Because there are a lot of things going on, the developers have had to make space where they can. This has led them to create dropdown menus that house submenus. At first, you may have to click around to find what you want. However, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the layout.
When you start uncovering the nuts and bolts of the site, you’ll quickly see that VALottery.com is built for efficiency and information.
Quick pick purchases
To save you time, each lottery features a quick purchase option. Let’s say you want to play the Powerball, for example. After clicking on the Powerball menu, a pop up appears with the following options: $6 — three plays, $10 — five plays, and $20 — ten plays. Click on one of those and a prefilled ticket will appear with the number of plays you want.
The ticket itself features a random selection of numbers for the next draw. You can change the numbers in any or all lines by tapping ‘auto fill’. Once you’re happy with the numbers, you can hit ‘add to cart’ and complete the purchase.
Manual and random number picker
If you don’t want to buy in bulk, you can use the ‘build my own’ button to construct a game card. For example, you might only want to play a single line instead of five. When you build your own card, you can highlight as many lines as you like using a dropdown menu. From there, you can input numbers individually until you’ve got the required number of picks. Alternatively, you can hit ‘auto fill’ and the numbers will be chosen for you.
Another benefit to building your own card is that you can specify which draws you want to play. So, once you’ve picked your numbers, you can specify that they’re for the next draw only or for future draws as well. VA Lottery allows you to use the same numbers and pre-purchase tickets for up to 104 subsequent draws.
Your lucky numbers
Instead of letting the automatic number picker take control of your destiny, you can choose your own numbers. If you click on ‘build my own’, you can add your own numbers to as many or as few lines as you like. Then, just as before, you can add the ticket to your cart and complete the purchase.
For those of you that have certain “lucky” lottery numbers, you can save them to your account using the ‘favorites’ option. When you’ve saved some numbers, you can click on ‘use my favorites’ at any point and they’ll be added to the draw you’re playing.
Results checker
The final feature of note is the results checker. The subpage for each lottery will show you how long there is until the next draw, the estimated jackpot, and the previous results. You can also use the automatic results check to see if you’ve won anything from previous draws.
By inputting your numbers, the software will check to see if they match anything from draws dating back up to 180 days. Overall, this combination of information and accessibility is what makes Virginia Online Lottery impressive. Because you can play games with ease, collect prizes without having to leave your home, and get all the important stats, there really isn’t any need to purchase tickets from a store.
Customer support at Virginia Lottery online
We spoke to three support agents during our Virginia Lottery review and all were helpful. If you prefer to access the operator’s customer service team in a different way, you can read through the FAQ, use the onsite email form, or give them a call at 804-692-7777.
Summary
Virginia Lottery Online is so much more than an online lotto site. Yes, it gives you the chance to buy lottery tickets for all the top draws in the US, but that’s just one of many things you can do. If you’re looking for results, jackpot information, or anything else to do with a draw, this site has it. From there, you can make quick picks, save your favorite numbers, and collect your winnings without leaving home.
Then, to fill the time between draws, Virgin Lottery Online gives you the chance to play instant games and scratchcards. The games are custom-made for VA Lottery, while the latter feature jackpots worth up to $10 million. All of these things are packaged in a slick, secure, and stable digital platform you can access via your desktop or mobile. So, if you’re aged 18+ and based in Virginia, there really is no better place to play the top US lotteries.