West Virginia Lottery – WV Lottery
West Virginia State Lottery
The West Virginia State Lottery was created in April 1985 after a referendum the previous November saw 67% of West Virginian voters say an overwhelming “Yes” to the authorization of a State Lottery. The West Virginia Lottery is an agency of the West Virginia State government who oversee the running and organization of each one of the WV Lottery games.
Right from when the first West Virginia Lotto ticket was sold back on January 9th 1986 – the aim of the WV Lottery was to benefit the people in the State of West Virginia by raising proceeds via the State’s Things are not much different today with all monies raised from the sale of WV Lottery games going towards helping the areas of education, tourism and senior citizens throughout the State. The West Virginia State Lottery is based in Charleston, WV.
WV Lottery – Overview
The West Virginia Lottery sells lottery tickets from its network of nearly 1,800 authorized WV Lottery retailers throughout the state and has its Headquarters at 312 MacCorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV. In addition to its Headquarters in Charleston – the West Virginia State Lottery has 1 Regional Office in Weirton. The WV State Lottery also takes part in 2 of the biggest lottery games in the world – the huge multi-state USA Lottery games Mega Millions and Powerball – plus the slightly smaller but highly popular HOT LOTTO – all of which we will be looking into in much greater detail. We will be looking at the various West Virginia Lotto games below – how these games work and who can play them – as well as delving into some of the history of the West Virginia Lottery Commission in more detail.
WV Lottery – Games
There are numerous games that are offered by the West Virginia State Lottery including two of the largest world lotteries – the Mega Millions and Powerball plus the other big, multi-state USA Lottery – the HOT LOTTO. We will first of all take a look at these multi-state USA Lottery games – that the WV Lottery offers in conjunction with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and the Mega Millions Consortium – and later move on to the other WV Lottery games that are available. Currently the games offered by the West Virginia Lottery that it is possible for players anywhere in the world to buy lottery tickets online for are these two huge USA Lottery games – the Mega Millions and the Powerball – as well as the HOT LOTTO. Other games offered by the WV Lottery that you can play in-state are noted further down the page – if any of these West Virginia Lotto games become available to a wider audience at a later date – we will be writing about it here.
WV Powerball
Powerball is a Multi-State USA Lottery that is run & syndicated across the USA by the MUSL – Multi State Lottery Association – and is one of the largest lottery games in the world having produced a record jackpot of an incredible The very first Powerball draw took place on April 22nd 1992 with 16 USA Lottery companies – who were all members of the MUSL – taking part after the game changed its format and name from Lotto America which had originally started on February 13th 1988.
WV Powerball – Overview
The West Virginia Lottery is 1 of 44 US State Lotteries & District Lotteries that offer the Powerball game – in this case the WV Powerball – as part of its overall portfolio of lottery games. The WV Powerball was first sold on April 19th 1992 taking part in the very first Powerball draw – since the WV Lottery was one of the original 6 members who formed the MUSL back on September 16th 1987.
WV Powerball – How It Works
The West Virginia Powerball works in the same way as the Powerball game works in all the States and Districts in the US that offer the game. Jackpots start off at US$ 20 Million and ROLLOVER after each draw when the top prize is not won – making for some massive jackpot figures. 6 numbers are drawn in total for the Powerball West Virginia game from 2 separate drawing machines – first of all 5 numbers from 59 white balls are drawn followed by 1 number (the POWERball) from 39 red balls. Draws for the WV Lottery Powerball take place twice every week on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.59pm EST. In addition to the 6 main Powerball numbers drawn – a further number is drawn – using a Random Number Generator…the Powerball POWERPLAY number…
POWERPLAY…
This separate Powerball POWERPLAY number drawn will be either 2, 3, 4, 5 and occasionally number 10 – and is there to give players of the WV Powerball Lottery a chance to increase their winnings on all levels of the prize structure apart from the West Virginia Powerball jackpot itself. With Powerball POWER PLAY – you are able to multiply your winnings on these levels by 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x – greatly increasing the amount you can walk away with. During special promotions each year – the Powerball POWERPLAY multiplier will be 10x – allowing WV Lottery players to increase their Powerball winnings by an incredible 10 times!
So, for just an extra dollar – you can choose to increase your West Virginia Powerball Lottery winnings on all levels except the jackpot – by adding the Click Here to Play POWERBALL Now
WV Powerball Results
With the Powerball WV being drawn every week on both Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.59pm EST there are various ways you can check the Powerball winning numbers. You can find the latest WV Powerball results and other WV Lottery results at all West Virginia State Lottery retailers, from WV Lottery terminals, various newspapers and here online at Global Lottery Review where you can also check up on any previous WV Powerball results. The WV Lottery Powerball results, Powerball winning numbers and other West Virginia Lottery results are also broadcast live on the following television channels throughout the state of West Virginia…
WOAY-TV in Oak Hill
WV Powerball – Odds of Winning
There are 9 separate ways that you can win on this WV State Lottery game providing a great chance to win something on the WV Powerball. Odds range from 1 in 195.24 million for correctly matching all the West Virginia Powerball winning numbers right down to 1 in 61 for matching just 1 number correctly. Overall odds of winning any prize on the WV Powerball are just 1 in 35.
See the Powerball Odds and Prizes calculation table on the separate
WV Mega Millions
The Mega Millions is a Multi-State USA Lottery that is run and operated by the The very first Mega Millions draw took place on May 17th 2002 with 6 USA Lottery companies taking part who were all members of the Mega Millions Consortium. The game had changed its name and format from the Big Game which had started on August 31st 1996. Upon this change – 2 further State Lotteries joined and many more were to follow.
WV Mega Millions – Overview
The West Virginia State Lottery is 1 of 42 US State Lotteries & District Lotteries that offer the highly popular Mega Millions game – in this case known as the West Virginia Mega Millions – as part of its overall portfolio of lottery games. The West Virginia Mega Millions lottery was first sold on January 31st 2010 when the Multi State Lottery Association (MUSL) who run the Powerball game – of which the WV Lottery is a member – entered into a cross-selling agreement with the Mega Millions consortium – allowing the cross-sales of Mega Millions in Powerball states and Powerball in Mega Millions states.
WV Mega Millions – How It Works
The WV Mega Millions works in the same way as the Mega Millions game works in all the States and Districts in the USA that offer the game. Jackpots start off at US$ 12 Million and ROLLOVER after each draw when the top prize is not won – making for some enormous jackpot figures that can be won on the West Virginia Mega Millions lottery. 6 numbers are drawn in total for the WV Mega Millions – from 2 separate drawing machines – firstly 5 numbers from 56 white balls are drawn and then 1 number (the MEGAball) from 46 gold balls. Draws for the Mega Millions West Virginia take place twice every week on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11.00pm EST. In addition to the 6 main Mega Millions numbers drawn – a further number is drawn – using a Random Number Generator…the MEGAPLIER number…
MEGAPLIER…
This separate MEGAPLIER number drawn will be either 2, 3 or 4 – and is there to give players of the WV Mega Millions a chance to increase their winnings on all levels of the prize structure apart from the Mega Millions jackpot itself. With Mega Millions MEGAPLIER – you are able to multiply your winnings on these levels by 2x, 3x or 4x – greatly increasing the amount you can walk away with.
If you match the 5 main Mega Millions numbers playing with the MEGAPLIER add-on – and a MEGAPLIER number of 4 is drawn – the second tier prize of
So, for just an extra dollar – you can choose to increase your West Virginia Mega Millions winnings on all levels except the jackpot – by adding the Mega Millions MEGAPLIER option when playing. Click Here to Play MEGA MILLIONS Now 
WV Mega Millions Results
With the West Virginia Mega Millions being drawn every week on both Tuesdays and Fridays at 11.00pm EST there are numerous ways you can check the Mega Millions winning numbers. You can find the latest West Virginia Mega Millions results and any other WV Lottery results from any West Virginia State Lottery retailer, from WV Lottery terminals, select newspapers and here online at Global Lottery Review where you can also look up previous WV Mega Millions results. The WV Mega Millions winning numbers and other West Virginia Lottery results are also broadcast live on the following TV channels in the State of West Virginia…
WOAY-TV in Oak Hill
WV Mega Millions – Odds of Winning
There are 9 separate ways that you can win on this WV State Lottery game providing you with a great chance to win something on the West Virginia Odds range from 1 in 175.71 million for correctly matching all the WV Mega Millions winning numbers right down to 1 in 75 for matching just 1 number correctly. Overall odds of winning any prize on the WV Mega Millions are just 1 in 39. See the Mega Millions Odds and Prizes calculation table on the separate West Virginia Mega Millions lottery page for a complete list of odds and prizes.
Other WV Lottery Games…
In addition to the West Virginia Powerball, Mega Millions and HOT LOTTO games which can be played from anywhere in the world – the WV Lottery also offers various other lotto games which can be played within the State of West Virginia itself like – Cash 25, Daily 3, Daily 4 and Keno plus numerous WV Lottery Scratch-Offs. If any of these other West Virginia Lotto games become available to a wider audience outside of West Virginia at a later date we will write about it here.
WV Lottery – Who Can Play?
In the past – you would have had to buy your lottery ticket in the state of West Virginia itself to take part in any of the West Virginia State Lottery games – including the WV Powerball, WV Mega Millions and the West Virginia Hot Lotto. These days though – you are able to play the Mega Millions Online, the Powerball Online and the Hot Lotto Online from anywhere in the world due to the presence of accredited and fully authorized online lottery ticket sales companies like TheLotter.com – allowing you to play wherever you’re based. So if you live outside of West Virginia or the USA but wish to play the Powerball, Mega Millions or Hot Lotto this is simple to do using the best lottery ticket sales companies – where you can quickly and easily buy lottery tickets online – and save yourself a fair amount of time too allowing you to play no matter where you live. The West Virginia Lottery Commission requires that all players are a minimum of 18 years of age before purchasing any WV Lotto tickets including tickets for the WV Powerball and WV Mega Millions.
WV Lottery – How Are Prizes Paid?
If you have won a WV Powerball, a WV Mega Millions or a West Virginia If you choose the annuity option – your winnings will be paid to you annually over the following periods of time…
For WV HOT LOTTO jackpots – over 25 years For all WV Lottery prizes you will have 180 days from either the date of the draw or the game end date – to make your claim before your West Virginia Lotto ticket will expire. If your West Virginia Lottery win is up to US$ 600 – you will be able to claim your winnings at any West Virginia Lottery retailer. If your WV Lotto win is US$ 601 or more – you will need to claim your prize from the West Virginia Lottery regional office in Weirton, the WV Lottery Headquarters in Charleston or by mail. These details are all taken care for you if you play lottery online with one of the trusted and genuine online lottery ticket sale companies such as TheLotter as it is their job to make your transaction a seamless process – collecting your winnings and sending them directly to you.
West Virginia Lottery Timeline – History 1984 On November 6th – the electorate of West Virginia vote 67% in favour of the formation of a West Virginia State Lottery. 1985 April sees legislation create the West Virginia Lottery Commission to oversee the running and organization of West Virginia Lottery games. 1986 The very first WV Lottery tickets are put on sale on January 9th – these are for instant, Scratch games. It is determined from the outset that West Virginia Lottery proceeds will go to the General Fund of West Virginia. The WV Lottery introduce a weekly WHEEL SPIN TV Show that offered a jackpot prize. The first online game is introduced by the WV Lottery in November. The weekly LOTTO 6/30 with a jackpot prize of US$ 250,000. 1987 Two more online games are introduced by the WV Lottery in February. Every night from Monday through Saturday the DAILY 3 and DAILY 4 are drawn. The DAILY 3 offers prizes from US$ 40 to US$ 500 and players pick 3 numbers from 0 to 9 and the DAILY 4 offers higher prizes from US$ 100 to US$ 5,000 with players choosing 4 numbers from 0 to 9. The WV Lottery change the matrix of the LOTTO 6/30 to 6/36 in July. July sees the West Virginia Lottery introduce an add-on game to their in-house LOTTO 6/36. EASY 8’s is now included on LOTTO tickets and players can win anything from free lottery tickets up to US$ 88,888 in addition to the LOTTO prizes. On September 16th – the Multi State Lottery Association – MUSL – is formed by six USA Lottery companies. As well as the West Virginia Lottery – other founder members are the DC Lottery, Iowa Lottery, Kansas Lottery, 1988 February sees the WV Lottery retire both its in-state LOTTO 6/36 game and the EASY 8’s add-on game. On February 3rd – the newly formed Multi State Lottery Association – MUSL – launch their first multi-state US Lottery game. LOTTO AMERICA has a matrix of 7/40, costs US$ 1 per game and offers jackpot odds of 1 in 18,643,560. The first LOTTO AMERICA draw is conducted by the MUSL on February 13th. West Virginia Lottery players take part from the outset. The WHEEL SPIN TV show is discontinued by the WV Lottery. Numerous Instant games are introduced by the WV Lottery that offer prize payouts of up to 60%. 1989 It is determined that WV Lottery proceeds shall now go towards the areas of benefiting education, senior citizens and tourism. The Multi State Lottery Association change the matrix of LOTTO AMERICA on February 5th to 6/54. WV Lottery players now get 2 games for US$ 1. February 8th sees the first draw of LOTTO AMERICA with the new game configuration. 1990 February sees the WV Lottery introduce a new game – CASH 25 – an online game with a 6/25 matrix and prizes from US$ 1 to US$ 25,000. Draws for the CASH 25 are held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights. 1992 On April 18th – the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) conduct the last draw of the LOTTO AMERICA game. The following day sees the launch of a bigger and better game from the MUSL – POWERBALL – which replaces LOTTO AMERICA. The WV Lottery begins selling POWERBALL tickets on April 19th. The first WV POWERBALL draw takes place on April 22nd. POWERBALL has a double matrix of 5/45 + 1/45, costs US$ 1 per play and offers jackpot odds of 1 in 54,979,155. The West Virginia State Lottery bring out TRAVEL KENO in December. Players pick from 1 to 10 spots and the WV Lottery computer selects 20 numbers from 1 to 80 using a random number generator. 1994 In September the West Virginia State Lottery introduce 1,200 slot-machine type VIDEO LOTTERY terminals at 3 racetracks following legislation allowing it to do so. 1996 A new game is introduced by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) on September 16th – DAILY MILLIONS. West Virginia Lottery players can win a top prize of US$ 1 Million by picking 2 numbers from each of three sets of 21. 1997 September sees the WV Lottery introduce VIDEO LOTTERY terminals at the Charles Town Racetrack following approval by voters in Jefferson County. The POWERBALL game is given some changes by the Multi-State Lottery Association – MUSL. November 2nd sees the matrix change to 5/49 + 1/42 and players are given the option to take jackpot winnings in the form of a cash lump sum. The annuity option is also changed from 20 to 25 years. 1998 On March 29th – the MUSL retire the DAILY MILLIONS game. March 30th sees the launch of a new game by the MUSL – CASH4LIFE – where WV Lottery players can win US$ 1,000 a week for life. 1999 June sees legislation allow the WV Lottery introduce mechanical reel, coin drop machines in addition to the Poker, Blackjack and Keno games they already offer at their VIDEO LOTTERY terminals. 2000 June 30th sees the West Virginia State Lottery’s contribution to the State’s General Fund near the US$ 777 Million mark since the first tickets were sold back in 1986. On September 7th – the Multi-State Lottery Association retires the CASH4LIFE game. A new game – ROLLDOWN – is introduced by the Multi-State Lottery Association on September 8th with draws on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. WV Lottery players take part right from the first draw on September 9th. 2001 On March 4th the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) add a significant feature to the POWERBALL game – POWERPLAY – a multiplier whereby players can increase their non-jackpot winnings by up to 5 times. March 7th sees the first POWERBALL drawing including the new POWERPLAY multiplier feature. This year also sees the authorization of 9,000 new VIDEO LOTTERY terminals – VLTs – which the WV Lottery introduce. 2002 On April 6th – the Multi-State Lottery Association discontinue the ROLLDOWN game. The following day – the MUSL introduce a brand new multi-state game the April 10th sees the first drawing of the new HOT LOTTO game which uses a double matrix of 5/39 + 1/19. June 8th sees Robert Cogar win a huge West Virginia POWERBALL jackpot of US$ 30.6 Million. Having bought his lottery ticket in Cottrell’s County Store in Morgantown – Robert holds the honour of winning the fourth largest POWERBALL jackpot in WV Lottery history to date. The Multi-State Lottery Association – MUSL – changes the matrix of the POWERBALL game on October 9th. The new configuration is 5/53 + 1/42 and another feature added to the game is the Match 5 BONUS. Just 6 months after Robert Cogar’s WV POWERBALL jackpot win – the WV Lottery produce another record POWERBALL jackpot winner when Jack Whittaker scoops an amazing US$ 314.9 Million on December 25th having purchased his ticket at C&L Super Serve in Hurricane. This still stands as the biggest WV POWERBALL win of all time. 2003 Another West Virginia POWERBALL jackpot is won on March 25th when Hobert Parnell from Virginia buys a POWERBALL ticket from the at Blue Flash Food Mart #5 in Bluefield and wins US$ 62.4 Million. This currently ranks as the 2004 In excess of 70% of WV Lottery turnover is made up of VIDEO LOTTERY sales by the end of the year. 2005 June 29th sees yet another POWERBALL jackpot win in West Virginia. 15 colleagues from FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency – in Berryville, Virginia by a POWERBALL ticket in Charlestown and scoop the top prize of US$ 10 Million. This is the 6th jackpot to be won on the POWERBALL in West Virginia. The POWERBALL matrix is given another change by the Multi-State Lottery Association on August 28th – this time to 5/55 + 1/42. 2006 A world record POWERBALL jackpot of an incredible US$ 365 Million is won by a group of Nebraska factory workers following the drawing on February 18th. This still stands as the largest lottery jackpot won in the world to date on a single lottery ticket. The Multi State Lottery Association introduce a new game – CASHOLA – on July 23rd which is sold by the WV Lottery, Delaware Lottery and the 2008 West Virginia Lottery players see a important addition to the HOT LOTTO game on January 3rd – when the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) add the “SIZZLER” option whereby players can multiply their non-jackpot winnings when purchasing their HOT LOTTO tickets. A huge POWERBALL jackpot of US$ 276 Million is won on March 15th by 8 colleagues from the Mongolian Tax Office who had purchased their ticket from Paula’s in Westover. This still stands as the second largest jackpot won so far on the WV POWERBALL. The winners choose to take the cash option of US$ 139.4 Million. 2009 January 4th sees some significant changes to the POWERBALL game – the intention being to create larger jackpot prizes and produce even more winners. WV Lottery players will now see jackpots starting off at a vastly increased On October 9th an agreement is made between the Mega Millions Consortium and the MUSL – Multi-State Lottery Association – to allow the cross-sales of MEGA MILLIONS tickets within states that offer the POWERBALL game and the sale of POWERBALL tickets within states that offer the MEGA MILLIONS game. The WV Lottery will begin selling MEGA MILLIONS tickets come January. 2010 On January 31st the WV Lottery sells its first lottery tickets for the national May 13th sees the first WV Lottery MEGA MILLIONS win of US$ 10,000 when Wanda Arney from Ripley strikes lucky. A second WV MEGA MILLIONS US$ 10,000 winner is produced on May 20th – Jonathan Nester – again from Ripley. August 21st sees W. Randy Smith from Martinsburg win a WV POWERBALL jackpot of US$ 79 Million. The lucky winner chooses the cash option of more than US$ 44 Million.
WV Lottery – Where the Money Goes…
Net proceeds realized by the WV Lottery go back to the State and benefit the citizens of West Virginia in a number of different ways.
In the beginning – WV Lottery profits were passed over to the General Fund of West Virginia to be used in whatever way the government saw fit – to help those living in the State.
From 1989 – all profits raised have gone into the State Lottery Fund from where they go towards a variety of different programs that aid education, senior citizens and tourism.
Areas of education to benefit from WV Lottery funding include elementary, secondary and higher education as well as PROMISE scholarships.
West Virginia State Lottery profits also help fund Medicaid, the costs of in-home health care and senior support services – a great help to the elderly living in West Virginia.
Tourism in West Virginia benefits from WV Lottery money going towards the support of the State’s toll-free tourist information number plus the grants for co-operative tourism advertising. Click Here to Play the WV POWERBALL Now Click Here to Check the latest WV POWERBALL Results Click Here to Read More about the WV POWERBALL Game Click Here to Play the WV MEGA MILLIONS Now Click Here to Check the latest WV MEGA MILLIONS Results Click Here to Read More about the WV MEGA MILLIONS Game Click Here to Play the West Virginia HOT LOTTO Now Click Here to Check the latest West Virginia HOT LOTTO Results Click Here to Read More about the HOT LOTTO Game
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