In July, the Virginia Lottery embarked on a novel endeavor by significantly expanding its online offerings. Thus far, the trial appears to be yielding favorable results.
In just 23 days since the launch of its online platform, Virginia players managed to secure over $20 million in lottery winnings.
Yes, Virginia, you can play the lottery online
In Virginia, online purchases for Powerball and Mega Millions subscriptions (with a minimum of four games) were only available until July 1.
The selection of online options has significantly expanded, now encompassing:
- Single tickets for Powerball and Mega Millions.
- Cash4Life
- Instant-win games
- Electronic scratcher games
According to WAVY, over 4.3 million victories have been achieved online in slightly over three weeks in Portsmouth.
A total of nearly 30,000 distinct players have received prizes, among them a lucky individual from Arlington who won $25,000 online on July 12 while playing Blackjack Doubler.
Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kevin Hall previously speculated that the expansion of online offerings would lead to an increase in the customer base. Hall expressed a similar optimism when discussing the rapid success of the online games.
Hall expressed his enthusiasm about customers’ positive reception towards the convenience and dependability provided by this innovative method of playing.
The options available to online lottery players in Virginia are set to expand even more in the coming year. The Virginia Lottery intends to introduce the well-liked Pick 3, Pick 4, and Cash 5 games to its online platform.
Culpeper man wins $5 million
Frankie Bowles, a resident of Culpeper, had a pleasant surprise while playing the 50X The Money game at a retail location in Virginia.
According to The Culpeper Star-Exponent, Bowles bought a $20 ticket from a 7-Eleven store located on Main Street in Culpeper. After returning to his car, Bowles eagerly scratched the ticket and discovered that he had won the grand prize of $5 million.
The amount exceeded 50 times the ticket price by a significant margin. In fact, it was closer to 250,000 times the amount Bowles spent. As per the Virginia Lottery, the chances of winning the $5 million prize are 1 in 1,795,200.
Bowles was presented with two options: receiving the full $5 million in annual payments over a span of 30 years or opting for a single cash payment of slightly over $3 million before taxes. He ultimately decided to go with the latter cash alternative.
As of now, Bowles has not decided on any specific use for his winnings other than clearing some outstanding bills.
Related Articles
