West Virginia Lottery

The West Virginia Lottery has been a long-standing member of the MUSL (Multi-State Lottery Association) and has offered many lottery options since joining the association in 1988. West Virginia was one of the first members—along with Missouri, Iowa, Oregon, and Rhode Island—of the MUSL.

The WV Lottery offers three major jackpot games as well as featuring some smaller games for those of us looking for some better odds. The three jackpot games include the usual Powerball and Mega Millions while also featuring the 16-state jackpot game Hot Lotto. The three smaller games include Cash 25, Daily 3, and Daily 4.

West Virginia also features slot machines—also known as video lottery—that can be found throughout businesses in the state. Keno has become a popular game in the state as well, with drawings taking place throughout the day.

West Virginia is yet another state that uses the proceeds of its state lottery to benefit the public education system within the state. Proceeds from the lottery have exceeded a staggering $7.4 billion since 1986.

Powerball, Mega Millions and Hot Lotto are Big Whigs in West Virginia Lottery

The West Virginia Lottery began selling Powerball tickets when it started in 1992. The largest Powerball jackpot ever paid out was a $590 million ticket won by a woman in Florida.

Jack Whittaker, the owner of a construction company with a net worth of over $17 million, was the first and only West Virginia Powerball winner to date. He took home a $314 million Powerball prize, which, at the time, was the largest jackpot in Powerball history.

The Powerball is played by picking five numbers between 1-59 and then by choosing a Powerball number between 1-35. Each ticket costs $2, and drawings take place on Wednesday and Saturday around 11 PM eastern time.

The West Virginia Mega Millions began in 2010, making it one of the newest members of the second-biggest jackpot in the US. Players choose five numbers between 1-75 and then a Mega Ball number between 1-15. Tickets are $1 per ticket, and drawings take place on Wednesday and Saturday. Odds of winning the coveted jackpot come out to a substantial 1 in 258,890,850.

While the WV Mega Millions has not had a jackpot winner in their history to this point, John Miles became the first and only West Virginia resident to win the second place $1 million prize for matching the first five numbers for the drawing. The odds of winning the second-place prize are a bit more manageable for millionaire seeks, coming in at 1 in 18,492,204.

West Virginia is one of 16 states that offer the Hot Lotto jackpot game. The game is played by choosing five numbers between 1-47 and then selecting a Hot Ball number between 1-19. Tickets cost $1 per ticket, and drawings for the WV Hot Lotto also take place on Wednesday and Saturday. Jackpots for the Hot Lotto start at $1 million and continuously grow until a winner is announced.

WV Lottery Features Three Smaller Games for the Everyday Player

Cash 25 is a game exclusive to West Virginia, where players choose six numbers between 1 and 25. Each ticket costs $1, and drawings take place Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The jackpot for the game is $25,000, which is won by matching all six numbers. The Cash 25 also features a second-place prize of $250 for matching five of the six numbers and a third-place prize of $10 for matching four out of six of the winning numbers. Players who match half of the numbers correctly receive their money back.

West Virginia’s Daily 3 and Daily 4 games are similar to the Cash 3 and Cash 4 games that you find throughout multiple state lotteries in the US. For the Daily 3, players choose three numbers between 0-9. For the Daily 4, players choose four numbers between 0-9. There are two wager amounts for the game: $.50 or $1. Drawings for the Daily 3 and 4, as would be expected, take place daily.