VA Lottery online players won nearly $1 billion in prizes during the past 12 months.
The Virginia Lottery recently released highlights of its online sales and wins in 2021.
During the calendar year of 2021, more than a quarter-million online players helped contribute to a win total that only narrowly missed the 10-digit mark.
And when it comes to the preferences of VA Lottery online players, they certainly have some favorite games.
Powerball a favorite among 2021 VA Lottery online players
Officials began offering VA Lottery online sales on July 1, 2020. Through the first six months that year, the program generated $264 million in online sales. The Virginia gambling enterprise quickly became one of the country’s most successful online-lotto rollouts.
The sales were also brisk in 2021. As a Virginia Lottery spokesperson told PlayVirginia, total online purchases in 2021 eclipsed $1.1 billion – $1,156,375,945 in sales in all. And, for the full calendar year, VA Lottery online players scored $975,581,469 in wins during the 12-month period. That means players kept about 84.4% of the money they wagered.
To post those staggering numbers, 255,300 online players earned 555,482,266 unique wins. Obviously, most of those wins were smaller, many less than a dollar.
But thanks to the Virginia Lottery’s most popular online game, some wins were bigger.
Much, much bigger.
Virginia Lottery online players dig Powerball
As we recently reported, the VA Lottery now has a massive lineup of games available to play online. In the past year, that included the addition of some classic lotto games, notably Pick 3 and Pick 4.
But when it comes to draw games, the king of online sales is Powerball, according to officials.
The multi-state mega-jackpot game added a third weekly drawing in 2021. It also benefited from a jackpot that grew throughout late-2021, beginning on Oct. 6, before two tickets were sold for the $632.6 million jackpot on Jan. 5 of this year.
The top Powerball jackpots of 2021 included:
- Jan. 20, 2021: $731.1 Million
- Oct. 4, 2021: $699.8 Million
- June 5, 2021: $285.6 Million
- March 27, 2021: $235.4 Million
Powerball also produced the biggest VA Lottery online winner of 2021. “Betty W.” of McLean won $2 million after purchasing her ticket online and winning the Powerball’s top secondary prize.
However, despite players’ penchant for Powerball, the country’s other top draw game has produced the most number of winners in Virginia. According to officials, Mega Millions, the twice-weekly multi-state draw game, was the game with the most individual wins among VA Lottery online players.
Online players embrace instant games
The past year was also a big one for instant games via the VA Lottery online.
The digital games look and operate much like traditional slot machines. However, they have their own gameplay and themes, and as players await true Virginia casinos, the “online scratchers” have whetted some appetites in Old Dominion.
According to officials, Virginia Cash Expander is the most popular instant game.
However, the biggest individual win came on another popular game: Cash Buster Multiplier. “Devonte J.” of Petersburg won $238,665 playing the game in 2021.
As for the “e-scratcher” with the most winners in 2021, that royal honor belongs to the Queen of Diamonds game.
Whether it’s the draw games or instant games, VA Lottery online also offers something retail lotto outlets don’t: deals. As we recently wrote, lotto officials often offer online players discounts and deals. It’s a great way to essentially purchase discounted tickets and get free games.
