Winners & News

Today, the Virginia Lottery released its report on casino gaming activity for the month of March 2025.  There are three operating casinos in Virginia:  Hard Rock Bristol, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and Caesars Virginia.

 

During March, gaming revenues from Virginia casinos totaled $85.2 million.  Virginia law assesses a graduated tax on a casino’s AGR, or wagers minus winnings, and $15.3 million in taxes were paid to the Gaming Proceeds Fund.

 

Mar-25	Hard Rock Bristol		Rivers Casino Portsmouth		Caesars Virginia		Total
	Count	AGR	Count	AGR	Count	AGR	Adjusted Gaming Revenue
Slots	1444	$17,345,311.22	1423	$19,899,575.24	1479	$26,023,314.43	$63,268,200.89
Table Games	73	$3,981,804.25	84	$7,979,302.45	100	$9,962,293.75	$21,923,400.45
Total	1517	$21,327,115.47	1507	$27,878,877.69	1579	$35,985,608.18	$85,191,601.34

 

Of the state tax on casino AGR, the statute specifies distributions to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, the Family and Children’s Trust Fund, and the host city. For the Bristol casino, statute specifies the portion of taxes reserved for the host city go to the Regional Improvement Commission (RIC). The timing of the tax distributions varies, but the allocation of the monthly taxes from the casino activity is as follows:

 

	Hard Rock Bristol	Rivers Casino Portsmouth	Caesars Virginia	Monthly Total
Total Tax	$3,838,880.78	$5,018,197.98	$6,477,409.47	$15,334,488.23
Host City / RIC (6% of AGR)	$1,279,626.93	$1,672,732.66	$2,159,136.49	$5,111,496.08
Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund (0.8% of total tax)	$30,711.05	$40,145.58	$51,819.28	$122,675.91
Family and Children’s Trust Fund (0.2% of total tax)	$7,677.76	$10,036.40	$12,954.82	$30,668.98
Remaining available in the Gaming Proceeds Fund	$2,520,865.04	$3,295,283.34	$4,253,498.88	$10,069,647.26

 

 

About Virginia Lottery

The Virginia Lottery assumed regulatory oversight of casino gaming in the Commonwealth in 2020. Taxes generated by casino gaming will benefit priorities as determined by the General Assembly. Information about casinos, including regulations and approvals, can be viewed at www.valottery.com/aboutus/casinosandsportsbetting/casinos.

“I just hit the floor! My knees collapsed!”

That’s how Sharon Godsey described to Virginia Lottery officials the moment she realized she’d won $100,000 in the March 31 Powerball drawing.

This isn’t the first time the Concord woman has won $100,000 playing the Virginia Lottery. In 2013, she won the $100,000 top prize in the Sapphire Riches scratcher game.

Her latest win came when she bought a ticket at Carson Market, located at 10060 Village Highway in Concord. She ended up matching four of the first five numbers plus the Powerball number. Normally, that wins $50,000. However, she spent an extra dollar for Power Play® when she bought the ticket, which doubled the prize to $100,000.

The winning numbers were 12-41-44-52-64, and the Powerball number was 25. She selected the numbers on her ticket using a combination of some of her favorite numbers. 

Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25. For more information on Powerball, visit the game’s site.   

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Ms. Godsey lives in Campbell County, which received more than $8 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

Truck driver Patrick Golz was on his regular route driving through Virginia. He stopped for gas at the Love’s Travel Stop in Lambsburg, just off I-77. While he was there, he bought a pair of $1,000,000 Gold Rush tickets from the Virginia Lottery.

When he scratched the second ticket, he discovered he’d won the game’s $1 million top prize. 

“You never think you’re going to hit the big one!” he told Virginia Lottery officials.

This is the second top prize claimed in the $1,000,000 Gold Rush game, which means three more top prizes remain unclaimed. The game features prizes ranging from $75 to $1 million. The odds of winning the top prize in this game are 1 in 734,400. The odds of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 3.55.

Mr. Golz, who is from Wild Rose, Wisconsin, said he plans to invest his winnings. He had the choice of taking the full $1 million prize in annual payments over 30 years or a one-time cash option of $500,000 before taxes. He chose the annuity. In addition, Love’s receives a $10,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the winning ticket. 

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. The winning ticket was bought in Carroll County, which received more than $4.2 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

Waiting at the airport to board a flight can be pretty boring, but don’t tell that to Margaret Williams. 

The Chesterfield woman was sitting at the gate at Richmond International Airport waiting for her flight to Atlanta to start boarding, so she went online with her phone and started playing the Virginia Lottery’s The Lamp game. She ended up winning a $133,287 jackpot.

“I couldn’t scream because I was in an airport!” she later told Lottery officials.

The Lamp is one of dozens of online games available on the Virginia Lottery’s mobile app and at valottery.com. It features a progressive, growing jackpot. The odds per game of winning a prize are 1 in 3.55.

In addition to online instant games, players can purchase Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash4Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Cash 5 with EZ Match plays online. Players must be at least 18 years of age and physically located in Virginia. 

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Ms. Williams lives in Chesterfield County, which received more than $39.8 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

As Sadie Butler checked the winning numbers from the March 26 Powerball drawing, she suddenly thought to herself, “Those numbers look familiar!”

As she looked more closely, the Carrollton woman realized she’d matched a total of five of the winning numbers. 

“My heart just dropped!” she later told Virginia Lottery officials.

The winning numbers were 5-20-29-39-53, and the Powerball number was 6. Ms. Butler matched four of the first five numbers plus the Powerball number. Normally, that wins $50,000. However, she spent an extra dollar for Power Play® when she bought the ticket, which tripled the prize to $150,000.

She selected her numbers using a combination of favorite numbers. She said she has no immediate plans for her winnings except to pay bills.

Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25. For more information on Powerball, visit the game’s site.   

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Ms. Butler lives in Isle of Wight County, which received more than $3.7 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

When Kenneth Almond saw there had been one jackpot winner in the March 28 Cash 5 with EZ Match drawing, he was a bit disappointed. He assumed the winner was someone else.

But he was wrong. He was the person who matched all five numbers to win the $629,130 jackpot. 

“I was kind of in shock!” he later told Lottery officials.

The Madison Heights man bought his ticket online using the Virginia Lottery’s app. He used Easy Pick, allowing the numbers on his ticket to be selected for him at random. Those winning numbers were 4-8-16-30-33.

The Virginia Lottery gives players the opportunity to play popular games, such as Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash4Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Cash 5 with EZ Match, online. Players must be at least 18 years of age and physically located in Virginia. 

Cash 5 with EZ Match features a rolling jackpot starting at a minimum of $200,000. The odds of matching all five numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 1,221,759.

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Mr. Almond lives in Amherst County, which received more than $4.8 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

Denis Gonzales was on his way to work when he bought and scratched a Hamilton scratcher ticket from the Virginia Lottery. By the time he arrived at work, the Alexandria man was $500,000 richer.

When he scratched the ticket, he said he knew right away he’d won the game’s top prize.

“I was very happy and in disbelief, but I kept myself quiet,” he told Virginia Lottery officials as he redeemed his ticket.

Hamilton is one of dozens of scratcher games available from the Virginia Lottery. It features prizes ranging from $10 up to that $500,000 top prize. The odds of winning the top prize in the Hamilton game are 1 in 612,000. The odds of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 3.77.

The winning ticket was bought at the 7-Eleven at 3412 Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria. It’s the second top prize claimed in the Hamilton game, which means one more $500,000 winner is unclaimed.

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Mr. Gonzales lives in Alexandria, which received more than $5.2 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

Romeo Albino has been lucky playing the Lottery before. The Woodbridge man once won $10,000. However, nothing prepared him for winning a $178,234 jackpot playing the Virginia Lottery’s The Lamp online game.

It happened when he played the online game on his mobile device, just before going to work. 

The Lamp is one of dozens of online games available on the Virginia Lottery’s mobile app and at valottery.com. It features a progressive, growing jackpot. The odds per game of winning a prize are 1 in 3.55.

In addition to online instant games, players can purchase Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash4Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Cash 5 with EZ Match plays online. Players must be at least 18 years of age and physically located in Virginia. 

Mr. Albino said he has no immediate plans for his winnings except to take care of his family.

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Mr. Albino lives in Prince William County, which received more than $64.6 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

Imagine getting a choice of either $1,000 per week for the rest of your life or a one-time cash option of $1 million before taxes. 

That’s the choice Brian Brurok of Leesburg had after matching the first five winning numbers in the Virginia Lottery’s Cash4Life®  game. He chose the cash option.

It happened with a ticket for the March 23 drawing that he bought online using the Virginia Lottery’s mobile app. The winning numbers for that drawing were 2-8-22-40-54, and the Cash Ball number was 2.

He used Easy Pick and allowed the computer to randomly select the numbers on the ticket.

Mr. Brurok, who is a software engineer, said he intends to use the winnings to take care of his family.

Virginia Lottery gives players the ability to play Cash4Life® and many other drawing games online, along with dozens of instant games available only online.

Cash4Life® is played in ten states, including Virginia. It features a top prize of $1,000 per day for life and a second prize of $1,000 per week for life. Drawings are held nightly at 9 p.m. Each play costs $2. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 21.8 million.  

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Mr. Brurok lives in Loudoun County, which received more than $23.6 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

Curtis Whitehead isn’t much of a Lottery player, but his father is. So, when the Norfolk man was visiting his dad in Franklin, he decided to give it a shot and buy a Virginia Lottery ticket.

He stopped at Park N Shop, located at 700 South Street in Franklin, bought a Bingo Multiplier ticket, and scratched it. Since he didn’t know much about playing the Lottery, he wasn’t sure if he’d won anything, so he showed the ticket to his father.

“Son, that’s $100,000!” his father told him.

“Dad, stop playing!” Curtis replied.

But his father was right. The ticket was one of the game’s three top prize-winning tickets.

“I guess he’s my good-luck charm!” Curtis told Lottery officials as he redeemed his winning ticket.

Bingo Multiplier is one of dozens of scratcher games offered by the Virginia Lottery. It features prizes ranging from $5 up to that $100,000 top prize. This is the second top prize claimed in the game, which means one more is unclaimed. The chances of winning the top prize are 1 in 1,387,200. The chances of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 3.53.

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. The winning ticket was bought in Franklin City, which received more than $2 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

The Virginia Lottery today released its report on sports wagering activity submitted by licensed operators for the month of February 2025. 

Between February 1 and February 28, 2025, Virginians wagered $556,836,877 (“handle”), 2.2% higher than last February; February 2024 included one additional day of wagering activity due to leap year.  A complete list of all approved operators can be found here, under the “approvals” tab.  For February, fourteen mobile operators and three casinos were authorized to accept wagers in Virginia.

Virginia bettors won a total of $490,030,262 for a combined 12.00% operators win percentage (“hold”). 

State law places a 15% tax on sports betting activity based on each permit holder’s adjusted gross revenue (AGR), which is defined as total wagers minus total winnings and other authorized deductions.

 

Of the state tax on sports betting AGR, the statute specifies 97.5 percent is to be deposited in the state’s General Fund and 2.5 percent is to be deposited into the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund administered by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. 

Ten operators reported net positive AGR for February, leading to $9.3 million in tax payments for the month:

 

 

About Virginia Lottery
The Virginia Lottery is responsible for the regulation of sports wagering in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Monthly financial reports and other important information about legal sports wagering is posted at www.valottery.com/casinosandsportsbetting. 

David Revill saw a lot during his 26 years in the U. S. Army but nothing that prepared him for the shock of winning a $2,164,899 Virginia Lottery jackpot.

“I was kind of stunned at first,” he told Virginia Lottery officials. “I saw it and thought, ‘No, it can never….’”

The Gainesville man won it playing the Virginia Lottery’s Wheel of Bonuses online game.

Wheel of Bonuses features a progressive, growing jackpot and can be accessed at the Lottery’s website, valottery.com, or on the Lottery’s mobile app. The odds per game of winning any prize are 1 in 3.67. 

In addition to online instant games, players can purchase Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash4Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Cash 5 with EZ Match plays online. Players must be at least 18 years of age and physically located in Virginia. 

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Mr. Revill lives in Prince William County, which received more than $64.6 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

You might call Cecilia “Cece” Yourshaw a lucky person. She once hit a hole-in-one during a golf tournament. 

And now the Blacksburg woman has hit it big in the Virginia Lottery. She won $203,193 playing a Virginia Lottery game online.

“When I win, I win big!” she told Lottery officials.

Her latest win happened on a Friday evening as she was sitting at home playing the Lotto Virginia game on her device. 

“I was stunned!” she told Lottery officials. “Absolutely blown away!”

The Lotto Virginia online game features a progressive, growing jackpot and can be accessed at the Lottery’s website, valottery.com, or on the Lottery’s mobile app. The odds per game of winning any prize are 1 in 5.06. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 5,245,786.

In addition to online instant games, players can purchase Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash4Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Cash 5 with EZ Match plays online. Players must be at least 18 years of age and physically located in Virginia. 

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Ms. Yourshaw lives in Montgomery County, which received more than $6.1 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.

The Virginia Lottery is preparing to thank teachers in an artistic way, thanks to some talented young artists. A York County student was honored today as one of three winners of the eighth annual Virginia Lottery Thank a Teacher Art Contest. Allie Beatley, a ninth grader at Grafton High School, won in the contest’s high school category. 
 
After receiving nearly 600 entries, the Virginia Lottery selected three winners from the elementary, middle and high school levels to have their artwork featured on thank-you notes that will be distributed to thousands of teachers across the Commonwealth during National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5 – 9, 2025). Thank a Teacher is a statewide campaign organized by the Virginia Lottery in partnership with The Supply Room, IGT, and NeoPollard Interactive. Over the years, through this campaign, Virginians have sent more than 400,000 thank-you notes, and 16 deserving teachers have been awarded fabulous prizes from the Lottery and its partners. 
 
In a surprise presentation today, Allie was awarded a $200 gift card, and the school received a $2,000 credit from The Supply Room for its art department.  

Amazingly, this is the second time Allie has won a statewide award in the Thank a Teacher Art Contest. In 2023, she won in the middle school category when she was a seventh grader at Grafton Middle School. 
 
“The Lottery is proud to be in York today to recognize Allie’s creativity and talent,” said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Khalid Jones. “Her art will be used to thank thousands of public school teachers throughout Virginia this Teacher Appreciation Week. Teachers and students are at the core of the Lottery’s role to support K-12 public education, and the Art Contest is a unique opportunity to recognize them by giving back to the winning schools art departments, thanks to our partners at The Supply Room.”  
 
The Thank a Teacher Art Contest winners were selected by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, including representatives of Virginia’s arts community and contest partners. When judging, the panel only knows the school level and the grade of the student, not the student’s name or school. This year’s judges were: 
• Peggy Wood, executive secretary, Virginia Art Education Association  
• Gina Patterson, executive director, Virginia School Board Association 
• Wade Whitehead, 2011 Virginia Lottery Super Teacher (executive director, Teachers of Promise Institute, & Roanoke County teacher)  
 
York County received nearly $5.6 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. For more information and a complete list of Lottery funds to Virginia school districts, click here. 
 
To learn more about the complete list of Thank a Teacher Art Contest winners, visit the Winners & News section of the Virginia Lottery website to stay updated as the elementary, middle and high school winners are announced. 
 
All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.   

When Andrew Lubbers scratched his $326,000,000 Fortune ticket from the Virginia Lottery, he says he knew right away that he’d won the game’s top prize. 

The Palm Coast, Florida, man bought the winning ticket at the Food City at 603 Wood Avenue in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. 

Mr. Lubbers had the choice of taking the full $5 million prize in annual payments over 30 years or a one-time cash option of $3,125,000 before taxes. He chose the cash option.

In addition, the store receives a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

This is the third and final top prize won in the $326,000,000 Fortune game (game #2150), which means the game is now closed. It is the Virginia Lottery’s policy to end games after the final top prize is claimed.

The chances of winning the top prize in this game were 1 in 2,774,400. The chances of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 3.43.

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. The winning ticket was bought in Wise County, which received nearly $7.8 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget. 

For a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page. For general information or to play games online, visit the Virginia Lottery’s website or download the Lottery’s app. Connect with the Lottery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. 

With all gaming, please play responsibly.