The largest prize ever won in the history of the state lotto was a $239 million 2004 jackpot. It went to Winchester residents J.R. and Peggy Triplett.

Another resident would nail the Virginia Lottery winning numbers for a larger, $330 million jackpot in 2007. It was a 4-way split, though, with Buckingham-based Bernard and Tucker Adcock walking away with $82.5 million.

Before January 2010, VA lotto officials would pay local TV stations to carry the Virginia Lottery numbers. However, as a cost-saving measure, the istration decided to move the broadcasts online.

Since then, players can catch the results of Virginia Lottery drawings through the official website. Additionally, the VA lotto’s official Facebook page has a live stream of draws available. Numerous websites also keep players posted on the drawings and results.

Playing instant or draw games in VA is surprisingly easy. You can always visit your nearest retailer to buy your lotto tickets. However, there are additional ways to play in the state. Unlike most other state lotteries, you can play in VA entirely online.

There’s a fully functional Virginia Lottery app, and you can also participate in some games through the website.

Winning the $100,000 top prize in the Cash 5 drawing, means overcoming odds of 1 in 278,256. The top prize in Cash4Life ($1,000 a day for life) has odds of 1 in 21,846,048.

For the Powerball jackpot, odds to win are 1 in 292,201,338. With Mega Millions, odds are slightly longer, at 1 in 302,575,350.

Pick 3, Pick 4, and Cash 5 drawings occur twice a day, at 2 PM and 11 PM. Cash4Life draws daily, at 9 PM. Powerball drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 11 PM. Mega Millions drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays, also at 11 PM.

The VA lotto’s player loyalty club is called MyGameRoom. It packs many special promotions and features, connects with the app, and incorporates a Virginia Lottery ticket scanner. It also enables players to make use of the Virginia Lottery second chance program, eXtra Chances.

By entering old Virginia Lottery codes from scratchers into the platform, you can participate in new drawings. That means additional opportunities for your tickets to become winners.

Whether you scratched an instant winner or you hit a prize in a draw game, winning feels great. Before you let it get to your head, though, sign the back of your ticket. This protects your winnings, as tickets are “bearer instruments”, meaning, whoever has them may claim them.

To claim your winnings, head on over to your nearest Customer Service Center. You can find a list of Customer Service Center locations at the top of this page.