VA Lottery Promotions You Don’t Want to Miss
The state of Virginia has offered various types of lottery games as far back as the Colonial Era. Profits generated from lottery ticket sales have helped better Virginia communities. Money from early lottery games helped to build many of the state’s oldest churches and schools.
There was a long period where most every type of gambling was prohibited in Virginia. The state finally launched an official lottery on September 20, 1988. Various Virginia Lottery games have produced over $12 billion in revenue for different state projects since.
In 2000, voters chose to funnel all Virginia’s lottery revenue into the state’s education fund. There are dozens of types of games available at the VA Lottery. Many are available online, and can be played using a mobile device or on a personal computer.
The VA Lottery has a number of special promotions, many targeted at VA Lottery account holders. There are regular promotions, plus special holiday-themed offers. Let’s look at VA Lottery promotions, and how you can take advantage of them.
Getting Started at the VA Lottery
To begin playing games at the VA Lottery online, you need to do two things. You’ll need to register for a free account and then make a minimum $10 deposit. You’ll need a username and password.
After supplying basic personal information such as your name, address and phone number, you’ll be asked for the last four digits of your social security number to authenticate your account. Once you complete your registration, you’ll make your first deposit of at least $10.
There are three ways to make a VA Lottery deposit, ACH bank transfer, PayPal, or a debit card. Your initial deposit needs to be at least $10. Now you’re ready to play VA Lottery games and take advantage of promotions. Let’s look at a few of these special VA Lottery promotions.
The VA Lottery MyGameRoom
The first step to taking advantage of VA Lottery promotions is to set up a VA Lottery MyGameRoom account. This process is simple. You’ll basically duplicate a few of the initial VA Lottery account registrations steps.
MyGameRoom is the central place for playing the VA Lottery online. This is the place to learn about new games and use features available on the VA Lottery app. You can play eXTRA Chance games, plus enter promotions.
A MyGameRoom VA Lottery account also has a place to save your favorite numbers for your favorite draw games. There is an option to receive email notices for new games, special offers and VA Lottery promotions. Let’s look at a few of these promotions.
Where to Find VA Lottery Promotions
It’s easy to see a list of all the current VA Lottery promotions, plus look at a few previous special promotions that will be posted again from time to time. Click on the “Games” dropdown menu on the homepage. Promotions are the third item on the dropdown menu list. Click on it to open the VA Lottery promotions.
VA Lottery Special Promotions
The VA Lottery posts some ongoing promotions, plus special seasonal offers. Here are a few exciting VA Lottery special promotions you should be on the lookout. Remember, you can take the guesswork out by opting in for email notices of every VA Lottery promotion.
- Win a Spin – Win a Spin is a promotional scratch-off game that gives you two chances to win. If any of the numbers on your scratch ticket match the winning numbers, you win the prize indicated. When you uncover a WHEEL symbol, you can go to the WinASpinReveal website to enter the code and get your free spin to win big cash.
- eXTRA Chance Scratchers – If your retail scratch-off ticket isn’t a winner, look for the eXTRA Chances log on the front. When the logo is on the ticket, you have a second chance to win. Non-winning scratch-off tickets with a logo can be mailed in for the second chance drawing, or you can play online by downloading the VA Lottery app.
- Deal Me In – The promotional game Deal Me In is a second chance way to win cash on non-winning VA Lottery Hold ‘Em Poker scratch tickets. You can play online to earn up to 15 entries in the second chance drawing per week.
- You Only Yacht Once – The next second chance promotion is another chance to turn a non-winning scratch-off ticket into big money. Each winner will get 24-hours on a captained yacht with seven of your best friends.
- Gas ‘N Go – The Gas ‘N Go promotion shows up periodically on the VA Lottery. It usually lasts about a month. After purchasing a Print ‘n Play Rolling Jackpot ticket, you’ll get an entry form to fill out online. One lucky winner wins $1,200 in free gas. Twenty-Five second place drawings will award another $100 in free gas to each winner.
- Thank a Teacher Art Contest – The Virginia Lottery sponsors a Thank a Teacher Art Contest every year. With their partners at the Supply Room and the Virginia Parent Teacher Association, the VA Lottery encourages students and parents to send their teachers thank-you notes.
As part of the Thank a Teacher initiative, the VA Lottery awards cash prizes to winning artwork submitted by K through 12 public school students. There are top prize winners chosen from the three Virginia school age levels, elementary, middle school and high school.
The artwork from the three winners will be featured on the thank-you notes to be sent out to teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week in May. The winning artwork will also be available on note cards that can be purchased from the Virginia Teachers Association.
Special Monthly VA Lottery Promotions
Look for these second chance promotions from the VA Lottery. All you need is to have an active VA Lottery account. Make sure to opt-in for notices, so you never miss one of these special chances to win money and prizes.
- Marvelous Money – Each Tuesday throughout the December holiday season, 25 lucky winners will be drawn. Each winner will get $1,000 from the VA Lottery.
- All About Appliances – Starting on Tuesday, January 4, five lucky VA Lottery account holders will be selected to win a brand-new appliance for their home.
- Gift Cards – Throughout February, the VA Lottery will pick 10 winners every Tuesday. Each winner will win a $500 BestBuy® gift card to spend however they wish.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there a charge to receive text message alerts for VA Lottery promotions?
- Can online VA Lottery ticket purchases be cancelled?
- What happens if you win an online promotion on the VA Lottery?
- How can you access prize winnings from a VA Lottery account?
- Is there an exclusion option for purchasing VA Lottery tickets online?
- What does it mean with an account withdrawal is pending?
- Do you have to pay taxes on VA Lottery second-chance and promotional winnings?
No, the VA Lottery does not charge for sending out notices for any special VA Lottery promotion. You can receive text alerts or emails. The only charges that you many incur for text messages will come from your provider.
No. Once instant game tickets are purchased, they cannot be redeemed. The same applies to VA Lottery draw games. Check your numbers and ticket purchases thoroughly before confirming a purchase. Once confirmed, the cost of tickets and games played online deduct from your wallet immediately.
Winnings, including online second chance drawings and special promotions, are credited to your wallet. Prizes up to $100 are credited immediately. Prize from $100 up to $600 take minimal processing time and usually post in minutes. Larger prizes trigger an email with instructions on how to claim your prize.
Prizes are posted to a VA Lottery Wallet. Withdrawals can be processed to a confirmed bank account using an ACH bank transfer. Winnings can also be withdrawn to a linked PayPal account. Withdrawals usually take between three and five business days.
Yes. Tickets can still be purchased in person, but exclusion for purchasing tickets online applies to all draw games, instant games, second-chance drawings and special promotions. Once an exclusion date is set, it cannot be changed or removed until the date listed.
When a withdrawal request is pending, it indicates the process is under review. This typically happens on first withdrawals or withdrawals to a new account. Most withdrawals will finalize within 48 hours. Questions about pending withdrawals can be answered on the live chat or by calling the Virginia Lottery.
Yes. The same tax structure applies to prizes and winnings in second-chance drawings and promotional games. The VA Lottery will automatically withhold 24 percent for federal and 4 percent for state taxes on all prize values over $5,000. Winners of prizes over $600 will receive a federal W2-G form.