Virginia State Lottery
The Virginia State Lottery acts as a regulatory body for much of VA’s online gambling activities. Founded in 1987, the agency oversees all lottery contests as well as online sports betting.
Players can take part in Virginia-only games such as "Pick 3", "Pick 4," "Pick 5", "New Year's Millionaire Raffle," "Keno,” “Cash 5,” and “Bank a Million.” Multi-state lotteries such as Powerball, MegaMillions, and Cash4Life are also available.
Proceeds from the state’s lottery games have gone to fund capital construction projects, the Virginia general fund, and educational programs. In 2000, voters required all lottery profits to be directed to the General Assembly for education funding, though there aren’t specifications as to which educational programs receive these proceeds.
Gambling responsibly in Virginia
Gambling responsibly in Virginia takes constant reinforcement of positive behaviors, and there are several steps you can take to ensure you’re wagering in a safe and practical manner. The first step is to be aware of the signs and symptoms of problem gambling, which can include impulsive urges to gamble, increasing wager amounts to feel more of a thrill, stealing money to pay gambling debts, loss of control over finances, and more.
To gamble responsibly, we recommend setting limits to both the money and time you spend on a gambling site. This will prevent you from trying to recoup all losses back at once and will help prevent you from spending hours on end wagering money. Betting sites will allow you to establish these limits in the account settings on their platforms.
We also recommend at-risk players to self-exclude from gambling sites. You can contact the Voluntary Exclusion Program office at 804-692-7185 to set up your self-exclusion, with a term of two years, five years, or a lifetime exclusion. Note that this program will keep you from being able to participate in online and in-person sports betting, casino gaming, account-based lottery games, horse race betting (in all forms), and charitable gambling.
What taxes should gamblers pay in Virginia?
Gambling winnings are considered income under state and federal laws and are thus eligible to be taxed. Once your winnings reach a certain threshold, they will be taxed at a 24% rate at the federal level and between 2% and 5.75% in Virginia. Lottery prizes of more than $600 are also subject to taxation.
