The Virginia State Lottery is run by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginians voted for a state-run lottery in 1987; sales began September 20, 1988. It is one of 12 lotteries that sell Mega Millions tickets. All Virginia Lottery proceeds benefit its K-12 public schools (more than $6.6 billion since 1999).

The lottery games include Pick 3, Pick 4 and Cash 5 twice daily, as well as numerous of Scratchers, and Mega Millions, the latter with drawings Tuesdays and Fridays. The Pick 3 game includes the "add-on" game Boost where a player gets five additional three-digit numbers, and can win $50 on an extra 50-cent wager, or $100 for an additional $1 bet.

In January 2008, Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine announced a change in the leadership of the lottery. On February 1, 2008, Paula Otto, a former spokesperson of the Lottery and an associate director of the School of Mass Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University, became the fourth executive director in the Lottery's 21-year history.

The minimum age to play is 18. Minors cannot play Virginia Lottery games and cannot cash winning tickets.

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