West Virginia Lottery

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The West Virginia Lottery is run by the government of West Virginia. It was established in 1984 via a voter referendum. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). The Lottery offers games such as Lotto America, Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch tickets. West Virginia has reinterpreted the amendment to its Constitution that permitted its lottery to include casinos, and thus the West Virginia Lottery Commission also regulates slot machines, which are marketed as "video lottery" and available at several hundred businesses; and five "lottery table games" casinos.

Jack Whittaker, arguably the most notable American lottery winner, won his then-record Powerball jackpot of about $315 million (annuity value) on a ticket bought in West Virginia for the December 25, 2002 drawing.^{[citation needed]}

The minimum age to buy West Virginia Lottery tickets is 18, while casinos and slot machine parlors require patrons to be at least 21. The lottery has the lowest payoff of any state lottery system in the country, returning on average a 15% share to winners.^[1]

In March 2018, West Virginia passed the WV Sports Lottery Wagering Act, which legalizes sports betting in the state, pending a decision from the Supreme Court allowing states to offer sports betting.^[2] The West Virginia Lottery Commission would regulate the new industry, and has stated that casinos could be ready to launch sports betting as early as 90 days after a Supreme Court decision.^[3]