The West Virginia Lottery was established in 1984 after local voters passed a lottery amendment to the state constitution. The first instant scratch tickets were sold in January 1986, with Lotto 6/36 games introduced in November 1986, followed by Daily 3 and Daily 4 in February 1987. In 1988 West Virginia became a charter member of the Lotto America game, now known as Powerball, with a local player winning a $314.9m jackpot in 2002.

As well as the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions draws, and the Daily 3 and Daily 4 games, the Lottery also offers games such as Hot Lotto, Cash 25 and Keno, as well as a series of instant games.

The West Virginia Lottery has generated over $6.8bn dollars for state services since 1986, including $2.5bn on public education, $775.4m on caring for and providing services for senior citizens, and $759.8m on boosting tourism.