Why The West Virginia Online Lottery Just Expanded Its Library Of Games

The West Virginia Lottery expanded its online platform last week, adding in-state draw games Daily 3, Daily 4, and Cash 25 to its iLottery library.

With those new games now live for seven days and counting, West Virginia Lottery’s Catie Smith, the public relations and drawing manager, told Lottery Geeks the recent additions were motivated by both public requests and internal research.

“Expanding our online game selection is a move driven by both player interest and strategic business decisions,” Smith said. “Market research and industry trends indicate that broadening our digital offerings will create a more engaging experience for players while reinforcing the long-term success of our iLottery program.”

Players can now buy tickets online for Daily 3, Daily 4, Cash 25, Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lotto America, and they can also play any of 19 instant games online.

The only games West Virginians can’t play online are Keno Go and Cash Pop. There are also scratch-offs sold only at retail stores, but we’ll call instant games their online counterparts.

In-state draw games brought in $16.8M in FY24

When it comes to retail revenue in Fiscal Year 2024, Daily 3 ranked fourth among the nine lottery gaming options. Daily 4 ranked sixth, and Cash 25 ranked eighth, according to the West Virginia Lottery’s 2024 Progress Report.

Here’s a breakdown of the $258 million in FY24 traditional lottery sales:

• Scratch-offs: $164.6 million, 63.8% of sales
• Powerball: $42.6 million, 16.5% of sales
• Mega Millions: $22.3 million, 8.6% of sales
• Daily 3: $7.03 million, 2.7% of sales
• Lotto America: $5.3 million, 2% of sales
• Daily 4: $5.4 million, 1.8% of sales
• Keno Go: $4.4 million, 1.7% of sales
• Cash 25: $4.4 million, 1.7% of sales
• Cash Pop: $2.6 million, 1% of sales

So the new online additions to West Virginia’s lottery library totaled $16.83 million, or a little more than 6% of total sales.

“While it’s still early to provide precise figures, we expect that adding new games will positively impact online lottery revenue,” Smith said. “By diversifying our digital portfolio, we can attract new players while keeping existing participants engaged, fostering steady and sustainable growth for our platform.”

E-Instants started better than sportsbooks

West Virginia launched its online lottery platform on Oct. 31, 2024, via its partnership with NeoPollard Interactive. (NeoPollard also works with lotteries in Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.)

In their first full month of operations, online instant games garnered $866,000 in revenue, according to a financial statement from the West Virginia Lottery.

For comparison, November sports betting revenue was $768,000 in West Virginia — so online lottery instants topped sportsbooks in their first month. Meanwhile, iGaming revenue last November was $3.625 million.

“Since launching online ticket sales in October, we’ve seen strong engagement and positive player response,” Smith told Lottery Geeks. “Participation continues to grow, and awareness of the platform is increasing. We are committed to refining the player experience based on feedback while maintaining a secure and responsible gaming environment.”

More new games on the way?

In total, West Virginia’s online lottery library consists of 25 options — the three multi-state draw games (Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto America), three in-state draw games (Daily 3, Daily 4, Cash 25), and the 19 instant games.

According to its 2024 annual report, the West Virginia Lottery also has a “rolling out” plan to eventually add Cash Pop and Keno to its online platform.

Smith couldn’t provide specifics, but she confirmed they are “absolutely” looking to add more online games in the future.

“We are continually exploring new opportunities to enhance our game lineup,” she said. “Our decisions are based on player preferences, emerging industry trends, and regulatory considerations. While we don’t have specific game titles to announce at the moment, expanding our offerings remains a top priority.”

While states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and New Hampshire offer well over 100 games in their online lottery arsenals, West Virginia’s 25 games (and counting) put it more in the range of North Carolina (46 games) and Illinois (41 games), and well ahead of other recent launches:

• Connecticut, which launched its online lottery last June (and faced some early technical difficulties), has tickets available for eight draw games.
• Kansas just debuted its iLottery in February with 11 games — nine e-instants plus Powerball and Mega Millions.
• Tennessee quietly opened online sales exclusively on its iLottery app in February, but it’s just for Powerball tickets for now.