NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The numbers are in and the big winner of the Virginia State Lottery is… students and teachers across the Hampton Roads region.
According to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in the 2025 fiscal year, the Virginia Lottery generated more than $901 million for K-12 public education.
“This $901 million contribution from Virginia Lottery profits is a powerful testament to our steadfast commitment to investing in the future of every student,” Youngkin said. “Every dollar generated through the Lottery directly supports the teachers, schools, and programs shaping the next generation of Virginians, reinforcing our promise to provide a world-class education. This vital source of funding represents nearly 10 percent of our K-12 education budget to ensure that classrooms across Virginia have the resources they need to foster learning, innovation, and opportunity.”
This is the second-highest total since the Commonwealth voted to create a state-operated lottery in 1987. FY24 saw a historic $934 million in proceeds for public schools.
A release states that during FY25, the lottery garnered over $5.52 billion in sales with $4.24 billion won in prizes, a 2% increase from last year.
In FY25, 78% of the total sales went to prizes, opposed to just 76% in FY 2024.
School districts in the Hampton Roads area in line to see north of $235 million due to the lottery, the release states.
How much each district will receive can be seen below:
- Virginia Beach – $40.7 million
- Newport News – $38 million
- Norfolk – $34.5 million
- Chesapeake – $31.9 million
- Hampton – $24.7 million
- Portsmouth – $22 million
- Suffolk – $12.2 million
- Accomack County – $7 million
- York County – $6.4 million
- James City County – $5.4 million
- Isles of Wright – $4.1 million
- Gloucester County – $3.5 million
- Southampton County – $3.1 million
- Franklin City – $2.2 million
- Northampton – $1.8 million
- Poquoson City – $1.1 million
You can see a list of school districts and how much they are receiving here.
The lottery has been used to raise money for education since 1999, and in that timespan, over $17 billion has been distributed to Virginia public schools.
