Lottery FAQs

How does the Virginia ABC lottery process work?
Virginia ABC offers customers the opportunity to win the right to purchase a bottle of selected limited availability products through periodic random drawings, known as lotteries. Lottery entries can be submitted online using a form available from Virginia ABC’s website. The entry form is available online for a period of at least three days unless otherwise noted. There is no advantage to entering the lottery as soon as it opens. Everyone who enters during the entry period has an equal chance of being selected. Odds depend on the number of entries received and the number of bottles available. At the close of the lottery period, Virginia ABC uses a random drawing process to select the winning entries for each product code offered in the lottery. Winning bottles must be purchased online during the designated purchase window. Identity verification requirements apply to lottery products at the time of pickup.

Who can participate in a lottery?
Lottery drawings for selected limited availability products will be open to customers who are 21 years of age or older and are residents of Virginia or active-duty members of the military assigned to a permanent duty station in Virginia. Virginia ABC employees are not eligible to enter Virginia ABC product lotteries. 

How do I participate?
Individual customers may enter a lottery for selected limited availability products through a lottery form made available on Virginia ABC’s website during the announced entry period. Ahead of the entry period, lotteries are announced on the website and through various digital and social media channels. When a lottery is open, links will be available on the lottery page, providing access to entries for any and all open lotteries. There is no advantage to entering the lottery as soon as it opens. Everyone who enters during the entry period has an equal chance of being selected. Odds depend on the number of entries received and the number of bottles available.

Why is Virginia ABC asking if I want my information disclosed to third parties?
Information about Virginia ABC’s disclosure and privacy policy is available at this link: https://www.abc.virginia.gov/web-policy.

How does Virginia ABC determine which products are offered via lottery?
Virginia ABC makes decisions about the distribution method employed for products on a case-by-case basis. Factors that will be considered in this decision include prior sales history of the product, demand for the product and the number of bottles the manufacturer or supplier provided to Virginia ABC. Products that are extremely rare and in higher demand are often distributed via lottery.

How will the drawings be conducted?
Each lottery is open for a minimum of three days unless otherwise noted. There is no advantage to entering the lottery as soon as it opens. Everyone who enters during the three-day period has an equal chance of being selected. Odds depend on the number of entries received and the number of bottles available. The drawing of each individual lottery item will be conducted independently. 

Virginia ABC reviews entries prior to the drawing process to confirm the eligibility of the entrant and the entry. Virginia ABC also reviews all winning entries following their selection to verify the eligibility of the entrant and the entry. Virginia ABC reserves the right to make determinations as to ineligible or disqualified entries at any time and Virginia ABC’s decisions relative to such matters shall be final and non-appealable.

I am having issues accessing or completing the lottery entry form.
Try accessing the entry form from an alternative web browser such as EDGE. 

Can I make changes to my entry information once it’s been submitted?
No, information entered cannot be changed or edited once an entry has been submitted. 

I have not yet entered the lottery, but I’m getting a message that says, “You have already entered.” How do I submit my entry form? 
Please clear your browser cache or navigate to the lottery event page using a different browser.

Why did my entry get disqualified?
Virginia ABC reserves the right to make determinations as to ineligible or disqualified entries at any time, and Virginia ABC’s decisions relative to such matters shall be final and non-appealable.

Lottery entries can be disqualified due to one or more of the following:

• The entrant was identified as a non-Virginia resident. 
• The entry was identified as a duplicate entry from the same individual customer. 
• An individual consumer submitted, or is suspected of submitting, multiple entries for the same product code drawing. 
• An individual consumer misused, or is suspected of misusing, entry fields to gain advantage in a drawing.

What notifications will be sent out from Virginia ABC?
Virginia ABC sends three sets of email communications to lottery entrants: A notification that the entry was submitted, a notification stating whether the entry was accepted or disqualified to participate in the drawing, and a winner or non-winner notification for all entries accepted to participate. Participants are responsible for checking their email inbox, including spam, junk and promotional folders, for lottery notifications.

How do I know if I'm selected?
Entrants selected during the random drawing process will be notified via email with the opportunity to purchase their bottle(s).

How will I know if I don't get selected?
Entrants not selected during the lottery will receive a non-winner notification email.

Why haven't I been notified whether or not my entry won?
If you have not received a winner or non-winner notification by the date indicated after each lottery, one of the following may have taken place:

• If you did not receive an email confirming your entry, your entry may not have been received. This includes misspelled email addresses. 
• Your entry contained duplicate information with another entry. If this was the case, your entry would have been removed during our de-duplication process; therefore, it would not have been entered into any lotteries and you would not have received any winner or non-winner notifications.

If you still have not received an email after completing the above, please reach out to [email protected]. 

I am a winner, how do I purchase my bottle?
Winners will receive an email notification with a link to purchase the product online. The link includes a redeemable “token” that is valid for one purchase only and will expire after 10 days after the email has been sent by Virginia ABC. Notifications are sent by the date listed next to each product on the Lottery web page. Refer to your winner notification for the purchase token expiration date. Winners must purchase the Lottery bottle through the “token” provided before the expiration date.

I am a winner but my token has expired. How can I complete my purchase?
Once the purchase token has expired, the opportunity to purchase is no longer available. Participants are responsible for checking their email inbox, including spam, junk and promotional folders, for lottery notifications.

I have purchased a lottery product. How do I receive it?
Once payment is confirmed, winners will be notified via email that their bottle(s) will be shipped to the store the customer selected. Once the selected store has received the bottle, store staff will attempt to contact the customer via the phone number and/or email address provided on the entry form. Identity verification requirements apply to lottery products at the time of pickup.

What do I need to verify my identity?
At pickup, the consumer must provide an approved form of identification. The order may be cancelled if their ID does not exactly match the information presented at the time of lottery entry, and a refund will be provided. 

• Approved forms of identification (ID) include a valid driver’s license or photo identification card issued by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles featuring the same first and last name, suffix (if applicable), address, and last four digits of the ID as the submitted winning entry. 
• Active-duty members of the military with residency in Virginia must submit the following information to prove eligibility in Virginia: the last four digits of armed forces benefits number. If selected to purchase, members of the military must provide their armed forces identification card bearing the last four digits used to enter the lottery and orders to verify residency in Virginia. 
• The first name, last name, suffix, address, and last four digits of the photo ID (or benefits number for members of the military) and valid Virginia address shown on the photo ID (or orders for members of the military) presented at the time of product pickup must exactly match the first and last name,  suffix, address and last four digits of the photo ID (or benefits number for members of the military) on the winning entry.
• Identification will be requested and verified by store staff upon pickup of a bottle the customer has been selected to purchase.
• An alternative pickup person(s) is not permissible. Members of the military whose orders may change during the duration of the lottery process must present their orders to Virginia ABC for allowance of an alternative pick up person.

How long do I have to pick up my lottery product?
Customers have 14 days from the time they were notified of the product’s arrival to the store. If a bottle remains unclaimed at the store after a period of 14 days from the time the winner was notified of the product’s arrival to the store, Virginia ABC reserves the right to cancel the order and refund the customer for the purchase amount. Unclaimed bottles will be retained in the store’s stockroom until an authorized in-store limited availability event for sale on a first-come, first-served basis, or redistributed, as determined by Virginia ABC in its sole discretion. Store holds will not be accepted for bottles sold in this manner. All products from cancelled orders will be sold under the rules for limited availability product drops.

If I win the opportunity to purchase a lottery product but don’t want it, can I sell my bottle to someone else?
No. The sale of alcoholic beverages without a license is strictly prohibited under Virginia law regardless of price.  Anyone suspected of violating applicable Virginia laws governing alcoholic beverages will be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. 

Can I purchase lottery products through ABC’s special-order process?
No. Lottery products are only available via the lottery process and are not available for order through the Virginia ABC special order process.

How can I stay informed about future lottery product offerings?
There are several ways by which Virginia ABC will notify customers of upcoming lottery product offerings:

• Spirited Virginia e-newsletter
• Spirited Virginia Facebook
• Spirited Virginia Instagram

Revised March 7, 2024