Lottery FAQs

How does the Virginia ABC lottery process work?
Virginia ABC offers customers the opportunity 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.

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. Eligibility is verified prior to the drawing process and at the final pickup of product by the customer providing an approved form of identification. Virginia ABC employees are not eligible to enter Virginia ABC product lotteries. When purchasing and picking up bottles at a Virginia ABC store, winning customers must present valid identification that matches the information submitted on their entry form.

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, a link 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.

What do I need to verify my identity?
Upon entry, participants must enter information exactly as it appears on their valid form of identification (ID) to validate identity and residency in Virginia. Approved forms of ID include a valid driver’s license or photo identification card issued by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles featuring the same name 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. Military dependents must meet Virginia residency requirements to participate.

The first name, last name, 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, address and last four digits of the photo ID (or benefits numbers for members of the military) on the winning entry. Please see Terms and Conditions for additional information.

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 does a multi-item lottery drawing work?
Each active lottery product requires submission of an individual entry form. The drawing of each individual lottery item will be conducted independently.

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.

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.

All lottery drawings and the lottery drawing process will be observed by a member of Virginia ABC’s Internal Audit Division.

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.

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.

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 two things has likely happened:

• Your email service provider sent our emails to your spam folder. Be sure to whitelist the email address [email protected] with your email service provider to ensure you receive winner and non-winner email notifications going forward.
• 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].

Why did I get disqualified?
Anyone who violates the Terms and Conditions may be disqualified from participation in current and future lotteries. Virginia ABC also reserves the right to disqualify any individual consumer suspected of engaging in any conduct intended to circumvent the Terms and Conditions or otherwise gain an unfair advantage over other entrants in current or future lotteries. Virginia ABC’s decisions relative to such matters shall be final and non-appealable.

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.

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.

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, that bottle will be retained in the store’s stockroom until their next authorized in-store limited availability event for sale on a first-come, first-served basis, or redistributed, as determined by Virginia ABC. Store holds will not be accepted for bottles sold in this manner. Bottles placed on the shelf for sale will be limited to one per customer, no exceptions.

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. Trying to sell spirits purchased from Virginia ABC to another party could result in a Class 1 misdemeanor charge.

What happens to unclaimed bottles?
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, that bottle will be retained in the store’s stockroom until their next authorized in-store limited availability event for sale on a first-come, first-served basis, or redistributed, as determined by Virginia ABC. Store holds will not be accepted for bottles sold in this manner. Bottles placed on the shelf for sale will be limited to one per customer, no exceptions. For winners who do not pick up their lottery bottle within the designated timeframe or who are deemed ineligible to pick up, a refund will be granted to the customer for their prepaid online order.

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