High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Virginia State Lottery (Lottery) is run by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its residents voted for a government-run lottery in 1987. It is one of 43 lotteries which sells Mega Millions tickets, and one of 44 offering Powerball. In 2007, the Lottery funded Virginia`s K-12 public schools with $437 million, bringing its total (from 1989 to June 2010) to over $7.55 billion. The lottery spends $24 million yearly in advertising to promote its gambling activities. In recent years, it has outsourced its information technology to GTECH, a multinational firm that administers lotteries in many jurisdictions.