BASTIAN, Va. — A late-night bout of insomnia turned into a six-figure windfall for Melanie Peery, who won a $171,381 jackpot playing the Virginia Lottery’s Virginia Bonus Wheel online instant game.
Peery was awake around 3:00 a.m. when she decided to play the progressive jackpot game on the Virginia Lottery’s website. The Bastian resident said she was stunned by the result and initially thought her eyes were deceiving her.
Virginia Bonus Wheel is among dozens of online instant games offered by the state lottery, available both on the web and through its mobile app. The game features varying odds of winning depending on the ticket price, ranging from 1 in 2.42 to 1 in 2.41.
Peery lives in Bland County, which received over $717,000 in Virginia Lottery funding for K-12 education in the last fiscal year. According to the lottery, its total contribution to education in Fiscal Year 2024 exceeded $934 million—approximately 10% of the state’s K-12 school budget.
Players must be at least 18 years old and physically located within Virginia to access online lottery games or purchase draw tickets such as Powerball, Mega Millions, or Cash 5 with EZ Match.
Virginia Lottery touts education funding impact
The Virginia Lottery highlighted that all proceeds support public K-12 education across the Commonwealth. The agency maintains a “Giving Back” portal for district-level funding breakdowns.
Peery stated she plans to invest her jackpot winnings. Her win adds to a growing list of recent online game successes reported by the lottery.
