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The Powerball Lottery is one of the most popular in the United States and in fact, all around the world. It began in 1988 as “Lotto America” which was changed to Powerball in 1992. Powerball boasts the biggest jackpot in US lottery history: $1,600 million on the 13th of January 2016. The minimum Powerball jackpot is $40 million. Some states like Georgia and Illinois will allow you to buy lottery tickets online. You can do that by opening an account and then purchasing the tickets. However, if you don’t want to go down that route, you can always find websites that offer lotto tickets. But some sites will have some fees that you’ll need to pay.
State lotteries operate in 45 US states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Lotteries represent one of the oldest forms of legal gambling in the US, with origins dating back to the 1700s. Legal online lottery is not as widely available but is growing in the US.
Lotteries in participating US states generally direct revenue toward state programs, organizations, and charities. In Illinois, for example, 25% of all revenue is applied to in-state schools, charities like the Special Olympics, and causes like Homelessness Prevention.
Illinois became the first US state to legally offer online purchases of lottery tickets almost a decade ago. Through state-regulated platforms and the Jackpocket lottery courier app, online lottery purchases are available in 15 states.
Which States Have Legal Online Lottery?
State/Territory | Year Launched | Powerball | Mega Millions |
---|---|---|---|
Illinois | 2012 | Yes | Yes |
Georgia | 2012 | Yes | Yes |
North Carolina | 2013 | Yes | Yes |
Michigan | 2014 | Yes | Yes |
New York** | 2015 | No | Yes |
Kentucky | 2016 | Yes | Yes |
Pennsylvania | 2018 | Yes | Yes |
Minnesota* | 2018 | Yes | Yes |
New Hampshire | 2018 | Yes | Yes |
North Dakota | 2019 | Yes | Yes |
Texas* | 2019 | Yes | Yes |
New Jersey* | 2019 | Yes | Yes |
Colorado* | 2020 | Yes | Yes |
Washington DC* | 2020 | Yes | Yes |
Oregon* | 2020 | Yes | Yes |
Arkansas* | 2020 | Yes | Yes |
Virginia | 2020 | Yes | Yes |
*online lottery purchases only available on the Jackpocket mobile app
**subscription service only allows purchases for Mega Millions, Cash4Life
The History Of Online Lottery In The US
The origins of the lottery in the US go back to the early 1700s, even before the US became an independent nation. According to US historians, newspaper ads from the colonial era indicate the existence of hundreds of lotteries throughout the 18th century.
Puerto Rico became the first US territory in the 20th century to introduce a lottery, doing so in 1934. New Hampshire followed in 1964 as the first US state to offer lottery.
As of 2021, 45 states, along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, operate lotteries in the US. Each of these states and territories offer instant win and drawing games unique to each jurisdiction.
All of these territories, apart from Puerto Rico, also participate in MegaMillions and Powerball, the two biggest national lotteries in the US. These multi-state games can see grand prizes go over the $1 billion mark.
Wire Act Opinion And Online Lottery
In 2011, the US Department of Justice issued an opinion on the federal Wire Act that paved the way for individual states to offer online lottery sales. The 1961 Wire Act outlawed electronic transactions related to gambling, but the 2011 opinion ruled that the language in the Wire Act only applied to sports betting.
Illinois became the first US state to offer online lottery sales, with the Illinois Lottery implementing the program in March 2012. As of 2021, seven US offer legal online lotteries.
These states offer online purchases to in-state instant win, drawing, and other games, as well as the national lotteries such as MegaMillions and PowerBall. Online lottery is one of the most common forms of online gambling in the US.
What Bonuses Do Online Lotteries Offer To Players?
Deposit Match Bonuses
Deposit match bonuses allow players to earn bonus money matching a percentage of a player deposit. This kind of bonus is one of the most commonly offered promotions across legal online gambling sites.
The Pennsylvania iLottery, for example, offers a 50% match bonus for first-time depositors, up to $50. With this offer, new players can earn up to $50 in bonus money.
For instance, to earn the full $50 bonus, a new player would have to deposit at least $100. This bonus comes with a 5x playthrough requirement, meaning five times the original deposit must be wagered to earn the full bonus.
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Deposit match bonuses don’t always just apply to new players making their first deposit at an online lottery site. The Pennsylvania iLottery also offers the same 50% match bonus, up to $50, for a second deposit made on the platform.
This second deposit match bonus offer carries the same 5x playthrough stipulation, which must be fulfilled within 45 days of the deposit.
How To Purchase Lottery Tickets Online
State Lottery iOS And Android Apps
Most legal online lottery platforms offer mobile apps for both iOS and Android devices.
Android apps must be downloaded directly from a state lottery website. This is because the Google Play store doesn’t allow for downloads of real-money gambling apps. For iOS users, these apps can be found in the App Store.
Jackpocket App
The Jackpocket mobile app legally offers online lottery purchases in several states that don’t have a dedicated online lottery platform.
Jackpocket can be downloaded for both Android and iOS devices. Android users can find the download link at the Jackpocket website.
Desktop
Online lottery tickets can also be purchased directly from a state lottery website, using virtually any desktop browser.
Purchasing Tickets And Redeeming Prizes
Purchases for in-state instant win and drawing games, as well as Powerball and MegaMillions, are just a click away on legal online lottery apps.
Winning tickets are automatically redeemed, with the cash prizes from those tickets available for withdrawal through several methods.
Use our random Lottery Numbers Generator to choose your lottery tickets and to purchase tickets online.
Depositing And Withdrawing
ACH/eCheck, PayPal, debit cards, credit cards, and PayNearMe are some of the methods offered for depositing at legal online lottery sites.
ACH/eCheck and PayPal can be used for withdrawals as well.
How To Play Mega Millions Online
All states offering online lottery through state-regulated platforms and the Jackpocket mobile app allow for ticket purchases to MegaMillions.
MegaMillions and Powerball are the two biggest multi-state lotteries operating in the US. MegaMillions offers purchases in 45 states, Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.
The MegaMillions drawing game happens twice every week, and carries a grand prize that can sometimes reach over $1 billion. The biggest MegaMillions jackpot ever saw $1.537 billion paid out to the winner.
Winning MegaMillions tickets purchased through state online platforms are automatically redeemed after the drawing, with the winnings paid to the player’s account balance. Those funds can then be withdrawn via ACH/eCheck, PayPal, and various other methods.
The Jackpocket app automatically redeems and pays out winnings of $600 or less. For bigger prizes, Jackpot arranges for the secure delivery of the winning ticket.
How To Play Powerball Online
Much like MegaMillions, Powerball tickets can be found on the menu in all states offering legal online lottery purchases. Powerball is offered in 45 US states, Washington DC, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Powerball operates as one of two major national lotteries in the US. Like MegaMillions, Powerball drawings are conducted twice weekly, with massive potential payouts on the line.
The biggest lottery jackpot in US history saw $1.586 billion paid out to a Powerball winner in 2016.
Powerball tickets purchased online are automatically redeemed in the case of a win.
The Jackpocket app automatically redeems wins of $600 or less. Wins of more than $600 result in Jackpot securely delivering the winning ticket to the winner.
What Are Instant Win Lottery Games?
Instant win lottery games represent some of the oldest forms of legal gambling in the US. Even the lotteries from the 18th century uncovered by US historians featured forms of instant win games.
The most familiar instant win lottery format comes in the form of scratch-off tickets. Physical instant win scratch-off tickets feature various payouts, and the frequency and amount of these payouts depend on the game.
Online versions of instant-win games work the same way. Many of the instant win games found at retail lottery outlets are also available on official state lottery platforms.
Pennsylvania Instant Win Games
The PA iLottery platform offers more than 50 different instant win games. Plenty of opportunities for big instant payouts await.
The Pennsylvania Keystone Cash instant win game, for example, features a maximum grand prize of $300,000.
Michigan Instant Win Games
The Michigan Lottery offers nearly 100 different instant win games for online purchase. Games like Instant Keno Multiplier and Bullseye Keno carry grand prizes of $500,000.
Is It Safe To Buy Lottery Tickets Online?
State-regulated online lottery platforms offer the chance to purchase online lottery tickets legitimately and legally. Secure purchases for in-state instant win and drawing games, as well as multi-state games like Mega Millions and Powerball, are available at official state lottery online platforms.
Purchasing lottery tickets on these platforms assures the same level of safety as purchasing official state lottery tickets from an approved retail outlet. Players who purchase lottery tickets on state-regulated online lottery platforms can count on prompt and secure payouts on winning tickets.
Is It Safe To Buy Lottery Tickets On Jackpocket?
Jackpocket functions as a third-party online courier for lottery tickets. The Jackpocket app offers purchases for in-state drawing games, as well as national lotteries like Powerball and MegaMillions.
The Jackpocket app operates in eight states. In each of those states is approved and licensed for operation by state lawmakers.
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As an officially licensed partner of state and national lotteries, the Jackpocket offers secure purchase and payouts for in-state and national lottery games.
Legal Versus Illegal Online Lottery Sites
Aside from the eight states in which Jackpocket legally operates, the only legal way to purchase lottery tickets online is through official state lottery platforms.
Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, North Carolina, and New Hampshire are currently the only states in which an official state-regulated online lottery platform operates. Any other outlet offering online lottery ticket sales is doing so illegally.
Online lottery purchases for in-state games must be done within state borders at the time of purchase. Any platform offering tickets to out-of-state lottery games (aside from approved national lotteries) is illegal.
Playing on any kind of illegal online gambling site presents a risky proposition. Player funds are not secured by official gaming regulatory bodies, and depositing at an illegal gambling site doesn’t guarantee that the money can later be withdrawn.
Online Lottery FAQ
Is it legal to purchase lottery tickets online in the US?
Yes. Seven states offer official, legal online lottery platforms. These states include Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.
States with official, state-regulated online lottery outlets offer purchase of tickets for in-state drawing and instant win games, as well as multi-state lotteries like MegaMillions and Powerball.
Jackpocket, a legal mobile lottery courier, also offers online lottery purchases in Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, and Washington DC.
Who regulates the sales of lottery tickets in the US?
Individual states operate and regulate the lottery in their respective jurisdictions. A total of 45 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands operate individual lotteries.
Multi-state lotteries like Mega Millions and Powerball are regulated as joint efforts among participating states.
How old do I have to be to purchase online lottery tickets in the US?
The minimum age for purchasing lottery tickets, both retail and online, is 18.
Legal online lottery platforms require proof of identity, age, and location to purchase tickets.
Lottery ticket courier services operate as legal, licensed partners to state and national lotteries. Platforms like the Jackpocket app essentially purchase lottery tickets on the player’s behalf.
Jackpocket functions much like the official online lottery platforms offered in some states. Players can deposit funds, purchase tickets, and withdraw winning directly from the Jackpocket app.
Winnings of up to $600 are automatically applied to a player’s balance on Jackpocket. Winnings of more than $600 will result in Jackpocket arranging for secure delivery of the physical winning ticket to the player.
Jackpocket operates legally in Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, and Washington DC. Online lottery purchases made through Jackpocket in these states are as secure as purchasing at an official retail or online state lottery outlet.
What states offer the best Instant Win online lottery games in the US?
The biggest prizes available in online lottery instant win games can reach into the six-figure territory or higher.
A pair of online instant win games offered by the Michigan Lottery carry $500,000 grand prizes. These games include Instant Keno Multiplier and Bullseye Keno, both of which function as instant-win drawing games.
The PA iLottery offers the Pennsylvania Keystone Cash instant win game, with a grand prize of $300,000.
Yes. Non-US residents can purchase lottery tickets and win prizes in US-bases lotteries. Players must be 18 or over and have purchased a winning ticket inside the US to be eligible to win.
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Purchasing a US-based lottery ticket without being located inside US borders is illegal.
Can US citizens buy lottery tickets for other countries?
Federal law dictates that US citizens cannot legally participate in lotteries outside the US through the mail, internet, or phone.
The only way to legally purchase an international lottery ticket is by visiting a foreign country and making an in-person purchase. Winnings on international lottery ticket purchases are subject to taxation in both the issuing country and the US.
Reviewing the best online lottery scratchoff sites that are legally licensed to accept USA players.
Since the dawn of mankind, people have found ways to gamble. History shows us that even in ancient civilizations like Egypt and China and Rome, people gambled on a wide variety of games. While our games in 2016 might look a lot better, be more plentiful, and a lot more easily accessible thanks to the Internet, the fact is that we're no different culturally than our ancestors who loved to play games of chance. There's a thrill provided when you're risking money for a shot at winning a lot more money. Gambling deals directly with our base instincts as human beings to have more. We want those millions of dollars. We want to win while gambling.
Legal Betting Online recognizes that gambling is a widespread genre, not only dealing with sports or online casino games. This is why we try to touch on a little bit of everything, even scratch off lottery tickets. Earning billions of dollars in revenue every year, scratch-offs are huge in the United States, and most states allow them. Some only cost a buck and might pay out a few thousand dollars, while some tickets cost $20 or more and can turn you into an instant millionaire. But can you buy online scratchoff lottery tickets legally in the US? Our guide answers all the questions you have and even the ones that you wouldn't think to ask.
What Are Scratch Off Tickets?
In all the gambling topics we have ever covered, scratch off lottery tickets are perhaps the easiest to explain. In essence, these are pieces of paper that have winning or losing number combinations on them. The numbers are covered up by a sort of thick film that must be scratched off. This covering keeps the tickets a mystery, and so people who buy a scratcher don't know if they've won or lost until after they've scratched off the covering, typically using a coin or their fingernail. With online scratch off tickets, the same principle applies. Only you will use your computer's mouse, or finger on a touchscreen, to scratch away the covering.
These tickets are produced typically by states, or at least sanctioned by the state, and they are available in dozens of varieties. You can find tickets for $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, and some tickets might even cost you $50 to try your luck! Your odds of winning depend on the ticket you buy. It should tell you what your chances of winning are; e.g. '1 in 4 tickets win; 1 in 6 tickets win, 1 in 2 tickets win.' This usually also depends on the amount. For instance, if you're paying $20 for a ticket, you'll probably find that 1 in 4 win, whereas a $1 ticket might have odds like 1 in 10 winning. Winning amounts also depend entirely on the ticket itself. Some pay out a few hundred or few thousand dollars, while some have very large jackpots that can reach a million or more.
Is Playing Online Scratch Off Tickets Legal In The US?
Two very quick, very simple points to make here. Point #1: It is perfectly legal, no matter where you live in the US, to play a scratch off lottery ticket and to be eligible to win. No states, nor the federal government, have laws which stop you from purchasing a scratch off ticket where you can find one legally offered. So, yes, they're legal for you to play as a US citizen. Point #2: Not every state offers legal tickets. This doesn't mean they're illegal for you to play if you live in that state; it just means your state doesn't offer them.
To point 2, there are six states in the USA that do not allow legal lotteries like scratch off tickets: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah. One can understand the morality police in Utah not offering scratchers, but what's with Mississippi and Nevada? These states have hundreds of legal on-location casinos. And that's the crux. These states want you supplying revenue to their brick-and-mortar establishments. They don't want you putting money into a lotto machine. Though if you're in Mississippi and go buy you some scratch offs from Louisiana, you're operating perfectly within the law, per point 1.
Best Lottery Website To Play Online Scratchoff Lottery Tickets In The US
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FAQ's About Playing Online Scratchoff Tickets
Which Tickets Are Good Options? - Some people believe there are ways by which you can spot a winning ticket before buying it. They believe that winning tickets have thicker ink lines between the perforations. They believe that if you hit a winning ticket on a reel, you must wait until 4 or 5 more tickets go off the reel before getting a winner. They believe they have a system. However, when these tickets are made in the factories, they're completely random. You might purchase a roll of 20 and not hit a single ticket, and the person behind you might buy a roll of 5 and hit on every one. It's all random. If you're looking for a good ticket options, what you're looking for are odds vs. payouts.
For instance, let's say a $1 ticket gives you a 1 in 8 shot of winning, with an average prize of $5. So, this would be hard to profit on. You buy 8 tickets, only win $5, you're out $3. You'd have to be very lucky to hit something like $20 or $50 to come out on top in the long run. A $10 ticket, on the other hand, might give you a 1 in 3 shot at winning, with the average prize being $20. Still not ideal odds in your favor, but a heck of a lot better. Now, a $20 ticket may give you a 1 in 2 shot of winning, with the average prize being $50. These odds are more in your favor. However, these odds are created to entice you to play for more money, so be careful shoveling sawbucks into the machine. Just because the odds are 1 in 2 doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win 50% of the time. And just because the average win is $50 doesn't mean anything in the aggregate. You can win $5, with every 10 $5 winners getting $500, and it's still an average of $50, though meaningless to the 9 who hit $5. You can lose 10 in a row, and since the odds are calculated over millions of tickets made, it's just your bad luck. Your best ticket option will be something that gives you decent odds of hitting a winning ticket without having to spend too much money. This will typically be in the $5-$10 range, but there are simply no guarantees.
Can I Play Scratch Off Tickets Online? -Technology has been consistently improving in the realm of online games, and today's gaming sites do provide a range of options for playing scratch off tickets. Now, that's not to say that every online casino will provide this option. It's still much more of a niche game. Because scratch off tickets are so widespread throughout the nation, with only a handful of states not offering them, the online market for such a game/activity isn't very large. It's not like, say, poker, where only a few states offer this on location. Most people can find scratch off tickets everywhere, and so the demand has never forced the Internet to create a big supply. However, many sites do offer these tickets.
An online scratch off ticket is essentially the same as one you'll purchase at a store. It's digital, of course, but how the game operates is still the same. You will receive a card that has number combinations under a covering. You will remove the covering to reveal the numbers, and then see if you won any sort of prize. Purchasing your tickets online, you should be able to find tickets with different odds, different dollar amounts, and different prize amounts.
Are Scratch Off Tickets Fair? - Now for the million-dollar question, possibly literally: Are scratch off lottery tickets fair? Many reports exist out there about tickets not having enough winners per tickets purchased, and some states like Illinois are actually so dysfunctional that they are not paying lottery winners. By and large, however, most tickets are fair. Most ticket lines do provide winners per their estimated win scale, and most will pay you if you win and the bar code scanned says your ticket is a winner.
Online tickets may operate by different standards. To know if these are fair, it really depends on the website on which you're playing these tickets. For instance, if the casino where you find scratch off tickets isn't reputable and isn't received well, then you shouldn't expect that the tickets are going to be fair. They are probably more tilted in the house's favor so that they can collect more money. Contrarily, an online establishment with a solid reputation for fair play is going to provide you with fair lottery tickets. So it boils down to location and reputation. For a reputable site, it really doesn't make any sense to cheat players. They already make hundreds of millions of dollars per year, and by default lottery games are a guaranteed winner for the house anyways.
How Do I Collect Winnings? - If playing online, everything is instant. Meaning you can instantly scratch off the tickets, and you will instantly get paid when you win. For example if you win $100, your available balance would increase by $100.
Understanding Bonus Terms - It's very important that you understand the terms and conditions of any promotion you take advantage of. For example Betonline offers players an incredible 200% bonus up to $5000. In order to be able to cashout any winnings, you must rollover your deposit + bonus a certain amount of times. This essentially stops any abuse from players who are looking to take advantage of a casino, without genuinely risking their own money.
Your Guide To Playing Scratch Off Lottery Tickets
Pick Your Ticket - Picking your ticket isn't always going to be as simple as putting the money in and selecting which ticket you want. Technically speaking, that's all there is to the process of buying a ticket, but what's more important here is that you purchase a ticket whose odds are more in your favor. You're never going to have quite even-money odds, or the odds in your favor explicitly, but, for instance, a ticket that's 1 in 4 is better than 1 in 8, so choose tickets based on your likelihood of winning. If this means spending $5 instead of $1, it will pay off more in the long run.
Scratch it Off - Okay, this step seems axiomatic, and there's really no reason for us to say anything about it, right? Well, we want to urge some caution here when scratching. If you damage the numbers or the bar code by handling a real ticket too roughly, you may end up having difficulties when cashing it in. So scratch off gently, just hard enough to remove the covering.
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Look Carefully at the Rules - Look very, very carefully at the rules. Some tickets don't want you scratching off more than one column or section, and scratching off the entire ticket will render it void. Some tickets have complex rules, like you have to add up all numbers in a row to beat the dealer's (house/card) number, and so you might win while actually thinking you've lost if, for instance, you overlook a number. Again, this is another one that seems axiomatic, but it's always best to exercise caution and to read the fine print so that you understand how the ticket is played.
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Legal Betting Online knows just how insanely popular scratch off tickets are, and we know that a lot of our base, even if they primarily play poker or blackjack, also love to play the scratchers. We hope this guide has given you some important information about the genre. Don't forget to check out our casino reviews to find the most reputable sites to buy your tickets!
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If you are looking for the regular lottery tickets such as Powerball and Megamillions instead of scratchoffs, check out our Legal US online lottery guide that contains everything you need about where to buy these tickets.