Online lottery sales are legal in nearly half of US states.

In some states, lawmakers have passed legislation allowing players to buy lottery tickets online straight from the source. Players in those states can buy tickets to drawings, play scratch-offs online for real money, or both through the official state lottery website.

In others, third-party lottery courier apps have received the go-ahead to purchase tickets on behalf of players.

The one complicating factor is that the law varies from one state to the next, and it’s not always clear what’s legal in any particular state. Continue below for all the details regarding where it’s legal to play the lottery online, which operators are licensed in the USA, and how to get started safely.

Online Lottery Sites

TheLotterTicket Discounts Get Bonus

How To Buy Lottery Tickets Online

There are two ways to buy lottery tickets online in the United States.

First, players in states with legal online lotteries can visit their state lottery’s official website to buy tickets, or play instant win games.

Availability varies by state, but readers can see the map on this page for an overview of which lotteries offer which games online.

In addition, players can use legal online lottery courier services to order official tickets. The most popular lottery courier app is Jackpocket, which only operates in states with regulators’ approval.

Ticket couriers such as Jackpocket do not directly sell lottery tickets directly to consumers, instead, agents buy tickets from authorized retailers on behalf of customers.

It may sound like a minor difference, but it’s important from a legal standpoint. Players can install the Jackpocket app, make a deposit, select a game, and pick their numbers.

Note: Whether players buy online lottery tickets directly from the state or through a courier service, they must be physically located within that state’s border. Federal law prohibits lottery sales across state lines.

Legal online lottery websites use geolocation technology to ensure every customer attempting to pay for lottery tickets online is located within state lines.

Attempts to purchase lottery tickets online from out of state will be detected and automatically blocked.

How To Play Scratch-Offs Online

Players can buy instant win scratch tickets online through the official state lottery or via courier services in numerous states.

Lottery courier apps like Jackpocket and Jackpot.com purchase physical scratch tickets on behalf of customers, upload before/after images to players’ accounts, and allow users to digitally “scratch” their cards to see if they’ve won.

Customers who win up to $600 from scratch-offs purchased via lottery couriers are paid automatically and keep 100% of their winnings.

However, most states require players who win $600 or more to claim their prizes in person. If a customer wins a larger prize, their lottery courier will contact them to securely hand-deliver or mail the physical ticket so the winner can claim the prize directly from the state lottery.

Read more about how to buy scratch-offs online here:

US States With Online Lotteries

More than a dozen states allow online lottery ticket sales, subscriptions, or instant win scratch card-style games.

Additionally, third-party couriers like Jackpocket, TheLotter, and Jackpot.com facilitate lottery ticket purchases in even more states.

Lottery Placeholder
Lottery

The list of online lottery states grows by the year, and more states are likely to approve online lottery sales in the near future.

The following states have either authorized online lottery products (tickets, instant win games, and keno) or have approved third-party lottery courier services that players can use to order tickets online:

Online Lottery Courier Services

Third-party lottery courier services offer a hybrid form of online lottery sales by taking orders online and sending agents out to buy tickets in person from authorized retailers.

The legality of such services is unclear in some states, especially states where online lottery ticket sales are prohibited.

However, online lottery courier services are taking a smart approach by working directly with state regulators and only selling lottery tickets online to customers in states that have given their tacit approval.

Jackpocket Lottery App

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Jackpocket has received regulatory approval in more states than any other lottery courier in the USA.

Lottery players can place online ticket orders through the app, and Jackpocket agents purchase tickets in person at authorized retailers on behalf of the customer.

Tickets are then scanned, and an image of each ticket is uploaded into customer accounts.

Jackpocket automatically notifies winners of prizes.

Prizes under $600 are usually credited to customers’ accounts, while larger prizes are paid by either mailing the winning ticket or having the customer pick up the ticket in person at a Jackpocket office.

TheLotter

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TheLotter.com is an online lottery courier that purchases official lottery tickets for customers, notifies winners, and provides quick payouts.

Players can order tickets to Powerball, Mega Millions, and various state-level drawings through the TheLotter app and receive confirmation once orders have been fulfilled.

In addition, TheLotter provides lottery subscriptions, readymade syndicates, and pools with automatic prize splitting.

Each purchase from TheLotter includes a small delivery fee, but players always keep 100% of their winnings.

Jackpot.com

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Jackpot.com is an online lottery courier with a solid leadership team and funding from high-profile investors.

In addition, Jackpot.com systematically expands its reach by ensuring its offerings are legal in each state where it operates.

Players can download the Jackpot app or visit its website to buy scratchers and official tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions, and state-specific draw games.

After processing each order, Jackpot.com uploads a scan of each ticket to confirm proof of purchase and notifies users when they win.

Lotto.com

Lotto.com offers tickets to draw games like the other lottery couriers discussed on this page but offers scratch-offs in more states than its competitors.

The Lotto.com app provides photographic proof of every purchase, undergoes rigorous third-party audits to demonstrate its legitimacy, and delivers ticket orders quickly.

However, its weak points include higher-than-average fees and limited deposit methods.

Types Of Online Lottery Games

State LotteryDraw GamesInstant WinKenoScratchers
CT Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
DC Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
GA Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmarkyes checkmark
IL Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
KY Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmarkyes checkmark
MI Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmarkyes checkmark
NC Lotteryyes checkmark
ND Lotteryyes checkmark
NH Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
NY Lottery*
PA Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
RI Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
TN Lotteryyes checkmark
VA Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmarkyes checkmark
WV Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
States with Ticket Couriers
AZ Lotteryyes checkmark
AR Lotteryyes checkmark
CO Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
ID Lotteryyes checkmark
MA Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
ME Lotteryyes checkmark
MN Lotteryyes checkmark
MT Lotteryyes checkmark
NE Lotteryyes checkmark
NH Lotteryyes checkmark
NJ Lotteryyes checkmark
NY Lotteryyes checkmark
OH Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark
OR Lotteryyes checkmarkyes checkmark

*The New York Lottery offers subscriptions online but not individual tickets

Multi-State Lotteries

Instead of limiting ticket sales to a single state, multi-state lotteries sell tickets in multiple states, pooling prizes and creating bigger jackpots. Bigger jackpots lead to more ticket sales, which in turn lead to bigger jackpots

It’s a powerful cycle that works to generate enormous prizes that have reached over a billion dollars.

Powerball and Mega Millions are the two largest and most popular multi-state lotteries.

Multi-state lotteries are governed by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). 33 states participate in the MUSL and share their pools to increase ticket sales and jackpots.

Some of the lotteries within the MUSL are available in all 33 member states, while others are limited to a select few states.

For example, Mega Millions and Powerball is played in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.

The biggest multi-state lotteries include:

Online Lottery Subscriptions

A handful of states offer lottery subscriptions that players can use to purchase tickets automatically on a recurring basis.

States that offer online lottery subscriptions but not individual ticket sales:

  1. Maryland (subscriptions initiated online, but players must send orders and payments via mail)
  2. New York

Lottery subscriptions allow players to pick numbers ahead of time, and the lottery will automatically buy your tickets and check them for winning numbers.

For prizes under $600, most states will send you a check in the mail. For bigger prizes, the state will send you a form with instructions for claiming your prize.

Online lottery subscriptions in most states allow players to register, pay for subscriptions, check winning numbers, see past results, and renew subscriptions.

An online lottery subscription is almost as convenient as individual ticket sales over the internet. The only real difference is that online subscriptions require you to purchase entries into at least a few drawings at a time.

Are Online Lottery Ticket Sales Legal?

It is legal to buy lottery tickets online in a growing number of states.

However, lottery laws vary by state, so there are differences in which types of lottery games are available online in each state:

  • Some states only allow players to purchase tickets to draw games like Powerball (official website) and Mega Millions (official website).
  • Other states offer a full suite of lottery games online, including instant win scratch cards and keno.
  • Yet others authorize online ticket sales through third-party couriers like Jackpocket.

Players can see the map, tables, and state listings above for more information about which games are available in each state.

How The US Legalized Online Lotteries

Legal online lotteries in the US began when a few states began allowing players to purchase subscriptions online.

However, the Federal Wire Act remained a significant roadblock to the widespread adoption of online ticket sales. At the time, it was unclear if the Wire Act applied to online lotteries.

In 2011, lottery officials in New York and Illinois asked the Department of Justice to clarify its stance on the Wire Act. Specifically, they wanted to know if it would be legal to authorize online lottery ticket sales in their states.

The Department of Justice responded by revising its opinion on the Wire Act, stating that the Act only applies to sports betting. The revised opinion cleared the way for states to regulate online lotteries.

Numerous states have legalized online lottery ticket sales since then.

That trend will likely continue because most states grant the lottery significant authority to introduce new game formats. As a result, most state lotteries can take their games online without going through the legislative process that bogs down efforts to legalize other types of online gambling.

Do Online Lotteries Cannibalize Retail Ticket Sales?

Oft-cited concerns that online lotteries would cannibalize retail ticket sales have thus far failed to materialize.

In states that have legalized online lotteries, there are no signs that retail ticket sales have declined.

For example, traditional lottery sales in Pennsylvania have consistently grown every year since PA iLottery launched in 2018. In the year before the Pennsylvania online lottery launched, the state reported just over $4 billion in total game sales. The following year saw traditional game sales increase to $4.2 billion, and growth has continued every year since.

Online lottery opponents have valid concerns regarding problem gambling and the state’s constant search for new sources of revenue, but cannibalization isn’t among them.

The data makes a clear case for online lotteries having little to no impact on retail sales.

In fact, states have good reasons to consider making it legal for players to buy lottery tickets online:

  • Legislatures across the country continually face budget deficits.
  • To date, there are no signs of online lottery products cannibalizing retail lottery sales.
  • The spread of sports betting has normalized online gambling.

Online Lottery FAQ

Yes. Numerous state lotteries have either launched online ticket sales or authorized lottery courier services to buy tickets on behalf of customers.

Scroll up for a complete list of states where it’s legal to buy lotto tickets online.

The online lotteries in Georgia, Illinois, and North Dakota require customers to be state residents.

All other states with online lottery products allow all US residents to play as long as they are physically located within state lines.

Online lotteries use geolocation technology to verify the physical location of people who wish to buy tickets online.

Geolocation technology uses a combination of methods that not only ensure customers are within state lines, but also that customers are not using spoofing technology (such as VPNs) to mask their actual locations.

Note: Some customers may be required to install a browser add-on or download a mobile app to assist with geolocation. This is a fairly common requirement and the lottery will provide simple step-by-step instructions to get started.

Responsible gambling resources vary by state, but in general, online lotteries offer any combination of deposit limits, voluntary self-exclusion programs, and in-state problem gambling help services.

See BettingUSA’s responsible gambling page for a complete list of national and state-level problem gambling resources.

The answer to this question depends on how you look at it. Lottery drawings are meant to be a form of entertainment with extremely unlikely chances of life-changing prizes.

The odds of winning the lottery are so low that even a $1 ticket to a major drawing is a losing investment. When comparing the total number of tickets sold to the size of each jackpot, tickets are worth less than the price paid for them.

But again, that’s just looking at it from a purely mathematics point of view. There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing the lottery for fun.

Even talented mathematicians and statisticians sometimes buy lotto tickets for fun.

The most important thing is to keep it in moderation. Don’t be one of those people wasting every other paycheck on lottery tickets.