The online lottery system in the United States has evolved in tandem with technological advancements. Every state has its own laws that determine what kinds of video games its residents are allowed to play and which ones they are prohibited from doing so. As a result of this, it may be challenging to keep track of what games you may play and in which locations. Please continue reading for our rundown of the several online lotteries that are now being offered in the United States.
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ONLINE LOTTERY USA
The history of the lottery and gambling in the United States has been more up and down than you can shake a stick at. In the United States, lotteries have been around for centuries, and there is evidence that smaller, more localized games were played as early as the Colonial era. In 1934, Puerto Rico became the first territory to formally organize a territorial-wide lottery. In 1964, New Hampshire became the first official state to provide a lottery to its residents.
There are now 44 states and three territories (Washington, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands) that all operate their own lotteries. At the time that this writing was written, the states of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah were the only ones that did not have a lottery.
Even though there is no national lottery in the United States, citizens can play state-run lotteries like as Mega Millions and Powerball virtually everywhere in the country. Because of this, people in the United States consider them to be the “national” lottery games, despite the fact that the federal government does not oversee them.
Only seven of those 48 jurisdictions have online lotteries available to their residents. Before the state of Minnesota made the decision to end its program in 2015, this number had remained at eight until that year. In 2011, the Department of Justice provided clarification about its position on the Wire Act in relation to sports betting. The Department of Justice’s perspective on the law opened the way for states to provide the option of purchasing lottery tickets online.
This process has not yet been completed. Some states have their own online lotto program, while others use an application provided by a third party. Numerous explanations have been provided by the governments of the states that do not yet operate online lotteries. Among these factors is the difficulty in establishing the individual’s age and location.
In addition, it is more difficult to monitor participants who are potentially problematic when they participate in online lotteries. The state of purchasing a lotto ticket online will also differ from one state to the next. Some states restrict the use of a third-party app, while other states allow their residents to make purchases directly on the official application of the state.
STATES WITH ONLINE LOTTERY GAMES
The United States is still in the process of shifting its lotteries into the digital realm, but in doing so, it must deal with the many of challenges that come along with this transition. The following is a list of all seven states that at this time offer their lotteries online:
- State of New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Michigan
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- The State of New Hampshire
Make sure that you have a complete understanding of all of the terms and conditions, regardless of where or how you choose to play. Keep in mind that the responsibility for the game always lies with the player, so establish boundaries and learn when to throw in the towel.
You may restrict your spending to a certain amount on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis at a variety of gaming websites and online lotteries. Keeping this in mind, you should hold yourself accountable and be consistent with them even if the website doesn’t.
NEW JERSEY ONLINE LOTTERY
One of the nation’s oldest lotteries may be found in the state of New Jersey. Since its inception in 1970, the New Jersey Lottery has distributed more than $42 billion in prizes and provided more than $28 billion to the state, including just under one billion dollars to local education in 2017 alone. They were one of the first states to make the move from televising the lottery ticket number draws to conducting them online instead.
Gamblers in the state of New Jersey who want to play the lotto online can utilize Jackpocket. Jackpocket is a program developed by a third party that assists gamers in purchasing lottery tickets online. Obviously, the state has not given permission for the app to offer all of the games that can be purchased through other online lotteries. Through Jackpocket, you are able to purchase a lotto ticket online for either the Powerball or the Mega Millions game.
In 2019, New Jersey launched its own own online lottery ticket app for use in the United States. You are unable to place bets using the program itself; however, you are able to verify numbers and produce tickets. On the other hand, in order to hand in these slips, you will need to bring your mobile device with you to a physical ticket distributor so that they may scan your online lottery ticket.
PENNSYLVANIA ONLINE LOTTERY
In 2018, Pennsylvania began offering games through its iLottery system. Online lotto games are available for residents of Pennsylvania to play from their homes or on the go. They started off by selling instant-win scratch-off tickets and have since expanded their offerings to include Mega Millions and Powerball. The Pennsylvania Lottery has declared its intention to branch out into more real-world drawing games in addition to keno.
Pennsylvania, like other states that offer online lotteries, makes use of geolocation technology to keep track of where people are located while they are playing. As a direct consequence of this, residents of Pennsylvania who sign up for the lottery online are eligible to receive money that may be used to purchase tickets.
MICHIGAN ONLINE LOTTERY
Since 2014, the state of Michigan has provided its inhabitants with the opportunity to play in the lotto via an online platform. During this time period, the Michigan State Lottery was responsible for selling lotto tickets and instant win scratch-off games. Keno, Lotto 47, and Fantasy 5 are now available as part of the online lotto in the state of Michigan. You may anticipate that this list will continue to get longer as more years pass.
It is one of the few online lotteries that provides keno for players to choose from. In addition to this, the only state on this list that offers instant draw keno is Michigan. Scratch-off tickets purchased through the online Michigan Lottery can provide prizes of up to $500,000 to lucky winners. Nevertheless, any payoff that is greater than $50,000 will need to be collected in person.
GEORGIA ONLINE LOTTERY
Since 2012, residents of Georgia have had the option to purchase lottery tickets online. During that time, the only games available to players were Mega Millions, Powerball, and Fantasy 5. Keno and instant-win scratch offs, sometimes known as “Diggi Games,” have subsequently been added to the portfolio of games offered by the Georgia Lottery.
Georgia, in contrast to Michigan, draws keno games every three minutes and fifty seconds. The maximum prize that can be won by playing Diggi Games is $150,000. A comprehensive and enjoyable online lottery service is offered by the state of Georgia in the United States. As a result of this, the experience of playing the Georgia lottery either in person or online is essentially same.
Lottery ILLINOIS EN LIGNE (ONLINE)
Since 2012, individuals and groups of players from Illinois have had the ticket to buy lotto tickets online, both singly and in bulk. The many online lotteries available for play in the United States include Powerball, Mega Millions, Pick-3, and Pick-4. The last two are offered only to Illinois Lottery subscription subscribers and can’t be purchased separately.
When it comes to the Pick-3 and Pick-4 games, only people who have subscriptions are able to play the lotto online in bulk. The players in these choose games are only required to choose a small group of numbers, making them a scaled-down counterpart of more powerful lottery draws.
KENTUCKY ONLINE LOTTERY
In 2016, Kentucky residents gained the chance to play in online lotto games for the first time. In April of that year, Kentuckians were given the ability to purchase lottery tickets online for the state’s draw and instant-play games. Late in 2016, the state of Kentucky released an app that enables users to play the lottery and examine their lotto tickets online through the use of mobile devices. In the months that followed, beginning in March of 2018, they introduced keno draws to the online environment.
When you buy a lottery ticket in person or online in Kentucky, the Kentucky Lottery will donate a percentage of the money to one of the many grant or scholarship programs with whom they collaborate. The KEES Scholarship Program is an example of one of these types of programs that receives money. This online lottery is only one of the several on this list that gives a percentage of its proceeds to charitable organizations. One further illustration of this is the assistance that the state of Pennsylvania provides to its senior citizens.
NEW HAMPSHIRE ONLINE LOTTERY
“iLottery” is the term given to the series of online lotteries that New Hampshire participates in. Late in 2018, an online version of the lottery known as the iLottery became available, enabling players to purchase tickets for major drawings from the comfort of their own homes. The winnings from these games are deposited straight away into the player’s account.
When it comes to buying tickets in large terms via the internet, New Hampshire is among the top states in the country. Games such as Powerball and Mega Millions let players to purchase anything from one to one hundred tickets at a time. Additionally, you have the option of purchasing numbers for up to 104 consecutive lotteries. Because of this, it is the ideal state to play playing the same numbers over and over. Even if you have the opportunity to do so, you should never buy more tickets in a single transaction than you are able to pay for.
MINNESOTA ONLINE LOTTERY
The state of Minnesota was the first in the United States to launch an online lottery with a comprehensive list of games. Despite this, in 2015 the legislature of the state decided to take the lottery off the books completely. At the time that this writing was written, the only method to see a show in Minnesota was to play tickets in person for the event. These tickets can be purchased from businesses, such as petrol stations and convenience stores, that are analogous to those found in other states and offer the same items.
FAQ – US ONLINE LOTTERY
Check out our helpful list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) if you still have concerns or inquiries regarding playing online lotteries in the United States. It is important to keep in mind that the history of lotteries held online in the United States is still rather recent. At the moment, these games are only available in seven states. As the federal government works to clarify the legislation, individual states will be free to make their own choices in this area. In addition to this, the laws are being revised often, so it is important to keep a watch on the legislation in your state to determine when it will be included to this list.
CAN YOU BUY LOTTERY TICKETS ONLINE IN NJ?
Yes. Through a third-party app called Jackpocket, residents of New Jersey now have the ability to buy online lottery tickets. You are only able to see your lotto ticket online using the official New Jersey Lottery app. In order for your ticket to be validated, you will need to present it to a physical kiosk in person.
CAN YOU PLAY THE LOTTERY ONLINE IN NJ?
Yes. Players in the state of New Jersey can view their lotto ticket online using the mobile app, but they are required to physically present it to a counter after making a purchase. The draws can be entered with online lottery tickets that were purchased through Jackpocket.
HOW MANY DIFFERENT ONLINE LOTTO GAMES ARE THERE TO CHOOSE FROM?
Because Mega Millions and Powerball are the games that come the closest to being a nationwide game in the United States, the vast majority of online lotteries will let players buy tickets for those games. At the moment, the online lotteries of Michigan, Georgia, and Kentucky all provide support for the game of keno. Those who reside in Illinois and choose to play the lotto online have the option of subscribing to the corresponding website in order to have access to the Pick-3 and Pick-4 games.
WHAT ONLINE LOTTERIES SHIP THEIR TICKETS VIA A THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTOR, AND WHICH DO NOT?
New Jersey is the only state on our list that necessitates the use of a third party in order to gain access to the lotto online. This particular app is known as Jackpocket, and it gives users the ability to purchase lottery tickets online for both the Mega Millions and the Powerball games.
WHICH ONLINE LOTTERIES OFFER KENO GAMES?
In their respective online lotteries, the states of Michigan, Georgia, and Kentucky all provide keno games to its customers. In addition, the state of Pennsylvania is considering introducing keno in the not too distant future. The only state in this category that presently provides players with the opportunity to participate in an instant-draw version of keno is Michigan.
WHERE CAN I BUY SCRATCH OFFS ONLINE?
Scratch-off tickets may often be purchased through online lotteries. Included on this list of online lotteries that provide scratch offs are those for the states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Kentucky.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO BUY A LOTTERY TICKET ONLINE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA?
No. The state of Minnesota was the first in the United States to launch an online lottery that offered a comprehensive list of games. However, in accordance with the laws of the state, they were all removed exactly one year later. There are still in-person operations of the Minnesota Lottery.
HOW DO ONLINE LOTTERIES KEEP TRACK OF WHERE PEOPLE ARE PLAYING FROM?
When you purchase a lotto ticket online, the majority of programs and websites will employ geolocation on you. It doesn’t really make a difference where you are if you’re going to buy your ticket in person. To be eligible to acquire a ticket, however, players must be legal residents of the state in which they are purchasing the ticket.
