Online lottery is a great way for people to play the lottery from the comfort of their home. The games work similarly to the traditional version and most of the time there are a number of different games on offer. The jackpots start off small, but can increase very quickly and millions of dollars are often up for grabs.
The most popular games in the US are Powerball and Mega Millions. Both of these lotteries offer tickets in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands. These lotteries also have some of the biggest prizes in the world, with some jackpots reaching over a billion dollars. Players can purchase tickets for these lotteries from legal online lottery websites or through a state-regulated platform.
Many online lottery sites allow customers to use a number of different payment methods for deposits and withdrawals. These include ACH/eCheck, PayPal, credit cards, and debit cards. Players should always look for a site that offers a selection of these options to ensure they are playing on a legitimate website.
The first state to launch a full-featured online lottery was Illinois in 2012. Michigan, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania followed suit shortly after. The most recent addition to the list of states with an online lottery was Rhode Island, which launched its games in summer 2020. The District of Columbia also offers lottery games online, leveraging provisions granted to the DC Lottery in 2019 to secure a sports betting supplier and launch its e-Instant games.