Imagine having the same odds of playing lottery games but saving time, playing from the comfort of your house with discounts of up to 25%. You can buy a lottery ticket online not only for the local games in your state and country but also for international lotteries. European, American, and Asian lotteries become available without leaving your house or while walking on the streets.
Quick Jump
- Can You Buy a Lottery Ticket Online? Is It Legal?
- Can You Buy a Lottery Ticket Online With VPN or Proxy?
- Where Can You Buy a Lottery Ticket Online?
- From What States Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online in the US?
- Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online From Another State?
- Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online From Another Country?
- How Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online?
- What Lottery Tickets Can You Buy Online?
- Can You Buy Scratch-Off Lottery Tickets Online?
- Safety Tips When Buying Lottery Tickets Online
- FAQs
Can You Buy a Lottery Ticket Online? Is It Legal?
The answer to the question “can you buy a lottery ticket online?” will always vary according to where you live. Some countries will forbid playing the lottery in all its forms, including online purchases, but that does not occur in most cases, and online lotteries are often left out of the legislation, opening a “gray area” when it comes to its legality. In other countries, it is legal to play the online lottery from approved sources that commercialize only local games.
Fortunately, most countries that might include yours have no defined limits to online lottery. In other words, you can play as much as you want and withdraw winnings. Since there is a lot of misinformation out there, you can check out our article on who can play the lottery from their country.
Can You Buy a Lottery Ticket Online With VPN or Proxy?
A VPN or proxy can help you open an online lottery site and even play your favorite lottery games. However, that practice is not legal, and you can get in trouble or at least lose your stake money for it.
Players must keep in mind that the use of any tool to mislead the lottery site to pretend you are not playing from a restricted country will result in losing the account. After all, you will need to verify your identity, address, and all before withdrawing anything. You would still not be able to get that money in any case if your country forbids it.
Therefore, stick to the truth and only play on websites in which your country is not restricted.
Where Can You Buy a Lottery Ticket Online?
Lottery tickets can be bought online on licensed websites that either act as lottery agents or lottery betting sites. The first group buys tickets on your behalf while betting sites replicate the results and prizes of real lotteries and are paid by the insurance of those websites. Those two alternatives are the best way of playing because you can have access to many international lotteries from wherever you are.
On the other hand, some countries and/or states will have official websites to purchase tickets to local games.
From What States Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online in the US?
In the United States, not all states allow playing online lotteries. If your state is not in the list below, local retailers remain your only option:
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Maine *
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington D.C.
(*) Subscriptions only.
Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online From Another State?
It is important to highlight that players from a given US state cannot purchase lottery tickets from another state. It does not matter if it is available online and if you are a citizen of the United States. You can only buy tickets from another state if you actually travel there and make your purchase.
Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online From Another Country?
In the case that your country is not on the restricted list of an online lottery site that we have tested and recommend, you are free to buy lottery tickets only from your country. The type of website that you choose has an impact on how you will claim and collect winnings, but other than that, you are legally allowed to do so.
How Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online?
Each variation of the online lottery site has its own rules and definitions of how it works. It is essential to know the differences, especially when it comes to claiming your winnings. As long as you understand that all the rules above apply in all three cases, you will be playing the lottery in a legal way.
Lottery Agents
Lottery agents are websites that purchase real lottery tickets for you right after you buy them online. One of the greatest examples is theLotter, which offers around 60 international lottery games, while Jackpocket is the #1 and only choice for US players. They usually offer good discounts, especially for bigger purchases.
However, playing with a lottery agent means having to claim big prizes in person. They will only send you small prizes automatically, mostly up to $2,500. Anything above that might require even traveling to another country when that is the case.
Lottery Betting Sites
Betting sites are often quite popular among players because they do not require that you claim your prize in person. You are betting on the results, and their insurance covers the announced jackpots. You do not need to share prizes with those who won in the real lottery, and you will even find some exclusive online lotteries that do not exist anywhere else.
It is extremely important to play on real betting sites that can be trusted, like WinTrillions. After all, if there is no real ticket, it must be a legit and trustworthy website. The prizes are paid via transfer to the users, but keep in mind that the same lottery taxes and reductions occur according to the official lottery country and your country.
Official Distribution
There are official channels licensed by the state and countries to sell lottery tickets online. In some cases, the government itself takes care of the system, while others prefer to license a third party, like Jackpocket in some US states. The fact that it is an official channel makes everything more comfortable, but you would be restricted to local alternatives found at your nearest retailer.
What Lottery Tickets Can You Buy Online?
The choice of the online lottery site will determine how many lotteries you will have access to. There are big and medium draw games, and the level of popularity usually has an influence on how easy it is to find them. Powerball, for example, is a must-have lottery game on any lottery agent or betting site. Other great examples include:
- Mega Millions
- Euromillions
- Eurojackpot
- SuperEnalotto
- La Primitiva and many others.
However, you will not find all the existing games in the world. There are cases in which it is not possible to play unless you go to a local retailer in that state or country.
Exclusive Local Games
There are local draw games that can be considered exclusive because they can only be found within the state or country. That is often the case of Pick 5, Pick 4, and Pick 3 games, for example. They can be played online, but only via an official distributor or the government lottery website when available.
In other words, they are exclusive to residents or people who are in that state or country to buy the lottery tickets online.
Can You Buy Scratch-Off Lottery Tickets Online?
Scratch-off lottery tickets can be bought online, and they are usually referred to as “Scratchcards”. They are automatic online games that recognize your touch on the screen or even your movement with the mouse. The price per scratch-off varies greatly, as well as the prizes.
How to Buy Lottery Tickets Online?
1️⃣ Choose one of the recommended lottery sites where you can buy lottery tickets online.
2️⃣ Pick one of the lottery games that call your attention or you always wanted to play. Remember that you can also buy scratch-offs online on websites like theLotter.
3️⃣ You can either register an account right away or load up your online cart first by completing play slips online.
4️⃣ Once you are satisfied and have already added the lottery tickets that you want to play online, proceed to the payment. Some websites will have special discounts, welcome bonuses, and even bundles to offer.
5️⃣ Once the payment has been completed, you are done! You can buy more lottery tickets online and keep checking the lottery results.
Safety Tips When Buying Lottery Tickets Online
- Verify the list of restricted countries of a website and never play with a VPN or proxy to try to fool their system.
- Only play on licensed and trustworthy websites. We have tested and reviewed many of them here.
- Play with the money that you know you can spend, especially if you buy lottery tickets with credit cards.
- Do not fall for incredible offers, no matter how tempting they may be if they do not come from reliable websites.
- Make your payments with reliable payment methods from the websites that we recommend. Never transfer directly to someone willing to buy a lottery ticket online.