The United States is home to 45 states with their own state-operated lotteries. The United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico also run lotteries. When 2021 arrives, all 45 states and the US Virgin Islands will be operating lotteries.
In addition to the official lotteries, there are several online lotteries. These sites provide a user-friendly way for lottery fans to participate in the lottery. They offer access to a wide variety of games, including scratchers, multi-state draws and instant win games. Players can play the lottery from their desktop or smartphone. A number of the websites use geolocation to verify players’ locations and ensure they are in the right state.
Some of the top lotteries in the United States include Powerball, Mega Millions, and Mega Cash. Each of these lotteries offers odds of winning a grand prize. One of the biggest national lotteries, Mega Millions, offers odds of 1 in 302,575,350. Several multi-state lotteries are also available, such as Treasure Hunt and Tri-State Megabucks.
Online lottery sales are growing in the United States. There are currently six states that have legalized their online lotteries. While most of these lotteries are limited to playing locally, there are some that allow US players to purchase tickets for non-US lotteries.
North Dakota is a state-operated lottery that offers a number of draw games. It’s also a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association. This lottery offers a few in-house games, but the majority of its proceeds go to public programs. For example, the lottery proceeds fund the state’s school aid fund, gambling treatment and prevention programs, and wildlife habitats.
Another state-operated lottery is the Idaho Lottery. This lottery launched in 1989 and features several in-house games. Two-thirds of its dividend funds go to education.
Similarly, the Colorado Lottery was founded in 1983 and offers a variety of in-house lottery games. Ticket prices range from $1 to $20, and winners receive prizes ranging from a few dollars to $20,000.
Connecticut is another state-operated lottery that offers a few in-house games, along with several multi-state draw games. The lottery’s profits are split between the general fund, the state’s schools, and its towns. Profits are also used to pay off debt.
Wisconsin is another state-operated lottery that offers various draw games, including virtual sports. It also offers two multi-state draw games, and a few in-house games.
Illinois is one of the first states to offer online lottery ticket sales. The website initially included a few draw games and later expanded to include Daily Lottery Games and Powerball lottery tickets. As of 2012, the website also offered Instant Games. Several additional states have begun to consider the idea of offering an online lottery.
Massachusetts is in the process of legalizing its online lottery system. This lottery offers eight different draw games. Those who play on the website are able to select their numbers from a secure database. New Jersey is working on a similar project.
Pennsylvania’s lottery also includes a variety of draw games. However, the state does not offer Powerball or MegaMillions on its website.