Best Lotteries In Usa

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Lottery

In the United States, lotteries are run by 48 jurisdictions: 45 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Lotteries are subject to the laws of and operated independently by each jurisdiction, and there is no national lottery organization. However, consortiums of state lotteries jointly organize games spanning larger geographical footprints, which in turn, carry larger jackpots. Two major lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball, are both offered in nearly all jurisdictions that operate lotteries, and serve as de facto national lotteries.

What are the best lotteries to play

In fiscal 2018, Americans spent $77.7 billion on various lotteries, up about $5 billion from 2017.[1]

History[edit]

Historian Neal Millikan using newspaper advertisements in the colonial era found at least 392 lotteries were held in the 13 colonies.[2]

Lotteries were used not only as a form of entertainment but as a source of revenue to help fund the colonies. The financiers of Jamestown, Virginia, for instance, funded lotteries to raise money to support their colony.[3] These lotteries were quite sophisticated for the time period and even included instant winners.[3] Not long after, each of the 13 original colonies established a lottery system to raise revenue.[3]

In the early post-independence era, legislators commonly authorized lotteries to fund schools, roads, bridges, and other public works.[4] Evangelical reformers in the 1830s began denouncing lotteries on moral grounds and petitioned legislatures and constitutional conventions to ban them.[5] Recurring lottery scandals and a general backlash against legislative corruption following the Panic of 1837 also contributed to anti-lottery sentiments.[5] From 1844 to 1859 alone, 10 new state constitutions contained lottery bans.[5] By 1890, lotteries were prohibited in every state except Delaware and Louisiana.[6]

Lotteries in the United States did not always have sterling reputations. One early lottery in particular, the National Lottery, which was passed by Congress for the beautification of Washington, D.C. and was administered by the municipal government, was the subject of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision – Cohens v. Virginia.[7]

The lottery never paid out,[3][clarification needed] and it brought to light the prevalent issue of crookedness amongst the lotteries in the United States. The wave of anti-lottery protests finally broke through when, by 1860, all states had prohibited lotteries except Delaware, Missouri, and Kentucky.[3] The scarcity of lotteries in the United States meant that tickets were shipped across the country and eventually led to the creation of illegal lotteries.[3] In 1868, after years of illegal operation, the Louisiana State Lottery Company obtained a 25-year charter for its state lottery system.[3] The charter was passed by the Legislature due to immense bribing from a criminal syndicate in New York.[3] The Louisiana Lottery Company derived 90% of its revenue from tickets sold across state borders.[3] These continued issues of corruption led to the complete prohibition of lotteries in the United States by 1895.[3] It was discovered that the promoters of the Louisiana Lottery Company had accrued immense sums of money from illegitimate sources and that the Legislature was riddled with bribery.[3] Before the advent of government-sponsored lotteries, many illegal lotteries thrived, such as number games.

Modern era[edit]

The first modern government-run US lottery was established in Puerto Rico in 1934.[8] This was followed, decades later, by the New Hampshire lottery in 1964.Instant lottery tickets, also known as scratch cards, were introduced in the 1970s and have become a major source of lottery revenue. Individual lotteries often feature three-digit and four-digit games akin to numbers games; a five number game, and a six number game (the latter two often have a jackpot.) Some lotteries also offer at least one game similar to keno, and some offer video lottery terminals. Presently, many US lotteries support public education systems.

As of November 2019, lotteries are established in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; the most recent U.S. state to legalize a lottery is Mississippi, with lottery commission members receiving appointments on October 19, 2018.[9]

The first U.S. multi-state lottery game was formed in 1985 in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont; its flagship game remains Tri-State Megabucks. In 1988, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) was formed with Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia as its charter members; it is best known for Powerball, which was designed to create large jackpots. Another joint lottery, The Big Game (now called Mega Millions) was formed in 1996 by six lotteries as its charter members.

As of October 2020, each of the 44 state lotteries offer both Mega Millions and Powerball as a result of a 2009 agreement between the Mega Millions consortium and MUSL to cross-license their game to one another's members, although the two organizations continue to administer Mega Millions and Powerball separately. Mississippi was the most recent to join both, beginning sales in January 2020. Puerto Rico is the only jurisdiction not to offer both, as they do not offer Mega Millions.

State revenues[edit]

State lotteries have become a significant source of revenue for states, raising $17.6 billion in profits for state budgets in the 2009 fiscal year (FY) with 11 states collecting more revenue from their state lottery than from their state corporate income tax during FY2009.[10]

Lottery policies within states can have conflicting goals.[11] Given that instructions are passed down from state legislatures, lottery implementation is often expected to be carried out with reduced advertising and funding while still producing the same amount of revenue.[11] This issue led states to look for loopholes in the system. Massachusetts, for example, had its advertising budget dramatically cut, and therefore started using free-play coupons as money to pay for advertising.[11] This led to an IRS investigation into alleged non-reporting of income because the IRS considered the coupons to have monetary value.[11]

States with no lotteries[edit]

Among the states that do not have lotteries, Alabama and Utah cite religious objections.[12]Nevada's lucrative gambling industry has lobbied against a state lottery there, fearing the competition;[13] similarly, the Mississippi Gaming Commission expressed concern that a state lottery would constitute a 'competing force' for gambling dollars spent at Mississippi casinos. Despite this, in August 2018, Mississippi passed legislation to create a state lottery. GovernorPhil Bryant expressed his support for the lottery to fund transportation in the state and has indicated he will sign the bill. Sales, initially only scratch tickets, began on November 25, 2019. Mega Millions and Powerball tickets became available to the state on January 30, 2020.[14]

Alaska and Hawaii, being outside the contiguous United States, have not felt the pressure of losing sales to competitors.[12] However in February 2020, Alaska's governor Mike Dunleavy introduced legislation proposing the establishment of an Alaska Lottery Corporation, as part of an effort to overcome a budgetary deficit.[15]

New technologies[edit]

In recent years, new applications such as Lottery.com and Jackpocket were created for people to purchase lotteries over their smartphones.[16]

U.S. lotteries[edit]

Map showing U.S. lottery jurisdictions (in blue) - States highlighted offer Mega Millions and Powerball as of January 2020; the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands each also offer both games
State or TerritoryLotteryYear of
First
Ticket Sales
Other
Joint
Games
AlabamaNo
AlaskaNo
ArizonaYes19810
ArkansasYes2009LFL
CaliforniaYes19850
ColoradoYes1983LFL
ConnecticutYes1972LFL
DelawareYes1974LA, LFL
District of ColumbiaYes1982LFL
FloridaYes1988C4L
GeorgiaYes1993C4L
HawaiiNo
IdahoYes1989LA, LFL
IllinoisYes19740
IndianaYes1989LFL
IowaYes1985LA, LFL
KansasYes19872by2, LA, LFL
KentuckyYes1989LFL
LouisianaYes19910
MaineYes1974LA, LFL, TSM
MarylandYes1973C4L
MassachusettsYes1971LFL
MichiganYes1972LFL
MinnesotaYes1988LA, LFL
MississippiYes20190
MissouriYes1986LFL
MontanaYes1986LA, LFL
NebraskaYes19932by2, LFL
NevadaNo
New HampshireYes1964LFL, TSM
New JerseyYes1969C4L
New MexicoYes1996LA
New YorkYes1967C4L
North CarolinaYes2005LFL
North DakotaYes20042by2, LA, LFL
OhioYes1974LFL
OklahomaYes2005LA, LFL
OregonYes19850
PennsylvaniaYes1972C4L
Puerto RicoYes19340
Rhode IslandYes1974LFL
South CarolinaYes2002LFL
South DakotaYes1987LA, LFL
TennesseeYes2004C4L, LA
TexasYes19920
UtahNo
U.S. Virgin IslandsYes19370
VermontYes1978LFL, TSM
VirginiaYes1988C4L
WashingtonYes19820
West VirginiaYes1984LA
WisconsinYes19880
WyomingYes2013LFL
Key

2by2 = 2by2
C4L = Cash4Life
LA = Lotto America
LFL = Lucky for Life
TSM = Tri-State Megabucks consortium
0 = only multi-jurisdictional games are Mega Millions and/or Powerball

Other joint U.S. lotteries[edit]

These games also are offered by multiple lotteries.[17] Some of these games feature a shared progressive jackpot (noted by °):

  • 2by2 (3 lotteries): Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota
  • Cash4Life (9): Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia
  • Lotto America° (13): Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia
  • Lucky for Life (26): Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming
  • Tri-State Lottery (Megabucks Plus°, Pick 3 (Day & Night), Pick 4 (Day & Night), Fast Play°): Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Horton, Alex (October 18, 2018). 'How Mega Millions and Powerball changed the odds to create monster jackpots'. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  2. ^Millikan, Neal (2011). Lotteries in Colonial America. Routledge. p. 2. ISBN9781136674464.
  3. ^ abcdefghijkRoger Dunstan (January 1997). 'History of Gambling in the United States'. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010.
  4. ^McMaster, John Bach (1911). A History of the People of the United States: From the Revolution to the Civil War. Appleton and Company. p. 588.
  5. ^ abcSzymanski, Ann-Marie E. (2003). Pathways to Prohibition: Radicals, Moderates, and Social Movement Outcomes. Duke University Press. pp. 95–96. ISBN978-0-8223-3169-8.
  6. ^John Houston Merrill; Charles Frederic Williams; Thomas Johnson Michie; David Shephard Garland (1890). The American and English Encyclopædia of Law: Least to Mail. Edward Thompson Company. p. 1172.
  7. ^Jean Edward Smith, John Marshall: Definer Of A Nation, New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1996, pp. 456-459
  8. ^'Ley Núm. 74 de 2006 -Ley del Programa de Ayuda a Jugadores Compulsivos de Puerto'. Lexjuris.com. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  9. ^Howard, Morgan. 'Gov. Bryant appoints MS Lottery Corporation board of directors'. wlox.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  10. ^'U.S. lotteries and the state taxman'. Reuters. July 15, 2011.
  11. ^ abcdNGISC (August 3, 1999). 'National Gambling Impact Study Commission Lotteries'.
  12. ^ ab'Five states that don't have lotteries'. Playport. July 30, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  13. ^'Knowing Vegas: Why doesn't Nevada have a state lottery?'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 11, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  14. ^'Mississippi lottery bill passes House, headed to governor'. WAPT. Associated Press. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  15. ^Maguire, Sean. 'Governor proposes independent corporation to run an Alaska lottery'. ktuu.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  16. ^'Jackpocket App Allows You to Buy Lottery Tickets Using Your Phone'. ABC News. September 29, 2015.
  17. ^'Games'. Multi-State Lottery Association. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.

Further reading[edit]

  • Dasgupta, Anisha S. 'Public Finance and the Fortunes of the Early American Lottery.' QLR 24 (2005): 227+ Online
  • Millikan, Neal. Lotteries in Colonial America (2011). excerpt
  • Watson, Alan D. 'The Lottery in Early North Carolina.' North Carolina Historical Review 69.4 (1992): 365-387. Online
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lotteries_in_the_United_States&oldid=1009763684'

For many of us, lotteries are considered as one of the fastest ways to get some extra cash. Of course, we all understand very well that the chances of winning are incredibly small but we always hope that it’s us who will get a lucky ticket. In the end, someone constantly wins and you can’t deny that. So we are well aware that choosing a lottery as a platform for your investment is far from being the most reasonable solution, however, there is still a chance to win big. Moreover, even the most persistent of us are sometimes seduced by the possibility of winning a huge amount of money which without exaggeration can change our whole life. That is why we can afford to try our luck from time to time by purchasing a lottery ticket and it’s worth saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

You can play lotteries in 44 States, as well as in the District of Columbia. Of course, there are plenty of varieties of the lottery in different states. It is about both instant win scratch tickets and the classic games which may also imply serious winnings. While in most of the states you need to purchase tickets from the store, some states allow you to buy lottery tickets online.

However, some states have gone even further since they are offering players to play the lottery on special sites where customers can not only buy tickets online but also instantly play the game and be able to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. All this is extremely convenient since you will not even need to leave the house for the game. This possibility, in particular, will appeal to residents of Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, as the following sites are completely legal and accessible to residents of these regions:

Michigan: Michigan Lottery

Pennsylvania: Pa Lottery

New Hampshire: NH Lottery

US Lottery SitesRating 2020Registration Link
Pa Lottery Register here >
Michigan Lottery Register here >
NH Lottery Register here >

Contents

  • 2 In which states is it legal to buy lottery tickets online?
  • 3 Online Lottery Subscriptions

How You Can Buy Lottery Tickets Online

Today among a number of states there is a tendency to switch to the online sale of lottery tickets. For a long time it was believed that the sale of lottery tickets online was an illegal activity but in view of the serious tensions of the financial situation against the background of increasing taxes, lawmakers were forced to reconsider their positions. So at the end of 2011, it was announced that the existing restrictions relate only to sports betting which allowed the lottery segment to enter the online market. Even despite the fact that only a few states decided to make such a transition so far, the interest in the online sale of lottery tickets is constantly growing. The basic concept of this phenomenon is the following:

  • “ If online lottery tickets sales are allowed, more people will buy them which ultimately will increase state revenue without the need to raise taxes.”

Until now it is quite obvious that this approach turned out to be quite profitable. For example, the state of Illinois which became the first region selling lottery tickets online reported total sales of $425,000 for the first week, which is a great result.

In which states is it legal to buy lottery tickets online?

The idea of selling lottery tickets online has been approved by more than 12 states. In addition, the list of states supporting this concept is growing annually. This means that in such states players can not only purchase tickets in a traditional way but also have the opportunity of ordering them online. In particular, such major resources as Powerball and Mega Millions offer their services to users online. Let’s have a look at the list of states where you can absolutely legally purchase lottery tickets online, play instant games or do both at the same time:

Georgia Online Lottery

Since DOJ announced the sale of lottery tickets online legal, one of the first states that began to engage in this activity was Georgia. So in 2012 with the permission of the GA Lottery such large platforms as Mega Millions, Fantasy 5 and Powerball began to provide customers with the opportunity to buy tickets online. Since then, this niche of the market has begun to expand significantly and today keno drawings are held every 3.5 min. around the clock.

Illinois Online Lottery

Illinois did not stand aside as Illinois Lottery was also one of the first to start selling tickets and subscriptions online. It also happened in 2012. Nonetheless, the lawmakers insisted on closing the program since the problem gamblers were too risky to lose all their money but in the end, the program still continued its existence.

Today on the official website of Illinois Lottery you can purchase tickets for Mega Millions, Lotto and Powerball. In addition, customers also have the opportunity to purchase subscriptions.

Kentucky Online Lottery

2016 was marked by an expansion in the online sales segment for the Kentucky Lottery. Thus, on the official website of the platform customers can use a variety of services provided by Mega Millions, Powerball, Lucky for Life and KY Cash Ball. In addition, the site also offers scratch cards which allow you to count on instant wins.

Michigan Online Lottery

The Michigan Online lottery started its online ticket sales in 2014 and today the platform offers its customers an excellent selection of over 50 available games.

A distinctive feature of the Michigan Lottery is that the site of the platform is one of the most comprehensive ones and provides players with an excellent selection of games. In addition, it is very convenient to work with the website since having the numbers you can find out the result almost instantly.

Payouts for online scratch card games reach $ 500,000 and new users can expect some pleasant rewards on condition of using the bonus code which will allow you to get 10 free games. In addition, if you decide to make a deposit with real money the platform will also reward you with an additional sum for your user balance.

New Hampshire Online Lottery

Compared with the rest of the states the New Hampshire iLottery is a relatively young project since it was launched only at the end of 2018 but this does not affect the popularity of the product itself since iLottery offers a number of interesting games with instant payouts to online user accounts.

Players can purchase tickets for Mega Millions or Powerball both individually and in batches of up to 100 tickets. For instance, you can purchase only a single entry into the next drawing or you have all the chances of buying a bunch of 100 tickets into each of the next 104 drawings.

North Carolina Online Lottery

Thanks to the official North Carolina’s lottery site you can also take advantage of offers to buy lottery tickets online. In addition, if you are a resident of this state you can purchase entries for Mega Millions, Powerball, Carolina Cash 5 etc. Customers can buy both one ticket at a time or purchase several entries in advance to multiple drawings. Keep in mind that this website allows you to buy tickets only online.

North Dakota Online Lottery

The Pick & Click service used by the North Dakota lottery website allows users to purchase tickets online using smartphones and other mobile devices. With this method, you can get tickets for Lotto America, Powerball, Mega Millions etc. In addition, this can be done with the help of the desktop version, not to mention mobile devices powered by Android or iOS.

However, a necessary condition for playing online is to have a North Dakota mailing address and you must also be physically located in this state while purchasing a ticket. Winnings of less than $ 600 can be paid directly to your online account. However, if you are lucky enough and you have won more than this sum, additional procedures may be required which you will be notified about by the lottery.

Thanks to the support of online pools, Pick & Click gives players the opportunity to invite new users and create groups which will allow them to cooperate in order to buy new tickets.

Pennsylvania Online Lottery

Another project that appeared relatively recently is Pennsylvania iLottery which entered the online lottery market in 2018. Quite a sufficient choice of instant win games will also allow players to get instant payouts directly to their user balance. All functions of the platform will be available to the user after signing up. Despite a modest collection of instant scratch card games, the Pennsylvania iLottery is in great demand among players due to the possibility of buying tickets online and the platform is also planning to launch virtual sports betting section and instant keno in the foreseeable future. For new players who are residents of this state, the Pennsylvania iLottery offers an instant $5 bonus which will be given to players immediately after making at least $5 worth of purchases.

The Minnesota residents also had the opportunity to play the online lottery, however, in 2015 local authorities banned this activity. Nonetheless, even after the online ticket sales were stopped, Minnesota online lottery still allows its customers to buy tickets in-person. Despite the fact that the Delaware Lottery also does not provide its customers with the option of buying products online, this platform still presents its games in three online casinos. Thus, players can take advantage of the company’s offers in Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway playing their favorite games online. More information about these casinos can be found here.

In addition, another option for various players is the possibility of the lottery ticket subscriptions that can be managed online. It allows customers to have the opportunity to purchase tickets into every drawing for a week to many weeks on end. The pricing policy of these services may vary depending on the options you choose. Despite the fact that the government is quite reluctant to allow online lottery ticket sales it is quite expected that such an option will appear in most states sooner or later. Given that in some states lotteries are completely missing it’s safe to say that in some regions this process will take a considerable period of time. State authorities are unlikely to give up additional profits in the form of sales of lottery tickets but at the same time, customers are also quite satisfied. Thus, it is obvious that the mutual satisfaction of both parties will lead to the fact that the sale of online lottery tickets will become legal in all states. Next, we will present a map showing the states in which the sale of lottery tickets online is legal in one form or another:

Online Lottery Subscriptions

In a number of states, residents are free to use lottery subscriptions that can be used to purchase tickets. You can do this by visiting the official website of the lottery in your state and find the «subsctiptions» section and by selecting the required period, you can purchase subscriptions for a week, a month and even for a whole year.

So in the following states you can absolutely legally buy or manage subscriptions online:

  1. Maine
  2. Maryland (subscriptions can be managed online, but sending your subscription request via mail is mandatory)
  3. New York
  4. Virginia

A winning amount of less than $ 600 is paid by a check. If the amount of your winnings exceeds $ 600, then in order to get the winnings, you will need to follow the instructions that the platform sends you.

Online lottery subscription is the most convenient way to work with lottery tickets as users can sign up, pay for subscriptions and check the results without leaving home. The only noticeable difference with the traditional way of buying tickets is that you have to buy entries into at least a few drawings at a time.

Multi-State Lotteries

Best Lotteries In Usa

As you might guess from the name, Multi-State Lotteries are created for the sale of lottery tickets in a number of states. Obviously, higher ticket sales allow to offer larger jackpot sizes. However, bigger jackpots in their turn contribute to enlarging the sales of lottery tickets, thus forming a powerful cycle which, in general, allows to expand the popularity of the lottery among players.

You must have heard about some breathtaking jackpots on the news. If you have then it’s likely to be about these multi-state lotteries. Nowadays, among the representatives of the largest lotteries of this type we can name Powerball, Mega Millions etc. 33 states are united by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) within which they work together to increase ticket sales. In addition, some lotteries within the MUSL operate in certain states, while a number of other platforms operate in all 33 states which are included in the association. In addition, some of the lotteries may carry out their activities in other regions outside the MUSL.

An example of such a concept is Mega Millions, which is present in 43 States, the US Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. This state of affairs explains the success of Mega Millions, which is one of the largest companies in its segment. In addition, Powerball, which is another serious player on this market is also available for many residents of different states. In particular, the total amount of Powerball jackpots has reached $ 1.6 billion in recent years which is definitely an astonishing result.

Is it a good idea to play lottery?

The answer to this question is not so simple and really depends on which side you look at this problem. Of course, being sensible people we understand very well that from a mathematical point of view, playing the lottery is not the best idea of spending money. It is obvious that the chances of winning are so small that even spending a dollar on the purchase of a lottery ticket is most likely a waste of money. If you try to look at the total number of tickets sold and compare this figure with the size of the jackpot, then it will become clear to many players that even the ticket price itself is very high.

If you need a quick and clear answer to the above question, then it is obvious that it’s much better to invest money in some other projects. Even investing in the retirement fund is a much more sensible idea than spending money on lottery tickets. It’s all this way if you treat this problem only from a mathematical point of view, taking into account exclusively precise calculations. Nevertheless, it is foolish to deny that the game is often played exclusively for fun and a lot of players buy lottery tickets just to relax. For example, even talented scientists who are fully aware of the senselessness of a lottery game in terms of odds of winning, sometimes buy tickets just for fun themselves.

Best Lotteries To Play In Usa

Obviously, the most important thing in playing the lottery is moderation. Always think carefully how much you are willing to spend on the lottery and know how to stop in time. Do not let the excitement tempt you, otherwise, you risk buying lottery tickets one by one and losing all your money. Treat lotteries just like some funny activity with the risk of losing some money. And if you win, consider that to be just luck and nothing more.

[kkstarratings]