Welcome to USLottery.com, the industry’s newest voice in all things related to US lotteries. Whether it’s discussing how to play online lotteries legally or where to buy tickets at retailers, we cover the ins and outs of every national and state-specific lottery in the USA.

Here at US Lottery, visitors will find news and information, real-time jackpot updates, results, and drawing updates. Other topics of discussion include interesting information about odds and payouts, winners’ stories, and much more.

USLottery.com also wishes to serve as an advocate of players by taking a realistic and no-nonsense approach to every lottery topic. We openly discuss the true odds of winning, how to avoid scams and how to play responsibly.

In short, USLottery.com aims to be your trusted source for all things lottery.

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US Lotteries by State

Each state in the US with a legal lottery is responsible for overseeing the conduct of the lottery within its borders.

Typical lottery regulations include the establishment of an oversight commission, approving the rules of each game, approving new games, the distribution of lottery funds and determining how winners are paid.

Each state does it a bit differently, so the lottery landscape varies across the US. The following US Lottery pages explain how the lottery works in each state, how to play online legally (if permitted) and much more.

Multi-State Lotteries in the USA

The US lottery industry is regulated primarily at the state level. Federal lottery law (18 U.S.C §§ 1301-1308) generally prohibits the interstate transportation of lottery tickets and enacts certain restrictions on the promotion of lotteries but does not regulate the conduct of lotteries themselves.

The regulation of the conduct of lotteries, therefore, falls on the shoulders of each state. The United States does not have a true national lottery as a result. However, a variety of states have formed agreements to run multi-jurisdictional lotteries that are largely the same in participating states.

Powerball and Mega Millions stand as the two most recognizable multi-state lotteries. Both games are available in the vast majority of states with legal lotteries. Other groupings of states cooperate on additional multi-state lotteries that are smaller in scope but that still span across more than a single state.

Below is an overview of each multi-state lottery conducted in the USA.

  • Ticket price: $2.00 + $1.00 for the optional Power Play feature
  • Starting jackpot: $40 million
  • Record jackpot: $1.585 billion (2016)
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 292.2 million
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 24.9
  • Available in: 45 states, DC and US Virgin Islands
  • Drawings: Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 PM ET

Powerball is one of the country’s two largest lotteries and producer of numerous record-breaking jackpots. Jackpots that start at $40 million and grow by at least $10 million every drawing make this a fast-growing but popular lottery game. Every state with a lottery participates in Powerball.

  • Ticket price: $2.00 + $1.00 for the optional Megaplier feature
  • Starting jackpot: $40 million
  • Record jackpot: $1.537 billion (2018)
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 302.5 million
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 24
  • Available in: 45 states, DC and US Virgin Islands
  • Drawings: Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 PM ET

Mega Millions complements Powerball nicely as another massive lottery drawing capable of producing jackpots in excess of $1.5 billion and drawings held on non-Powerball drawing days. Jackpots start at $40 million and grow by at least $5 million every drawing.

  • Ticket price: $2.00
  • Top jackpot: $1,000 a day for life
  • Second jackpot: $25,000 a year for life
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 30.8 million
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 7.8
  • Available in: AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, KS, KY, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, OH, OK, RI, SC, SD, VT and WY
  • Drawings: Mondays and Thursdays at 10:38 PM ET

Lucky For Life jackpots are actually not that big compared to some lotteries, but the odds of winning better and the prospect of winning $1,000 a day for life is undeniably appealing. Jackpot winners receive $1,000 a day for life for as long as they live and for a minimum of 20 years (i.e. if the winner dies, the rest is paid to the winner’s estate). Winners can also take the cash option of $5.75 million for the top prize or $390,000 for the second prize.

  • Ticket price: $1.00
  • Top jackpot: $22,000 ($44,000 on Tuesdays)
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 105,625
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 3.59
  • Available in: KS, NE and ND
  • Drawings: Seven days a week at 9:30 PM CT

2by2 is a small but high frequency and inexpensive multi-state draw game in which players stand to win up to $44,000. The game features eight ways to win with a top jackpot of $22,000 on most days. However, players who purchase a seven-play ticket on Tuesdays qualify for all prizes on Tuesday’s drawing to be doubled – producing a maximum jackpot of $44,000.

  • Ticket price: $2.00
  • Top jackpot: $100,000 or $250,000 (varies by state)
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 2.7 million to match all and 1 in 2.7 million to match none
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 4.5
  • Available in: WI, TX, GA and MA

All or Nothing takes a unique approach to the lottery by awarding the jackpot if players either (a) match all twelve numbers drawn or (b) match none of the numbers drawn. The top prize and drawing frequency vary by state, but generally All or Nothing awards a top prize of $100,000 or $250,000 and is drawn two or four times per day.

  • Ticket price: $1.00 + $1.00 for an optional All Star Bonus
  • Starting jackpot: $2 million
  • Record jackpot: $22.8 million (2018)
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 25.99 million
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 9.63
  • Available in: DE, IA, ID, KS, ME, MN, MT, ND, NM, OK, SD, TN and WV
  • Drawings: Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11 PM ET

Lotto America is a drawing game run by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) offered in thirteen states. The game was originally run from 1988 to 1992 but was discontinued to make way for the MUSL’s now famous Powerball. The MUSL revived Lotto America in 2017 as an inexpensive alternative to Powerball with smaller jackpots but better odds of winning. Players can purchase the optional All Star Bonus feature for an extra $1.00 to double all non-jackpot prizes by a random factor from 2x to 5x.

  • Ticket price: $2.00
  • Top jackpot: $1,000 a day for life
  • Second prize: $1,000 a week for life
  • Jackpot odds: 1 in 21.8 million
  • Any prize odds: 1 in 8
  • Available in: FL, GA, IN, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA and TN
  • Drawings: Daily at 9 PM ET

Cash4Life is a multi-state drawing game that closely resembles Lucky For Life but with availability in different states, better jackpot odds and a larger secondary jackpot. The jackpot payout is paid for a minimum of 20 years even if the winner dies before then. Top prize winners may take a lump sum payout of $7 million and second prize winners may take a $1 million lump sum payout.

The Tri-State Lottery is a collection of five lottery games operated by Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The lineup consists of one large drawing game (Megabucks) and four smaller high-frequency games.

  • Megabucks Plus: Twice weekly game; $1 million starting jackpot; $2 tickets
  • Gimme 5: Three times a week game; $100,000 jackpot; $1 tickets
  • Pick 3: Twice daily game; $500 top prize; $0.50 to $5 per play
  • Pick 4: Twice daily game; $5,000 top prize; $0.50 to $5 per play
  • Fast Play: Collection of instant win games; buy a ticket and check for a winner instantly

Lottery Games

The types of lottery games available vary by state and can be placed into one of several categories. The following pages will explain how each game type works and where it can be played in each state.

  • Multi-state draw games
  • State-level draw games (lotto and dailies)
  • Instant win games (scratch-offs and pull-tabs)
  • Keno and bingo variants
  • Raffles
  • Second chance drawings

Lottery Jackpots

Soon, USLottery.com will provide lottery jackpot trackers for all major draw games in the USA. These trackers will show the current jackpot amount, date of the last win and provide information for where to play, either in-person or online.

Lottery Drawings and Results

USLottery.com will also launch lottery drawing results trackers that visitors can use to see the outcomes of recent drawings. Players holding tickets can use these results trackers to check for winners and to find information about redeeming prizes.

Online Lotteries

Every state with a legal lottery is “online” to some extent or another. In most states, the online lottery is limited to a website and mobile app in which customers can sign up for an account to receive alerts, see results, find nearby lottery retailers and enter second-chance drawings.

However, a growing number of states are indeed taking their lotteries fully online. States such as Michigan and Pennsylvania among others now offer instant win scratch games and online tickets for purchase online and through mobile apps. In those states, customers can make deposits, buy tickets and receive instant payments from anywhere within state lines.

Customers in these states can play the lottery online legally:

The following states also support online subscription purchases:

  • Maryland (subscription payment must be sent via mail)
  • Maine (subscription payment must be sent via mail)
  • New York

Additionally, third-party ticket courier service Jackpocket.com has received the blessings of multiple state regulators to sell official tickets through its mobile app. Jackpocket is the only regulated service of this type and is available in:

  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Minnesota
  • New Jersey
  • New Hampshire
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • Washington D.C.

A second service, TheLotter, offers ticket purchases in three states:

  • Minnesota
  • Oregon
  • Texas

Additional reviews: