When lottery fever sweeps the state , everyone seems to require to urge their hands on a potentially record-breaking lottery ticket. But sometimes, it's just tough to run out and devour lottery tickets.
If you're homebound, out of the country, or otherwise can't get to the shop , buying lottery tickets over the web looks like an easy solution. But is it possible to shop for lottery tickets online? Is it legal? Is it safe? determine here.
The Dangers of shopping for Tickets Over the web
The us government, like most other governments round the world, heavily regulates how lottery tickets are often bought and sold because the danger is so high. U.S. citizens alone spend billions of dollars on lottery tickets per annum , so it is vital to make certain that the tickets are valid and therefore the promised prizes are really awarded.1
Without these protections, we'd have more cases where people are buying forged lottery tickets and therefore the seller simply pockets the cash , or where retailers make sure that they're only selling losing tickets to customers.
To prevent these scams, lottery retailers got to be licensed. What they have to try to to to urge a license varies by state, but it's normal that retailers got to have a criminal background check to make sure that they haven't been involved in any felonies or illegal gambling schemes and need to post a hefty bond to make sure that their tickets are awarded fairly.
Buying lottery tickets online opens doors to fly-by-night organizations that cash in of consumers , then disappear once they are on the brink of being caught.
Because of this high risk to consumers, there are laws within the us and lots of other jurisdictions that restrict or prohibit online lottery sales. However, that does not mean that it's very illegal or impossible to shop for a lottery ticket online within the us .
What Does U.S. Law Say About Buying and Selling Lottery Tickets Online?
There are two sorts of lottery laws within the United States: federal and state laws.
Federal law is pretty clear that purchasing or selling lottery tickets by mail is against the law and punishable by fines or jail time. 18 U.S. Code § 1302 states:
"Whoever knowingly deposits within the mail, or sends or delivers by mail... any lottery ticket... any check, draft, bill, money, postal note, or postal order , for the acquisition of any ticket... shall be fined... or imprisoned less than two years."
But the web has opened new ways for people to shop for tickets remotely. the web isn't covered by the zip code , so does that mean that federal law doesn't apply?
Not quite. for several years, the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 prevented lottery tickets from being sold online. It states:
"Whoever being engaged within the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting within the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a results of bets or wagers, or for information assisting within the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned less than two years, or both"
However, in December of 2011, the Department of Justice released an opinion that the Federal Wire Act applies specifically to sports betting, not lottery tickets,
Their ruling stated:
"In a 13-page opinion, dated September 20, 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded that the federal Wire Act's anti-gambling provisions don't bar states from selling lottery tickets over the web because the act's prohibitions apply only to Internet transmissions that relate to 'sporting events or contests.'"
This made it possible to let states decide whether or not they want to supply online sales for his or her lottery tickets.
States That Allow Online Lottery Sales
Even if federal law allows online lottery sales, many nations are reluctant to travel forward with buying tickets online. apart from the risks of fraud, there also are other problems. for instance , it's much harder to make sure that tickets aren't sold to people under the majority when the tickets are sold online.
Plus, states don't need to lose the taxation from people that attend a shop or gasoline station to shop for a lottery ticket and find yourself making a couple of other purchases while they're there.
Currently, the subsequent states offer legal online lottery purchases:
Georgia
Illinois
Kentucky
Michigan
New Hampshire
North Carolina
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
In 2014, Minnesota became the very Delaware to supply lottery games online; however, a year later, they pulled all the games and stopped selling lottery tickets online.
Many of the participating states have tight restrictions about ticket sales; for instance , some only allow residents of their state to shop for tickets online. Other states allow anyone who is physically present in their state to shop for their tickets online. With offline sales, you would like to be physically present, but you do not need to sleep in the state or maybe be a U.S. resident.
Furthermore, most states offer only a couple of games for online purchase.
There also are ways to shop for lottery tickets semi-online. for instance , residents of some states can use a lottery app to possess someone physically buy Powerball tickets for them.
How to Stay Safe When Buying Lottery Tickets Online
If you opt to undertake your hand at playing the lottery over the web , confirm you are doing your due diligence before buying tickets.
Keep in mind that residents of most us cannot legally buy lottery tickets online. be careful for websites that appear to allow you to buy tickets, but are literally offering the "opportunity" to back the result of the lottery draw.
Don't fall for hype or for promises made by lottery apps and websites. Your safest option is to travel through a politician state lottery website. confirm that you simply know which company you're handing your money over to, and research any website thoroughly before you commit.
