What is iLottery, and how is it different from a courier app?
iLottery means buying from the state lottery itself, online. You open an account on the lottery's official site or app, fund it, and buy draw-game tickets or play online instant games (usually called eInstants). The lottery records the purchase against your account, small prizes are credited back to it, and no paper ticket is printed.
A courier app such as Jackpocket or Lotto.com works differently. It's a private company that takes your order, has a real paper ticket printed at a licensed retailer in your state, and holds it for you. Couriers can only sell games that are on sale in stores, and they charge a fee on top of the ticket price. iLottery tickets cost face value, and many iLottery programs offer eInstant games that aren't sold in stores at all.
Both depend on where you are at the moment you buy. iLottery sites and courier apps use geolocation to confirm you're inside a state where they're allowed to sell. Neither lets you buy another state's tickets from home.
Which states have iLottery in 2026?
These jurisdictions sell online through the state lottery:
- Connecticut
- Delaware (since January 15, 2026; eInstant games, more than 250 titles at launch, linked to the Players Club account)
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts (Mass Lottery Online, since July 27, 2026; players must be 21 or older even though the retail age is 18)
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
- Washington, D.C. (since December 21, 2020, starting with Powerball, Mega Millions and eInstants, according to the DC Lottery's launch announcement)
- West Virginia
Illinois and Georgia have sold online the longest, since 2012. What each lottery sells online varies, and lineups change. Most of these programs sell Powerball and Mega Millions online, and many add the state's own draw games and a catalog of eInstants. Some are narrower: Delaware's launch was built around eInstant games. Check your lottery's site for its current online lineup before you open an account.
You won't find Lucky for Life or Cash4Life on any of these sites now. Both games held their final drawings on February 21, 2026 and were replaced by Millionaire for Life.
New Jersey and New York don't run iLottery. In both states you can order online only through a licensed courier; see buying New York Lottery tickets online. Some lotteries without iLottery do sell multi-draw subscriptions online, which is a different product from buying a single ticket for tonight's draw.
Where iLottery isn't coming soon
Expansion has slowed. In Indiana, a bill to allow online lottery sales cleared a House committee but stalled in January 2026 without a full House vote. Colorado's lottery has moved toward online sales, but lawmakers have pushed back, so check the Colorado Lottery for where that stands. Maine doesn't sell online.
Several of the biggest lottery states, including Texas, Florida and California, don't sell tickets online directly. Convenience-store and retailer groups often oppose iLottery because stores earn a commission on each ticket they sell. Texas went the furthest the other way: in June 2025 Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 3070, which made selling lottery tickets online or through apps a crime, including through couriers, abolished the Texas Lottery Commission and moved the lottery to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Can you buy Powerball and Mega Millions through iLottery?
In most iLottery states, yes. Online tickets are entered in the same drawings as tickets bought in stores and win the same prizes. The numbers are the same everywhere, so you can check them on the Powerball and Mega Millions results pages wherever you bought.
What to know before you sign up
Location is checked every time you buy. If you live in Michigan but you're on vacation in Florida, you can't buy Michigan iLottery tickets until you're back inside Michigan. A visitor to Michigan, on the other hand, can usually open an account and play while there.
Accounts come with deposit and spending limits, and you can set your own lower limits or exclude yourself entirely. Lowering a limit takes effect right away in most programs; raising one may come with a waiting period. Payment rules vary by state, and some don't accept credit cards.
Small prizes go straight to your account balance. Larger ones, above a threshold each lottery sets, still have to be claimed with the lottery, and withdrawals to a bank account can take a few business days. Tax rules don't change because you played online: every prize is taxable income. For 2026 the federal reporting threshold for a Form W-2G rose from $600 to $2,000, according to the IRS instructions for Form W-2G, so fewer mid-size wins generate a form.
Privacy rules are the same as for a paper ticket. If your state publishes the names of large winners, that applies to online wins as well; see the state guide to staying anonymous.
iLottery or courier?
If your state has iLottery and sells the game you want online, it's the cheaper route, because you pay face value with no service fee. A courier makes sense where there's no iLottery but couriers are allowed, or for a game your state doesn't sell online. Some states allow neither, and several have banned couriers outright, in which case the store counter is the only legal way to play.
Buying lottery tickets online: common questions
How many states sell lottery tickets online directly?
Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., as of October 2026. Delaware (January 2026) and Massachusetts (July 2026) are the newest. Each sells only to players physically inside its borders.
Can you buy lottery tickets online in New Jersey or New York?
Only through a licensed courier app. Neither state lottery sells tickets directly online. The courier buys a paper ticket at a licensed retailer for you, usually for a fee, and you have to be in the state when you order.
Is it legal to buy lottery tickets online from another state?
No. iLottery sites and courier apps check that you're physically in the state when you buy. Residency isn't the test: a visitor inside the state can usually buy, and a resident who is out of state can't.
Do iLottery winnings get paid automatically?
Small prizes are credited to your online account automatically. Prizes above a limit set by each lottery have to be claimed with the lottery. All prizes are taxable, and for 2026 the W-2G reporting threshold is $2,000.
How old do you have to be to play the lottery online?
Usually the same age as in stores, 18 in most states. Massachusetts is an exception: its online platform requires players to be 21, while the retail age stays at 18.
The national problem gambling helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET.
Sources: DC Lottery and Delaware Lottery launch announcements, Massachusetts State Lottery and Aristocrat Interactive launch announcement (July 2026), Texas Tribune reporting on SB 3070, IRS Form W-2G instructions. Online lineups and laws change often; check your state lottery's site before you sign up.
