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The Powerball jackpot is hitting $394 million tonight with a cash value of $274.6 million. If you’re wanting to buy tickets, you can pick up tickets in person at a grocery store or convenience store. (See Heavy’s story here for details.) But in many places you can also buy tickets online or through mobile apps. Read on for more details.
Seven States Let You Purchase Tickets Through Their State Lottery Online
Because of strict lottery regulations, only seven states let you buy Powerball tickets online through their own lottery site. You must be a resident of the state in order to purchase a ticket online and you must actually be in the state at the time you are buying the ticket online.
To buy a Powerball ticket in Georgia, visit this link. Make sure first that you read the rules closely at the bottom of the page and match all the requirements. You can enter multiple times, for multiple drawings, and choose your numbers of choose QuickPick.
To buy a Powerball ticket online in Illinois, visit this link and choose a one-time purchase or a subscription. You’ll need a free account to check out. A minimum purchase of $5 is required.
To buy a Powerball ticket in Kentucky, visit this link. You can buy one ticket (or more), choose PowerPlay if you want, and choose your numbers or do the Quick Pick option. You can also buy tickets for more than one drawing. You’ll need an account to check out, but they’re free.
To buy a Powerball ticket online in Michigan, visit this link and click Buy Now. Make sure you read the rules closely. You can 1 to 5 tickets, 20, 50, or 100 tickets. You can choose “Easy Pick” for random numbers or build your own numbers. You can also add a Power Play for $1 more.
To buy a Powerball ticket in New Hampshire, go here. You can play using a debit card through the iLottery or buy a 3-month, 6-month, or one-year subscription. Subscriptions come with discounts.
In New York, despite what you may have heard, you can’t buy a Powerball subscription. Subscriptions are only available for MegaMillions Megaplier, Cash 4 Life, and the New York Lotto only.
To buy a Powerball ticket in North Carolina, go here. Then click on the words “Get Tickets Now with Online Pay.” You can choose Quick Pick options or other choices.
To buy a Powerball ticket in North Dakota, go here for Pick & Click. This works for Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, Lotto America, and 2by2. Read the requirements, including the geo-location requirement, first. You’ll need to install the app to buy on mobile, or you’ll need a land-based Internet connection to buy on your computer. (Note: North Dakota’s lottery site is currently having issues, so this method may not work. See the sections below for more options.)
To buy a Powerball ticket in Virginia, go here. This is an online lottery subscription that covers Powerball and Mega Millions and Cash4Life. You must be a resident of Virginia to use this and a minimum deposit of $20 is required, with a minimum subscription length of two weeks or four drawings. These can be purchased the day of the drawing.
Other Online Options
In California and Texas, you can use an online service like TheLotter, which lets you buy through proxy. These do come with risks, as some state lotteries might not accept winning tickets purchased this way. You’ll only be able to use the site if you’re visiting from a state that works with the site legally.
Mobile Apps Let You Buy Tickets from Your Phone
You can also buy tickets through a mobile app. A very popular option is JackPocket. This works with Powerball and Mega Millions and some state lotteries. You can buy individual tickets or play as part of a pool, and you can get a subscription if you want. You can choose your own numbers or use a quick pick option. If you buy a ticket, you’ll get an email with the ticket’s serial number and a photo of the ticket. Winnings under $600 are deposited into your account. If your ticket is a bigger win than that, it will be securely transferred to you.
If Jackpocket isn’t available yet in your state, you can select your state from the app’s play screen and then choose “Let me know when play launches.” Enter your phone number and you’ll get a text when the game is available in your state. You can only play lotteries in the state you’re physically located in.
LottoHub is the official app of Powerball and MegaMillions for iPhone or Android. You can enter your ticket information there to keep track of your results.