Online lottery is a great option for people who don’t want to drive, fly or take the train to play in a local lotto. They can use online lotteries to participate in national and international games from the comfort of their home, office, football stadium or pub. However, before playing, it’s important to understand how these sites operate.

While many people have heard of the online lottery, they might not know exactly what it is. While online lotteries are not official government-run, they can still provide an excellent way to play the lottery and have a good chance of winning a jackpot. They also offer players more flexibility in choosing their numbers.

Several states allow their residents to purchase tickets online through state-regulated platforms and apps. These platforms can be accessed via desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Most of these platforms allow users to buy both instant win scratch-off tickets and traditional drawing-style games. They can also purchase tickets for multi-state lottery games such as Powerball and Mega Millions. Many of these sites have various deposit and withdrawal methods, including ACH/eCheck, PayPal, and credit cards.

These sites typically don’t purchase the physical lottery tickets on behalf of their customers, but they do act as middlemen to purchase entries to the official lottery game. They may charge a fee for this service, but it is usually much lower than what you would pay in a brick-and-mortar store. The sites also allow players to choose the numbers and combinations that they want to use for the next draw, which gives them a second chance at winning.