Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online In Minnesota

1. Buying Tickets Online

You can buy Powerball tickets in stores from most states in America, but residents of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah do not have a state lottery of their own to enjoy. Players in non-participating states previously had little option but to travel outside their borders if they wanted to take part in the game, but it is now possible to play Powerball online.

How to Play

Buy Lottery Tickets Did you know that you can buy tickets for both USA multi-state and international lotteries, online, from your own home? Thu, January 1, 1970.

All games on this page are available at local Lottery retailers. To see all tickets that can still be claimed, check our Claimable Scratch Games page. Ticket 1 field White Ball 1 ticket 1 field White Ball 2 ticket 1 field White Ball 3 ticket 1 field White Ball 4 ticket 1 field White Ball 5 ticket 1 field Powerball.

Concierge services such as WinTrillions allow you to buy online lottery tickets from anywhere in the USA. Click the Powerball banner below to get started and follow the 4 simple steps to receive your tickets in no time!

• 1. Decide how many lines to play - You can select up to 19 lines of numbers to enter into the Powerball draw.
• 2. Select your numbers - Choose your own lucky numbers, or allow the QuickPick option to make a random selection for you.
• 3. Subscribe to your chosen number of draws - WinTrillions allows users to buy tickets for up to 12 months worth of Powerball draws at a time, meaning that you never have to worry about missing a big jackpot.
• 4. Confirm your selection - Once you are happy with your choices, create your online player account and purchase your tickets.

A lottery agent based in a participating state will then buy the official tickets from an authorised retailer and you will be sent a scanned copy as proof of purchase. Your numbers will be securely stored in your account until the Powerball draw.

The payment system is fully encrypted and refunds are guaranteed if your expectations aren't met.

All of your tickets are scanned securely into your online account.

Your winnings will also be automatically paid into your account.

How to Claim

You will be automatically notified of any prize win on Powerball and in most cases the money will be transferred directly to your online account. From there, you can use your winnings to purchase tickets for future draws, or withdraw it into your bnak account. For a larger amount such as the jackpot, arrangements may need to be made for you to collect the prize in person, but officials from the lottery concierge service will be able to guide you through the process.

Is it Legal?

Yes. Online services such as WinTrillions provide a messenger business rather than a gambling business, buying official tickets on the behalf of players.

Tax

Online services do not charge commission so you can win all the same prizes as anyone who buys a Powerball ticket from a retailer, but you still have to pay taxes like everyone else. All big prizes are subject to federal tax of 25%, and there is then a state withholding depending on where the ticket is purchased. Each state has a different tax rate, and some cities also apply their own separate rules.

For details of the exact rates charged in each state, visit the Taxes page.

Benefits of Playing Online

If you play online, it takes away the need to go and find a store and wait in line for a ticket. You cannot lose your ticket as you are sent a scanned copy as proof that you have played, and you will be paid any prize money straight away. Find out more about previous winners who have used concierge services and the benefits they have enjoyed by playing online.

Why do some states not sell Powerball tickets?

Legislators in Utah and Hawaii have always been opposed to gambling of any kind. Whereas Nevada has state-approved casinos which have left their respective gaming boards reluctant to introduce lotteries. Alaska is so sparsely populated that there has never been a huge demand for a lottery, but it has been a big issue in Alabama as so many residents cross state lines to spend money on tickets elsewhere that politicians regularly debate the merits of bringing in a lottery.

You can also take part in international lottery games from outside the USA, using similar online services to choose numbers online and try to win great prizes.

St. Paul, Minnesota resident, Brandon Stevenson won $1 million in the Powerball on July 11. Stevenson didn’t buy his ticket at the corner gas station, though. Instead, he purchased the ticket through the mobile lottery app, Jackpocket.

Stevenson is the first big winner for the company that counts two states in its portfolio: New Hampshire and Minnesota.

“This is by far the biggest winner we’ve ever had,” said Peter Sullivan, the CEO of the lottery app Jackpocket to Fox 9 News.

Jackpocket launched in Minnesota last month and has been a topic of discussion ever since.

The controversy comes from the fact that online lottery gambling is illegal in Minnesota. It seems there is a disagreement about whether Jackpocket is considered online gaming.

Basically, the app allows the player to buy a lottery ticket virtually, skipping the visit to the local convenience store.

What exactly is Jackpocket?

The five-year-old Brooklyn, New York mobile app company allows anyone in New Hampshire or Minnesota to purchase a ticket through the app. A lottery player doesn’t need to be a resident of those states; they just need to be within the borders of either state.

Jackpocket has a team that physically walks into a store and purchases lottery tickets on its customer’s behalf. After purchasing the ticket, it is scanned and sent to the customer via the app.

Winnings under $600 are automatically deposited back into the customer’s Jackpocket account. Big winners, like Stevenson, must take their ticket to the lottery office to claim the winnings. Jackpocket makes arrangements to transfer the physical ticket to the customer.

Lottery Ticket Store Locations

The company makes its money from a seven-percent service charge on each customer deposit. Jackpocket is also forming relationships with retailers for a portion of the commission the retailer makes when it sells a winning ticket.

Think of Jackpocket as the Uber, GrubHub, or InstaCart of lottery tickets.

Questions surround Jackpocket’s legality

Can You Purchase Lottery Tickets Online

There are questions around whether Jackpocket is legal in a state where online gambling is illegal.

It is legal for someone to buy a lottery ticket for someone else. It is also legal for someone to gift a lottery ticket to another person.

A person is still physically purchasing the ticket at a retailer. Does it matter whether it is the winner purchasing the ticket or not?

The Minnesota Lottery thinks the company is operating U.S. online gaminglegally and signed a Memo of Understanding to that effect.

“They operate under Minnesota statutes to make these purchases for their customers,” said Adam Prock, the director of communications for the Minnesota Lottery to the Star Tribune.

As far as we’re concerned [Stevenson] is just like any other winner, and this is like any other brick-and-mortar purchase. We’re excited we have a new millionaire in Minnesota.

Jake Grassel, the executive director for Citizens Against Expanded Gambling, disagrees. Grassel says an app that allows someone to sit on their couch and gamble by purchasing a lottery ticket is online gambling.

“What’s next — can you pay someone to sit on the slot machine while you push the button on your phone from the couch?” Grassel said.

There is certainly a case for both sides. Stevenson bought his lottery ticket virtually. He also could have emailed a friend and asked him to buy a ticket for him. Is there a difference?

Sullivan says no. “It’s not online gambling. What Jackpocket does as a service is we buy that ticket on the user’s behalf,” he said.

Will the Minnesota legislature take up the issue?

Grassel contends the legislature did not intend to create this kind of loophole in outlawing online gambling. He asserts that Citizens Against Expanded Gambling will lobby state legislators to address this issue specifically.

State Representative Greg Davids (R-Preston) agrees with Grassel. Davids sent a letter to Robert Doty, the director of the Minnesota Lottery, expressing his concern.

The Minnesota Lottery’s continued refusal to work within the confines of state law is a source of ongoing frustration for state lawmakers.

Given the legal uncertainty and risk posed to our state, I urge the Minnesota Lottery to immediately rescind the MoUs and work with the Alcohol Gambling and Enforcement Division to suspend operation of reseller services until these issues can be resolved.

Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online In Minnesota State

The Minnesota legislature convenes next in January 2019. Only time will tell whether the legality of mobile lottery apps will be on the calendar.

For now, Stevenson, a Concordia University student was able to take the ticket purchased by Jackpocket on his behalf and claim the $1 million prize. He used the credits Jackpocket awarded for referring a friend to buy the ticket.

How To Buy Lottery Tickets Online In Minnesota

Stevenson might want to keep his referral link handy. Chances are he is likely to get asked a lot about Jackpocket in the coming days.