How to Play the Lottery Online

A handful of states now offer lottery games online. Most sell tickets via their own websites, but some also use third-party lottery agents to break down the barriers of time and distance. These agents act as middlemen that buy tickets on your behalf and send you a scan, but they also tend to charge a premium over the cost of purchasing directly through the state. Ideally, you should always play through a lottery’s official website as this saves money and cuts out the middleman.

A legitimate lottery site will have a clean and intuitive design, making it easy to reach different areas of the page. It should also work well on both desktop and mobile devices. Some even go a step further by offering dedicated mobile apps. Lastly, it should be regulated by gambling commissions to ensure it’s trustworthy.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, choose numbers that aren’t close together or those that are associated with special dates, like birthdays. You can also improve your chances by purchasing more tickets. Just remember, though, that each number has an equal chance of being chosen.

Many lottery sites now offer a subscription service where players can purchase tickets automatically on a recurring basis for weeks, months or years. To use this option, visit the state’s official lottery website and look for a subscription link somewhere. Alternatively, there are third-party services like TheLotter that work by buying tickets on your behalf and sending you a scan.