There are four draw games covered on this site, and they do not share a map. Two are national, two are regional. That difference matters more than it sounds, because the jurisdiction where you buy is the jurisdiction that pays you — and, in most cases, the jurisdiction that taxes you.
Where each game is sold
| Game | Line price | Sold in |
|---|---|---|
| Powerball | $2 | 45 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Sales expand to the United Kingdom from 21 July 2026 |
| Mega Millions | $5 | 45 states, Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands |
| Lotto America | $1 | 16 jurisdictions: DC, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia |
| Millionaire for Life | $5 | Launched in 31 jurisdictions, including Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming |
Millionaire for Life launched on 22 February 2026, replacing both Cash4Life and Lucky for Life in most of the states that offered them. A handful of states — Delaware, Florida, Maryland and Missouri — stayed on their previous game. Tickets from the retiring games remain valid until their own claim deadlines pass.
You can buy out of state. You cannot claim out of state.
Nothing stops a visitor from buying a ticket in a neighbouring state, and nothing requires you to be a resident in order to play or to win. But multi-state games are claimed in the state of purchase. Mega Millions states it directly: a ticket must be claimed in the same state or jurisdiction in which it was purchased. Lotto America’s rule is the same.
This creates a real cost that is easy to overlook. Buying a ticket while travelling is fine until the prize is large enough to require an in-person appearance at headquarters — at which point you are making that trip again, at your own expense, inside a claim window that may be as short as 180 days.
Age limits differ by state
Eighteen is the standard minimum, but it is not universal: Louisiana, Iowa and Arizona set the bar at 21, and Nebraska at 19. If you are buying for the first time, it is worth checking the rule where you are standing.
Buying through an official app
A growing number of states sell draw-game tickets through their own lottery application or iLottery platform — New York, Georgia, Kentucky and Michigan among them. Coverage is patchy and changes from year to year.
Buying this way has one advantage that has nothing to do with convenience: the ticket lives in your account. There is no thermal paper in a glove compartment, no chance of it going through a wash cycle, and no risk of losing the only proof of ownership. For anyone who plays regularly, that removes the largest single category of loss described in our guide to protecting a ticket.
Use the official state application rather than a third-party site. The regulatory position of ticket couriers varies widely between jurisdictions, and a purchase made through an unregulated intermediary can leave you with no route to a prize at all.
What you actually keep
The state where you buy sets the tax, so the same jackpot is worth different amounts depending on where the ticket was printed.
- Federal withholding. Winnings above $5,000 are subject to 24% federal withholding at the time of payment. That is a deposit against your tax bill, not the final figure — depending on your total income, the eventual liability can be higher.
- State tax. Ranges from nothing at all to a meaningful additional rate. A few states do not tax lottery winnings, including Florida, Texas and Washington; others add their own rate on top of the federal amount.
- Non-US residents. A winner who is not a US resident must provide an address outside the United States, and 30% is deducted for federal taxes.
- Annuity or cash. The advertised jackpot is the total of 30 graduated payments spread over 29 years. The lump-sum alternative is roughly half the headline figure — around 50% to 52% — paid immediately. In practice the overwhelming majority of winners take the cash.
Whether your name becomes public
This varies enough between jurisdictions that it is worth checking before you play rather than after you win. Some states allow a prize to be claimed through a trust or a similar arrangement, keeping the winner’s identity out of the public record. Others require the winner to be identified. The decision has to be taken early, which is why our guide to protecting a ticket advises against signing a very large ticket before seeking advice.
The short version
Check that the game you want is sold where you are standing. Check the age limit. Remember that the ticket must be claimed where it was bought, and that the tax treatment is set there too. And if you intend to play regularly, an official state app removes the biggest single risk in the entire process.
TrendLotto.com is an independent lottery information site and is not affiliated with any lottery organization. Game rules, odds and prize amounts described here are based on published official rules and can change — always confirm current details with your state lottery before playing. Play responsibly; if gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.