Playing the lottery in the United States is a six-step process: choose a legal game, select your numbers or use Quick Pick, pay for the ticket, keep it safe, and check the official result after the drawing. If the ticket wins, follow the instructions from the lottery that sold it.
Rules, ticket prices, minimum age requirements, online availability, and claim deadlines vary by state and game.
Last reviewed:
How to Play the Lottery in Six Steps
1. Choose a lottery game
Common lottery options include:
- Draw games, such as Powerball, Mega Millions, and state lotto games
- Scratch-off tickets, which reveal the result immediately
- Daily games, such as Pick 3, Pick 4, and similar number games
Read the ticket or playslip before buying. It shows the number of selections required, the price per play, the drawing date, and the available prize categories.
2. Buy your ticket from an authorized seller
You can usually buy lottery tickets from an authorized retailer in the state where the lottery operates. Some state lotteries also sell eligible games online, but availability depends on the jurisdiction. Mega Millions, for example, allows online purchases through participating state lotteries and the District of Columbia.
Avoid unofficial websites, social media accounts, and people who contact you claiming that you have won.
3. Pick your numbers or use Quick Pick
You normally have two choices:
- Choose your own numbers on the playslip.
- Use Quick Pick, also called Easy Pick in some lotteries, so the terminal selects numbers at random.
Quick Pick does not change your odds. Every valid number combination has the same chance of being drawn.
For example, a Powerball play requires five numbers from 1 through 69 and one Powerball number from 1 through 26.
4. Select the number of drawings
You can usually buy:
- A ticket for the next drawing
- Multiple plays for the same drawing
- The same numbers for several future drawings
Check the ticket before leaving the store. Confirm the game, numbers, drawing date, and number of plays.
5. Pay for the ticket and store it safely
Keep the original ticket in a dry, secure place. Check all prize tiers before throwing it away because many lottery games offer smaller prizes.
If you share a ticket, write down who contributed money and how any prize will be divided. A written agreement can help prevent disputes if the ticket wins.
6. Check the official winning numbers
Use the official state lottery website, the official game website, or an authorized retailer to check the results. Compare every number and prize tier, including smaller prizes.
Claiming rules and deadlines vary by state and game. Follow the instructions from the lottery that sold the ticket, and do not wait until the last day to claim a large prize.
How Powerball and Mega Millions Work
| Game | Price per play | Number selection | Drawing schedule | Jackpot odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerball | $2 | Five numbers from 1 to 69, plus one Powerball from 1 to 26 | Check the official schedule | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| Mega Millions | $5 | Five numbers from 1 to 70, plus one Mega Ball from 1 to 24 | Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time | 1 in 290,472,336 |
Powerball offers nine ways to win, with overall odds of approximately 1 in 24.87. Jackpot winners can choose a lump-sum payment or an annuity paid through 30 graduated payments over 29 years.
Mega Millions tickets cost $5 and include a randomly assigned 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X multiplier. The overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 23. The jackpot odds are 1 in 290,472,336.
Does Choosing Lucky Numbers Improve Your Chances?
No. Birthdays, anniversaries, repeated numbers, number patterns, and "hot" numbers do not make a combination more likely to be drawn. Lottery drawings are random, so choosing numbers yourself and using Quick Pick give you the same odds for that play.
Choosing numbers above 31 may reduce the chance of sharing a prize with players who use calendar dates. It does not increase the chance that your ticket will win.
What Should You Do If Your Ticket Wins?
If your ticket wins, verify it, secure it, and follow the claim instructions for the state where you bought it.
- Check the ticket against the official results.
- Keep the ticket in a secure place.
- Read the claim instructions for that state.
- Claim the prize before the applicable deadline.
- Consider speaking with a tax professional and financial adviser before claiming a large prize.
In the United States, lottery winnings are taxable income. The IRS requires gambling winnings to be reported, and certain lottery winnings may have 24% federal tax withheld at payment. Withholding is not necessarily the final amount of tax owed.
Watch for scams. Legitimate lotteries do not generally contact people by email or telephone to announce an unexpected prize. You should never pay an upfront fee to receive lottery winnings.
How Much Should You Spend?
Treat lottery tickets as entertainment, not as an investment or a way to make money. Set a spending limit before you play, do not use money needed for bills, and do not increase your spending to recover previous losses.
More tickets create more entries, but the jackpot odds remain extremely low. Set the limit before you buy, and stop there.