Online lottery is a type of gambling where players purchase entries to official government-run lotteries. Unlike traditional lotteries, which are run by state governments, most online lotteries are private businesses that act as middlemen for national and international games. They are typically regulated and offer a wide variety of games for players to choose from.
To play online lotteries, players must be of legal age and live in the state where they are playing. Some states, such as Virginia, offer a subscription-based service that allows residents to buy tickets online. However, others require that players be native residents to play. Regardless of the rules, lottery apps and websites use geolocation to ensure that players are within state boundaries.
Most online lotteries feature a variety of instant win games, including a growing number of keno titles. The prizes for these games vary, but some of them have jackpots in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Pennsylvania Keystone Cash and Jungle Tumble Jackpots are two examples of games with top prizes exceeding $300,000, while the Michigan Lottery offers more than 350 different instant games.
In addition to the games themselves, many online lotteries also offer a variety of tools and tips for winning. Some of them offer a quick how-to guide for each game, while others have more in-depth tutorials. Players can also improve their odds of winning by purchasing more tickets. To do this, they can join a lottery syndicate, which is a group of players that pools their money together to purchase tickets. The proceeds from the ticket sales are then split based on how many tickets each player purchased.