Is Online Lottery Legal?

A common question lottery players ask is related to legality of playing online. It’s a valid question since you could be buying a ticket to a lottery in a different country and obviously don’t know the laws of.

There are two parts to this answer – can you buy a ticket online from your country, and does the lottery allow a non-resident to play. If the two are no forbidden, it’s legal (or not illegal) to play the lottery online.

Is it legal to play online?

This changes from country to country and from time to time. It also depends on subtle definitions of the local law.

In the United States gaming is subject to both state and federal laws. When it comes to buying tickets online to lotteries, the governing law is the state one.

Most brands block players from restricted countries to avoid any legal issues. This is one way for you to tell if you can play. But, that said, I suggest you independently check you country’s law before completing a first purchase.

Do Lotteries allow non-residents to play?

Lottery is split into carrier/messenger services and betting. The first is operating at a grey area of providing a physical service. A lottery carrier buys a ticket on a player’s behalf and holds onto it until the draw.

Summary

If you can buy a ticket and the lottery doesn’t forbid you to play, it’s not illegal to play. This means that you can freely buy lottery tickets and withdraw your winnings.

Once legality is cleared, you should consider the safety of playing online and look for the best brand for you to play at.