If you don’t want to wait in line to buy an official lottery ticket, you can use a lottery betting site instead. These sites are similar to sportsbooks, but instead of selling tickets, players stake money on the results of various lotteries worldwide. The odds of winning on these websites are the same as those of official lotteries.
While some states have banned online lottery sales, others allow them. In Pennsylvania, for example, you can purchase tickets online through PA iLottery. Other states, like Illinois and New Hampshire, have also made it legal to sell lottery tickets online. Some states even offer instant win scratch card games. In some states, you can buy tickets for multi-state drawings or state-level drawings through online lottery sites.
The New Hampshire lottery went online in late 2018. Players can purchase tickets for major drawings, play instant-win games, and access their winnings instantly. The instant-win games are similar to scratch-off tickets found at gas stations, except that they are played on the internet. In addition to scratch-off games, the official lottery also has virtual sports betting and instant keno.
The first lottery with money prizes was conducted in the Low Countries in the 15th century. Towns in the region held public lotteries to raise funds for town fortifications and poor people. The records of Ghent, Belgium, indicate that there were lottery games even before then. A record from 9 May 1445 at L’Ecluse mentions a lottery of 4304 tickets. The winnings were equal to 1737 florins, which is about US$170,000 in today’s dollars.