Online lottery is a form of gambling that uses the internet to offer players a variety of games. Some of these games include traditional lotteries, instant-win games, and multi-draw games. These games are typically sold by state-licensed businesses that may also sell physical tickets in retail settings. Retail lotteries are brick-and-mortar establishments where tickets are printed or sold and could include terminals in a store, special lottery kiosks, or point-of-sale transactions at a register.

The majority of states that have legalized online lottery offer a website where players can purchase tickets and keep track of their results. Those who play online lotteries usually have to create an account, provide payment information, and confirm their identity before purchasing tickets. Those who aren’t comfortable creating an account can use a third-party site that acts as the middleman for a state’s official lottery website. Some sites also offer free accounts and allow users to choose whether they want to register or not.

In the US, most online lottery services are run by private companies. These aren’t the same as government-run lotteries, but they often work with those lotteries to market and sell their products. They also help to verify player identities and provide customer service. Some online lottery services also offer additional services, such as a mobile app, which allows players to keep track of their tickets and results on the go.

Many of these private companies offer a wide range of state-specific and national lotteries, as well as multi-state games like Mega Millions and Powerball. They can also provide information on jackpots and odds. In addition, some have an integrated betting system where players can place bets on multiple lotteries simultaneously.

Aside from the convenience of playing online, another benefit is that it gives players access to a much wider variety of lotteries than would be possible in a traditional brick-and-mortar setting. Many of these sites are available to people from all over the world, allowing them to compete for prize money that is often in the millions of dollars.

While the big jackpots of online lottery games attract most attention, it is important to remember that there are smaller prizes as well. These tend to have better winning odds than the larger jackpots and can still amount to substantial sums of money. The best way to find out about these is to visit the websites of individual lotteries, where you can view a list of current prize amounts and winning combinations.

If you’re lucky enough to win a lottery prize, it’s important to know how to protect yourself against fraudulent offers. First and foremost, avoid any messages that claim you’ve won a prize. Those messages are data sgp almost always scams, and you can tell by the fact that they come from free email services rather than from legitimate lottery organizers. In addition, expressions such as “your email address has been selected” and “your name has been drawn” are clear signs of a scam.