Lotto Ticket

Lottery tickets have a long and interesting history dating back to the Han Dynasty in China. Private lotteries were popular during the Roman Empire but lotteries as we know them today did not start until the mid 14th century in the Netherlands. In fact the Dutch Staatsloterij is the world's oldest continually running lottery, dating all the way back to the 15th century. Since then lotteries have pretty much followed the same model; players purchase a lotto ticket in hopes of winning a large amount of money. Generally the lottery jackpot is the sum of all the money collected from lotto ticket sales minus operating expenses. If there is no winner the jackpot is usually rolled over until there is a winner which can create some pretty large jackpots.

At the present time there are 44 state lotteries operating in the US. States without lotteries include Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Most state lotto tickets are sold through a network of lottery retailers, typically convenience stores and gas stations. Players can usually buy a lotto ticket 24 hours a day except on draw nights. When purchasing a lotto ticket the player either selects his numbers or uses what is usually known as a 'quick pick' option where the numbers are selected by a random number generator. It is interesting to note that statistically most big winners used the quick pick option to select their numbers.

In Europe, Australia and New Zealand players may go online to purchase a lotto ticket. New Zealand has a sophisticated online lottery system and players can go to the Kiwi lottery website, establish an account and buy lotto tickets. In the event of a win the jackpot can be deposited directly into the players checking or savings account and all winners are notified by email. New Zealand is probably the only lottery website offering direct deposits. Large wins must still be collected in person. European lottery players can go to any official lottery website to purchase a lotto ticket.

In the US players cannot buy a lotto ticket online at state lottery websites. US players can purchase lottery tickets online through third party subscription services. These services purchase lotto tickets on behalf of players and hold the tickets until the actual lottery draw. If a player wins the lottery service will make arrangements for the ticket to be delivered to the player so the jackpot can be claimed in person as most state lotteries require. Players have a lot of options when purchasing a lotto ticket and rapidly advancing technology keeps making it easier and easier!