Online lottery tickets are very popular in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Lotteries reported a noticeable increase in ticket sales with the implementation of online ticket sales. The UK National Lottery website is probably one of the best examples of online lottery ticket sales. UK lottery players can play all the games offered by the National Lottery and EuroMillions. Other big money lottery games available online include Lotto, Thunderball, LottoHotPicks, DreamNumber and Daily Play. In addition players can also purchase online lottery tickets for several instant win games. The UK lottery is operated by Camelot which designs the games, provides marketing support and maintains the lottery website. Lottery players in the UK appreciate the convenience of online lottery tickets and players need only to log on to the official website and fund an account using major credit cards or debit cards. For those interested in forming a lottery syndicate the UK national lottery website provides a complete kit with instructions for forming a lottery syndicate.

New Zealand is another country that has moved its lottery games into the 21st century. Winners can have their funds directly deposited into personal bank accounts. In the US two states are currently exploring the possibility of offering online lottery tickets; Iowa and Illinois. Federal regulations regarding online gaming have hindered efforts to implement online lottery ticket sales in the US. In 2009 several lottery related transactions were declined by some banks due to vague federal regulations highlighting the need to clarify regulations regarding lottery related transactions. If Iowa and Illinois are successful in providing online lottery tickets most states are expected to follow their example. Industry experts have said time and time again that online lottery ticket sales will boost flagging ticket sales. Since the technology is already in place it should be easy for states to provide online lottery ticket sales as soon as federal regulations are adjusted to accommodate online lottery ticket sales.

US lottery players can still purchase online lottery tickets at several websites. Online lottery tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions and most state lotteries can be purchased with major credit cards, debit cards, and online payment services such as EwalletXpress. Many lottery websites sell tickets for foreign lotteries such as EuroMillions, Italy’s Ena Lottery, Spain’s ElGordo lottery and many others. Once the federal regulations are lifted online lottery ticket sales are expected to skyrocket. Most industry experts say that in the very near future most lottery ticket purchases will be made online.