Maryland Online Lottery Overview

The Maryland Lottery is available online to players who are 18 or older. On this page, we’ll walk you through all the key aspects of the Maryland Lottery, including details about how to play online.

Can you play the lottery online in Maryland?

Maryland allows online play, but it’s only for certain games. Additionally, it requires a subscription.

The available games are Mega Millions, Powerball, Multi-Match, and Cash4Life. Maryland is one of 12 states (along with Washington DC) to offer some form of online lottery.

Main facts to know about the MD online lottery – September 2024

Our experience playing the MD Lottery online

We gave the Maryland online lottery a try. While the options are extremely limited for online play in the state, the subscriptions offered are interesting at the very least. Below, we’ll run through the core things you should know.

What does an online subscription get you? And how do you sign up?

The only way to play online lottery games in Maryland is via subscription. Even then, much of the process of starting a subscription takes place offline, making Maryland arguably the least appealing of all online lottery sites in the US. Subscriptions are available for Powerball, Mega Millions, Multi-Match, and Cash4Life.

For Powerball, Mega Millions, and Multi-Match, subscriptions come in the following formats:

• 26 drawings (13 weeks)
• 52 drawings (26 weeks)
• 104 drawings (52 weeks)

Cash4Life subscriptions come in the following increments:

• 91 drawings (13 weeks)
• 182 drawings (26 weeks)
• 365 drawings (52 weeks)

To purchase a subscription, you must have a My Lottery Rewards account. After you sign in, access the main menu and tap “Subscriptions,” then tap “Create Subscriptions,” then select your game and any extra details (like Power Play or Megaplier) to finish the subscription form. Your numbers will remain the same for every drawing in your subscription.

After filling out your subscription form online, you must mail it to this address along with a check or money order for your payment:

Maryland Lottery Subscriptions

1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 300

Baltimore, MD, 21230

Your subscription form will have a unique barcode. Once the Maryland Lottery receives your form, it will scan the barcode to activate your subscription. You’ll get an email confirming the activation.

Subscriptions start at $2 per ticket, with increases for special add-ons like Power Play or Megaplier. The total price for each subscription type is clearly listed on the form, so you don’t have to do any math to know the total cost.

App vs. browser

The Maryland Lottery has both an app and a browser site. We won’t harp much on the browser version. It gets the job done and works as expected.

The app situation is less straightforward. There are two apps:

• MD Lottery
• MD Lottery – My Lottery Rewards

The one you want for subscriptions is the My Lottery Rewards app. It’s frankly confusing and disappointing that the apps are separate. Both apps let you scan tickets, check numbers, and perform other baseline lottery functions. The My Lottery Rewards app will let you start a subscription.

ePlayslips are a nice time-saver

While they don’t facilitate actual online play, the Maryland Lottery app and the My Lottery Rewards app and site offer ePlayslips. Using this function, you can create plays online for various games: Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Bonus Match 5, Powerball, Mega Millions, Multi-Match, Cash4Life, Keno, Packaged Keno, and Racetrax.

Pick your numbers and the amount of drawings you wish to enter, and the app will create a QR code. You can bring it to a partnered MD Lottery retailer to get your ticket.

This saves you time, as you don’t need to fill out your slip manually in-store.

Of note: You cannot create ePlayslips on the MD Lottery site.

Promotions

Creating a My Lottery Rewards account with the Maryland Lottery online gives you access to exclusive promotions. Second-chance drawings are available for various games, too.

Additionally, the MD Lottery has a points system. Enter points for participating in draw games. Then, redeem those points for entries into sweepstakes. Prizes have included Macbooks, Beats headphones, and an outdoor patio furniture set.

Tap “Promotions” in the main menu of the MD Lottery site, the My Lottery Rewards site, or the My Lottery Rewards app for more information on bonuses.

How to play Powerball in MD

Powerball is available via an online subscription created in the My Lottery Rewards app. Powerball subscriptions are available for 26, 52, or 104 drawings. That’s 13 weeks, 26 weeks, and 52 weeks, respectively.

Here’s how to create a Powerball subscription:

1. Open the My Lottery Rewards app or site and create an account (if you haven’t already).
2. Access the main menu on the upper left, tap “Subscriptions,” then “Create Subscriptions.”
3. Select Powerball from the game options by tapping “PURCHASE NOW.”
4. Pick your numbers and additional options (such as Power Play).
5. Complete the subscription form by filling in details that include name, address, SSN, and date of birth.
6. Print the completed form and mail it to this address: Maryland Lottery Subscriptions, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21230.

Once you have a My Lottery Rewards account, you can fill out a subscription form online for up to two games (which will then be played for each drawing to which you’ve subscribed).

For a semi-online experience, here’s how to create a Powerball ePlayslip:

1. Open the My Lottery Rewards app or site. Make an account if you haven’t yet because you’ll need it.
2. Open the main menu, tap “ePlayslip,” and then select “New ePlayslip.”
3. Select Powerball from the 12 game options on the next screen. You could also get to this point by opening your MD Lottery app, selecting the “Games” option in the bottom toolbar, picking your game, and tapping the “ePlayslips” tab at the top of the next screen.
4. You can use “Quick Pick” to randomly select numbers, or you can pick your own. Choose the number of draws and whether you want Power Play and Double Play.
5. Tap “CREATE PLAYSLIP” when you’re ready.
6. Show the QR code on the next screen to any Maryland Lottery retailer to buy your ticket(s). You can also save the Powerball ePlayslip and find it by accessing the My Rewards App main menu, then tapping “ePlayslip” and “Saved ePlayslips.”

How to play Mega Millions in MD

Mega Millions is available for online subscriptions in Maryland. You can do one or two games at a time, and the subscriptions come in increments of 13 weeks, 26 weeks, or 52 weeks. You can add Megaplier to your subscription for $1 per entry (added onto the $2 base fee for a Mega Millions ticket).

Here’s how to create a Mega Millions subscription:

1. Open the My Lottery Rewards app or site. Create an account if you don’t have one.
2. Open the main menu, tap “Subscriptions,” and then select “Create Subscriptions.”
3. Choose Mega Millions from the game options by selecting “PURCHASE NOW.”
4. Select your numbers and additional options (such as Megaplier).
5. Complete the subscription with details including name, address, SSN, and date of birth.
6. Print the completed form and mail it to Maryland Lottery Subscriptions, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21230.

Or, for a somewhat online experience, here’s how to create a Mega Millions ePlayslip:

1. Access your My Lottery Rewards app or site. If you haven’t yet, create an account.
2. In the main menu, select “ePlayslip,” and then tap “New ePlayslip.”
3. Pick Mega Millions from the 12 game options on the next screen. Alternatively, you could reach this point on the MD Lottery app by tapping “Games” in the bottom toolbar, then selecting your game from the options on the next screen, then tapping the “ePlayslips” tab at the top of the following screen.
4. Use “Quick Pick” to randomly choose numbers, or you can select your own. Then, decide on the number of draws and whether you want Megaplier.
5. Tap “CREATE PLAYSLIP” when you’re ready.
6. Show the QR code on the next screen to any Maryland Lottery retailer to buy your ticket(s). You can also save the Mega Millions ePlayslip and access it later by opening the My Rewards App main menu, then selecting “ePlayslip” and “Saved ePlayslips.”

You can play these lottery games online in MD

Only a select few lottery draw games are available for online subscription in Maryland, and even those require some physical steps to purchase.

Powerball

Powerball is one of the best-known multi-state draw games, and it’s available in Maryland. You can get subscriptions by creating an online My Lottery Rewards account in Maryland, filling out a form, and sending it in with payment. Your subscription will activate when the MD Lottery receives the form and notifies you.

You can also buy single Powerball tickets with an online ePlayslip that you show a retail vendor.

Mega Millions

Mega Millions is the other major draw game offered in Maryland and many other states. You can subscribe to set numbers for one or two games for periods of 13, 26, or 52 weeks in Maryland. Start the process online, and your subscription will start after the MD Lottery receives your subscription form and payment.

Alternatively, you could create an ePlayslip for a single Mega Millions ticket and present your QR at any retailer.

Multi-Match

Multi-Match is available online in Maryland via subscription. You can also submit an ePlayslip and redeem the resulting QR code at a retailer to get your official ticket.

Cash4Life

Cash4Life is the final option for Maryland online lottery players. Drawings occur every night, so the subscription amounts differ from the games above. You can subscribe for 91 drawings (13 weeks), 182 drawings (26 weeks), or 365 drawings (52 weeks). Again, creating a single-ticket ePlayslip is also an option.

These games aren’t available online

Maryland has many other lottery games aside from those offering subscriptions. The following game types are available only for retail play (with some ePlayslip options).

Scratch-offs

Scratch-offs, scratch cards, instant tickets … whatever you like to call them, they’re available only at retail locations in Maryland. Players who want a similar experience in the online world can try scratch-inspired games at social casinos, which let you play for digital currency you can redeem for cash.

Fast Play

Fast Play and Fast Cash lottery games are not available online in Maryland. You can visit a participating lottery retailer to give the games a go in the Old Line State.

Retail-only draw games

Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Bonus Match 5, and a few other draw games are exclusively available via retail sellers in Maryland. However, you can create ePlayslips for these games via your My Lottery Rewards app and then show the QR code to any retailer to purchase your ticket.

Keno

There is no form of online keno in Maryland. However, again, you can create digital ePlayslips for two keno games—Keno and Packaged Keno To Go—and show the QR code to a licensed retailer.

Alternatively, Maryland residents can play certain keno games online at social online casinos. As we mentioned earlier, these sites have players use fake digital currency that can later be redeemed for cash prizes.

Racetrax

Racetrax is an animated horse-racing simulation game that you play just like you would if you were betting on a horse race. However, this is still a lottery game, so the results are random and there aren’t odds to consider. Still, it’s a creative game, and one horse racing lovers will enjoy. You can create an ePlayslip via My Lottery Rewards or the MD Lottery app, but you must actually play the game on monitors located at licensed retailers.

Will Maryland offer online scratch-offs or instant games in the future?

The answer here is a hesitant “probably,” but the actual timeline is nebulous. There’s no confirmation of an upcoming iLottery push in Maryland.

In March 2024, the Maryland House allowed an iLottery bill to falter after avoiding a vote ahead of the legislative crossover deadline. While that’s not exactly hopeful news, it does tell us that the state’s legislature is interested in the idea.

Plus, retail revenue for the Maryland Lottery is highest for scratchers, which could make a compelling case for bringing online instant win games, sometimes called e-Instants, into the state.

Deposit and withdrawal options

The Maryland online lottery runs only on subscriptions. The lottery requires cash or money order payment with your physical form. In other words, there are no actual deposits offered by the lottery.

You can only pay for your subscription via check or money order; the lottery requests that you don’t send cash.

As a result, there are no deposit maximums, and the minimum is simply determined by the lowest-priced subscription.

How to claim online lottery winnings in Maryland

If you purchase a lottery subscription in Maryland, your winnings will be sent to you via check except in some specific circumstances. You can track your tickets and wins via the My Lottery Rewards app.

• Once your wins exceed $100, the MD Lottery will send a check for the full amount to your registered address. If you go your entire subscription period without winning $100 or more, you will get a check for your wins after the subscription period ends.
• If you win more than $600 on any drawing, the MD Lottery will email you instructions on how to claim the prize. You will need a photo ID and a separate form of identification to prove your SSN or taxpayer ID number.
• Wins up to $5,000 can be redeemed at partnered Expanded Cashing Authority Program (XCAP) locations. The MD Lottery provides a list of XCAP locations.
• Prizes up to $25,000 can be redeemed at the MD Lottery Headquarters or at Maryland Casino locations. You must be 21 or older to redeem at a casino.
• Winnings over $25,000 must be claimed by appointment at the Maryland Lottery headquarters at 1800 Washington Boulevard in Baltimore. Walk-ins are not allowed, so call ahead to make an appointment.

Playing the Maryland Lottery online vs. at a retailer

Where can I buy a lottery ticket in Maryland?

If the subscription or ePlayslip options aren’t for you, Maryland offers about 4,400 retail locations where you can buy lottery tickets. Head to a partnered location and use a lottery vending machine or talk to customer service to play.

Locations include grocery stores, gas stations, liquor stores, convenience stores, and more.

The MD Lottery provides a free find-a-retailer tool to locate the vendor closest to you.

Checking tickets online or via the  MD Lottery app

Both the MD Lottery app and the My Lottery Rewards app allow you to scan tickets to see if you’re a winner. The ticket scanner is a simple and effective way to check your tickets in either app, and it works like a charm.

In the MD Lottery app, simply tap the QR code icon at the bottom of the home screen to access the scanner.

In the My Lottery Rewards app, open the main menu, tap “Check Tickets,” then select “SCAN NOW” on the next screen.

To check numbers manually, open the MD Lottery app, and the latest winning numbers for all draw games will appear on the home screen. There is no way to check numbers manually in the My Lottery Rewards app.

On the site, tap “Player Tools” in the main menu, then select “Winning Numbers” or “Numbers Finder” in the dropdown menu for different options to see the latest winning numbers or check if your numbers have won in the past.

Responsible gaming in Maryland

The Maryland Lottery is committed to responsible gaming. The lottery is meant to be fun and entertaining. When it stops being either of those things, gamblers have options to find help.

The National Council on Problem Gambling has a confidential 24/7 hotline at 1-800-GAMBLER, plus text and live chat services.

There is also a state-specific organization called the Maryland Alliance For Responsible Gambling. It’s an excellent hub for help, support, and information. The site includes links to partnered organizations, such as the Maryland Department of Health, The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, and more. The MARG also has links to the state’s voluntary self-exclusion program, self-assessments for problem gambling, and resources to help anyone find a qualified counselor.

Maryland online lottery FAQ