If you live in Pennsylvania and like to play lottery games, you are in luck. You do not need to head to a retail outlet to get your tickets. Instead, you can play the Pennsylvania lottery online.
You can buy tickets for Mega Millions, Powerball, and other popular draw games at the PA Lottery site. There are over 150 instant win games on the official PA Lottery site or the app, including popular titles like Wizard of Oz.
This guide explains everything you need to know about playing online lottery games in Pennsylvania. We will discuss the games you can play online, bonuses you can claim, and payment methods you can use at the PA Lottery site.
Options for purchasing lottery tickets online in Pennsylvania
You have two options for purchasing online lottery tickets in Pennsylvania:
- Visit PAiLottery.com and sign up for an account.
- Download the PA iLottery app via the App Store or Google Play.
The Keystone State does not permit lottery courier services such as Jackpocket or Jackpot.com, so all online purchases must go through the official PA Lottery site or the app. However, Pennsylvania is one of just seven states with legal online lottery games, so a courier service would be a bonus, not a necessity, for online lottery players.
Rules and regulations
PA iLottery games are tightly regulated, which ensures a fair, secure online gaming experience for players in the Keystone State. These are some of the key rules to keep in mind:
- You must be 18 or older to purchase online lottery tickets or play instant win games in Pennsylvania.
- Players must also be physically located inside state lines. You can turn on your phone’s location services using the app or mobile site. Or, install a geolocation plug-in on your computer if you visit the desktop site.
- However, you do not need to be a resident of Pennsylvania. Anyone visiting the Keystone State, including players from neighboring states, can sign up and play online lottery games.
- Prizes of up to $1 million will be credited to your online account and can be withdrawn immediately.
- Larger prizes must be claimed in-person. You will receive a claim number via email, along with instructions on how to claim your jackpot.
Each game has specific rules, from 3asy Money to Yeti Mania. You can browse the rules for these games in a dedicated section of the PA iLottery site.
Signing up
It is easy to set up a PA iLottery account. Just follow these steps:
Visit the PA iLottery site and hit the “Join” button.
Provide your email address and create a password.
Enter your name, gender, address, and phone number.
Type in your final four SSN digits, create security questions, accept the terms, and submit the form.
The PA iLottery’s automated system should verify your identity immediately so you can start playing online lottery games straight away. Alternatively, you can download the PA iLottery app via the App Store or Google Play and then use your email address and password to sign in.
How to deposit and withdraw
The PA iLottery offers six secure deposit methods:
- ACH direct transfer
- Debit card
- Credit card
- PayPal
- Play+
- WebCash
The minimum deposit is $10 on the PA iLottery site or the app. No maximum deposit limits exist if you use ACH, a debit card, or PayPal. However, credit card payments are capped at $1,000 per 24 hours. The maximum deposit via Play+ is $25,000, and the upper limit is $1,000 per transaction if you use WebCash.
Your withdrawal options are ACH, PayPal, or Play+. The PA iLottery also has a minimum withdrawal limit of $10. There is no upper limit on withdrawals if you use ACH. PayPal withdrawals are capped at $10,000, and Play+ withdrawals can only go up to $25,000.
Withdrawals can take up to 13 business days:
- You must allow up to five business days for your withdrawal request to be reviewed.
- The PA Lottery may then ask you for additional documents, and it can take up to three business days for them to be examined after you have uploaded them.
- You must then wait for up to five business days for the funds to be transferred to your account after the withdrawal request is granted. However, withdrawals made via PayPal and Play+ are significantly faster than ACH payments.
Fees
There are no deposit or withdrawal fees when you use the PA iLottery site or the app. You will not be charged any extra processing or subscription fees, so playing online is just as cost-effective as buying tickets in-person at a lottery retailer or kiosk in Pennsylvania.
Promotions and bonuses
You can claim a wide range of bonuses at the PA iLottery site or the app. These are some of the best deals to look out for.
First deposit bonus
The PA iLottery offers new customers a 100% first deposit bonus worth up to $1,000. You will need to enter the bonus code WELCOME and make an initial deposit of $10 or more to claim this sign-up offer. At that point, whatever deposit you make will be matched with bonus credits up to that $1,000 maximum.
The bonus credits will come with a 10x playthrough requirement. In other words, you do have to play with the bonus funds 10 times before withdrawing your balance.
Ongoing promotions
The first deposit bonus is for new customers only, but existing customers can claim lots of ongoing promos. Many of them provide you with cashback or free scratch-offs if you spend a certain amount of money on a specific game.
Here are some examples:
- Play $50 on the Eagles eInstant game and get $5 cashback
- Play $20 on the Steelers eInstant game and get $2 cashback
- Play $50 on the Steelers eInstant game and get a $5 scratch-off
There are also some straightforward “Deposit, Play & Get” bonuses. For example, get $10 bonus money when you deposit $10 and play $10 on Firework Fortune Frenzy.
Daily promotions
The PA iLottery site also offers a specific bonus each day from Sunday through Friday:
- Steelers Sunday
- Eagles Monday
- Lucky Tuesday
- Wednesday Payout
- WebCash Wednesday
- Throwback Thursday
- Friday Cash
These bonuses follow a similar format to the promos described above. You need to spend a minimum amount on certain games to earn cashback or bonus funds. For the full details, visit the “Promotions” section of the PA iLottery app or the website.
Online lottery games available in Pennsylvania
The online lottery games available in Pennsylvania can be divided into three broad categories: multi-state draw games, Pennsylvania-only draw games, and eInstants.
These games tend to offer the largest jackpots as they cater to players across the country. You can buy tickets for these multi-state draw games on the PA iLottery app or the website:
Powerball
This multi-jurisdictional draw game is available in 45 states. Tickets cost $2 at PAiLottery.com, and you can pay an extra $1 to activate the Power Play option. Just choose five numbers from 1 through 69 and an extra number from 1 to 26. You will win the jackpot if you match all six numbers and win smaller amounts for matching only some numbers.
Mega Millions
This game is also live in 45 states. You can pay $2 and choose five numbers from 1-70 plus another number from 1-25. You’ll win the jackpot if they all match, but you can win smaller amounts if you match some numbers. A player in Pennsylvania won $516 million on Mega Millions in 2021, which is the state’s largest jackpot so far.
Cash4Life
A draw game covering 10 states, Cash4Life winners get $1,000 per day for the rest of their lives if they win. Pennsylvania joined Cash4Life in 2015.
You can buy individual tickets for these games at the PA iLottery site or the app. You can also set up a subscription to ensure you never miss a drawing.
One advantage of playing these draw games through the PA iLottery is the online platform, which makes it quick and easy to pick your numbers and make your plays. You will also be given a “Quick Pick” option, which randomly assigns you numbers. The site and app also provide useful information about past winning numbers and how to play each game.
Pennsylvania-only draw games
These games are only available to players in the Keystone State. You will find them in the “Draw Games” section of the PA iLottery platform, accessible via the main toolbar menu. These are the games that you can buy tickets for online:
- Pick Games: PA iLottery players can buy tickets for the Pick 2, Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 5 games online. They are drawn twice daily, and you have many different options when buying your tickets.
- Cash 5: Tickets for this draw game cost $2. Cash 5 is drawn once daily, and you just need to select five numbers from 1-43. The jackpots are variable.
- Match 6: This in-state draw game requires you to pick six numbers from 1-49. A ticket costs $2, and jackpots vary.
- Treasure Hunt: The minimum jackpot for this PA-only draw game is $10,000. Choose five numbers from 1-30 to play.
- Millionaire Raffle: As the title suggests, this raffle-style game awards a top prize of $1 million to four players. There are lots of runner-up prizes, too.
Once again, buying tickets for these games on the PA Lottery app or the website is easy. You can watch educational videos about how to play each game, and sample tickets and payslips are available on the site.
eInstants
These instant win games are similar to the scratch-offs you can buy at licensed lottery retailers in the Keystone State. In many ways, these look like online slots. However, the gameplay has more in common with scratchers because you can’t trigger respins or any other bonus features. Also, the odds are similar to those of a scratch-off ticket than the RTP of an online casino game.
The PA iLottery app or website offers more than 150 eInstants covering a wide range of themes. Some of Pennsylvania’s best online lottery games include Monopoly, Fruit Farm Frenzy, Foxin’ Wins, and Gorilla Go Wild.
Some of these games have progressive jackpots, sometimes exceeding the $5 million mark. Games suit most budgets, starting at just $0.05 per play and others up to $50 per play.
Draw games schedule
If you are interested in playing draw games in Pennsylvania, here is the weekly schedule:
Draw Game | Draw Days | Draw Time (ET) |
---|---|---|
Powerball | Monday, Wednesday, Saturday | 10:59 p.m. |
Mega Millions | Tuesday, Friday | 10 p.m. |
Cash4Life | Daily | 9 p.m. |
Pick games | Twice daily | 1:10 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. |
Treasure Hunt | Daily | 1:35 p.m. |
Cash 5 | Daily | 6:59 p.m. |
Match 6 | Daily | 6:59 p.m. |
Lottery games that cannot be played online in Pennsylvania
Certain lottery games can only be played in-person at licensed retailers in Pennsylvania. These are the games you cannot play online:
- Scratch-offs
- Fast Play
- Keno
- Xpress Sports
If you want to play these games, you will need to visit an official retailer. Pennsylvania has more than 9,500 licensed lottery retailers, so you should always be close to a store or a kiosk.
Is it safe to play the lottery online in Pennsylvania?
Yes, playing the lottery online in Pennsylvania is perfectly safe as long as you use an approved vendor. Your only option is to use the official PA iLottery site or app, which is run by the state government and tightly regulated.
The PA iLottery site has robust security measures in place to safeguard players:
- Industry-standard firewalls to prevent unauthorized access.
- TLS encryption to protect your details in transit.
- A valid security certificate.
- A range of tips to help you stay safe when playing lottery games online.
Just select a strong, unique password and change it frequently to ensure you remain safe. Do not share it with anyone, and never leave your computer or mobile device unattended when logged into your PA iLottery account.
Suppose another site offers to sell you lottery tickets in Pennsylvania. In that case, it should ring alarm bells, as no private companies have been authorized to offer online lottery games in the Commonwealth.
What do Pennsylvania’s lottery proceeds support?
All proceeds from the Pennsylvania Lottery are used to support programs for elderly residents in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania is the only state that designates all proceeds to such programs.
Since the first ticket was sold in 1972, the PA Lottery has generated more than $35 billion in funding to support programs for elderly residents. These are some of the services:
- Home-delivered meals, legal assistance, and program referrals
- Free and reduced-fare transportation
- Care services for older Pennsylvanians
- Low-cost prescription assistance
- Property tax and rent rebates
In the 2022-23 financial year, the PA Lottery used
of ticket sales to give back to players in the form of prizes.
of the total $1.1 billion revenue to support programs for elderly Pennsylvanians.
of revenue for retailer commissions
of revenue for operating expenses
Responsible gambling resources available for Pennsylvania online lottery players
Players can access several responsible gambling tools at the PA iLottery app and website:
- Set a deposit limit, spend limit, and/or loss limit to help you stay within your budget.
- Set a time limit to ensure you don’t spend too long playing eInstants.
- Take a cool-off period, which can be set for as little as three days and as long as 30 days.
- Self-exclude from the online lottery for six months, one year, or five years.
If you need support with a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. This 24/7 helpline is run by the National Council on Problem Gambling and is strictly confidential.
If you are interested in local responsible gambling resources, these are the contact details for the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania (CCPG):
- Phone: 215-643-4542
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: P.O. Box 444, Spring House, PA 19477
The CCPG site provides details of local self-help meetings and workgroups in Pennsylvania, along with educational materials and a directory of gambling counselors in the state.
A brief history of iLottery in Pennsylvania
- In May 2018, the Pennsylvania Lottery launched internet lottery (iLottery) games, including draw games and eInstants. Online lottery game sales generated $381 million in revenue in the first year.
- Digital lottery game sales hit the $1 billion mark in May 2020, just before the program’s second anniversary. Scientific Games, which runs the PA iLottery, called it “the most commercially successful iLottery online/mobile launch in North America to date, significantly surpassing any previous North American iLottery launch in history.”
- Seven Pennsylvania casinos filed a lawsuit aiming to shut the Pennsylvania iLottery program down in August 2018. They argued that eInstants have characteristics similar to those of slots. In contrast, state law prohibits the PA iLottery from offering “interactive lottery games which simulate casino-style lottery games, specifically including poker, roulette, slot machines or blackjack.”
- The Commonwealth Court determined that eInstants are different from slots and denied a preliminary injunction. The casinos appealed, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated the Commonwealth Court’s decision in December 2023, so the legal battle remains ongoing.
- The Pennsylvania iLottery continues to go from strength to strength. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, the iLottery program generated $872.5 million in eInstant sales, while online gambling revenues topped $2 billion, according to official figures.
Latest news about the online lottery in Pennsylvania
Multistate Progressive Jackpots Making Big Splash For iLottery In US
September 25, 2024 |Multistate online progressive jackpots, started initially by the PA and VA lotteries, have expanded to several other states, with North Carolina next.
Pennsylvania Online Lottery Sales Surpass $1 Billion In FY23-24
September 10, 2024 |The Pennsylvania Lottery exceeded $1 billion in online sales for fiscal year 2023-24, with iLottery production up almost 9% year over year.
Over A Dozen Teams Partnered With State Lotteries For NFL Kickoff Week
September 3, 2024 |The 2024 NFL season gets underway this week, with many state lotteries across the US getting in on the excitement with exclusive games featuring NFL teams.
Pennsylvania Lottery All In On Scientific Games’ High-Definition Tickets
August 23, 2024 |Scientific Games has spiced up its retail scratch tickets with "HD Games" that have been widely accepted by the Pennsylvania Lottery.