Wednesday's Est. Powerball Jackpot:
$478 Million
Lottery couriers provide a secure and convenient service for fans of games such as Powerball and Mega Millions. They work the same way as any other courier, taking your ticket orders to a retailer and delivering proof of purchase to you in the form of a scanned copy.
There are a number of licensed lottery couriers that operate in various U.S. states and other countries around the world, including Jackpot.com and theLotter.
They are independent from the state lotteries, providing a ticket purchasing service to help give players a simple, safe experience. Here is a brief overview of how they work:
Wednesday's Est. Powerball Jackpot:
$478 Million
Ticket purchasing services run websites or apps so that you can sign up online and order your tickets. This is when you can choose your numbers and decide how you want to play a game, all from the comfort of home.
An agent for the courier service takes your order to a licensed lottery retailer within the jurisdiction where that game is available, and buys a ticket on your behalf.
Courier services scan every ticket they buy, before uploading a copy to your digital account. This confirms the purchase and also proves that you are the legal owner of the ticket.
The majority of prizes are paid directly into your online account. If you win a larger amount, usually over $600, the courier service will deliver your ticket to you or help to make arrangements for you to collect your prize in person.
Go to the How to Play page for more information about playing the lottery through a messenger service.
To find out more about the advantages of using this type of service, visit the Benefits of Playing Online section.
The best courier services can guarantee that a scan of every ticket will be visible in your online account before the relevant draw takes place. To ensure this is possible, and to give their agents adequate time to purchase the tickets, on-site sales may close considerably earlier on draw days than the official retail cut-off time. This varies from site to site but may be approximately three hours before a draw.
There may be very rare occasions when a purchase cannot be made in time. In this situation, the order will be cancelled and the cost of your play refunded, while there may even be additional compensation.
Courier services make money by charging a small additional fee on top of the standard cost of a ticket. This covers the cost of administration involved in purchasing the official ticket, as well as bringing in a small profit for the website.
While it is slightly more expensive than what you would pay for a ticket in a store, the courier is doing a lot of work for to make your experience as convenient as possible, and you have the security of knowing that your ticket definitely won’t get lost as there is digital proof of its existence.
You can also play some lotteries through a courier that would not otherwise be available to you, for example a big international lottery, so the cost here is significantly cheaper than flying overseas to play in person.
You can be assured that the price per line that you see on the website is the only charge that you will face from the lottery messenger service. There are no hidden fees, and the full prize is always paid out without the couriers taking any commission.