Play NY Lottery Online

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There’s a range of ways to play NY lottery online games, which are available to players ages 18 or older in the Empire State. You can purchase tickets and scratch-offs at retailers or buy tickets online through the NY Lottery mobile app.

The New York Lottery app does not offer online lottery games. However, you can use Jackpot.com, theLotter, or Jackpocket to purchase your Powerball and Mega Millions tickets.

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Play NY lottery online games you can play

New York lottery games are divided into two rough categories: lotto games and draw games.

Lotto games are multi-jurisdictional and often feature tickets purchased across many states. Draw games are specific to New York state only. Tickets purchased through retailers feature “quick pick” and “pick your own” options. With the quick pick option, a computer automatically chooses random numbers for the player.

In addition, New York lottery players have the luxury of using the Jackpocket Lottery app. With Jackpocket, customers can buy NY lottery tickets online without having to visit a retailer.

Simply sign up with Jackpocket, search for an upcoming draw – such as Powerball or Mega Millions – and select your numbers. Once you buy the NY lottery ticket, your order goes to a local courier, who purchases the ticket for you. Then, you will receive an email that confirms your purchase and includes details and images of your ticket.

There are also two other ways to buy New York Lottery tickets online: TheLotter and Jackpot.com. Follow our links above to learn more about how to sign up for accounts and start using these two platforms.

Available NY Lottery draw games include:

What to do if you win the NY Lottery Online

Once your ticket hits, it’s time to cash in your New York Lottery online win. Prizes less than $601 can be redeemed at any NY Lottery retail location. Bigger prizes need to be redeemed at a lottery claims center. You must make an appointment to claim your lotto winnings. If you are trying to redeem a prize in excess of $250,000, only these four claim centers are available as options:

  • Buffalo: 165 Genesee St.
  • Fishkill: 18 Westage Business Center, Hudson Valley Towne Center, Ste 6
  • Long Island: 45 South Service Road
  • Syracuse: 620 Erie Blvd. West

You’ll want to make an appointment online through the NY Lottery website. Be advised that every office keeps different hours. Another option available to winners is to send in the tickets to the NY Lottery via mail. Winners must fill out and include a claim form from the lottery along with their signed ticket and a copy of their government-issued ID.

NY lottery tax winnings

Lottery jackpots of more than $5,000 are subject to a state tax. The New York State Gaming Commission is required to withhold taxes from any lottery wins. The state tax is 8.82% on prizes, on top of the standard federal tax of 24%. New York City imposes an additional tax on prizes worth 3.876%.

NY lottery revenue proceeds

After prizes, 100% of New York lottery revenue goes toward public education programs in the state. More than $64 billion has been raised from the sale of lottery tickets since the late 1960s. New Yorkers can purchase lottery tickets at 17,000 retailers in the state. Each outlet receives a commission from ticket sales. Retailers include 7-Eleven stores, pharmacies, and tobacco shops in New York City and across the state.

NY Online lottery and games

Currently, the state doesn’t sell individual tickets for any NY lottery online. You can, however, purchase subscriptions online for draw games like Mega Millions and Cash4Life. Some New York Lottery promotions are also available to mobile players.

You can check multiple draws via the New York Lottery app available on iOS and Android devices.

Special NY lottery online promotions

New York boasts a range of special statewide and local lottery events.

Collect ‘N Win

You can win instant bonus cash, gift cards, concert tickets or coupons by collecting special symbols and filling a Play Card. A completed Play Card earns you entry into a monthly prize drawing. On a local level, New York Lottery booths are staged at food and music festivals across the state. Booths sell scratch-offs to adults and a chance to win a spin on the prize wheel.

Players Club

The New York Lottery Players Club offers bonuses and drawings to regular ticket buyers. You can download the Players Club app for iOS or Android. By scanning your losing scratch-off and lottery tickets via your smartphone, you can earn “Second Chance Drawings” to win a bonus payout. Non-winning draw tickets from big games like Mega Millions and Powerball aren’t eligible.

NY lottery laws and history

The New York State Lottery launched in 1967, the third US lottery after New Hampshire and Puerto Rico. The NY Lottery was always set up to aid education, and it’s raised billions for projects across the state.

The New York Lottery and Gaming Commission oversees the lottery.

Record NY state lottery winners

New York joined Powerball in 2010, and since then, state residents have won the jackpot six times.

Nothing comes close to the $201.9 million won in 2011 by the 1937 Flatbush Avenue Dodgers Group of Jericho syndicate. However, in 2019, a group took down the biggest Mega Millions jackpot in New York State Lottery history. Twenty-three Long Island coworkers won $176 million after opting for a one-off, lump-sum payment. A Manhattan man won $136 million in 2015 to record the New York Lottery Powerball’s biggest jackpot to date.

Bingo halls in New York state

Bingo halls are legal in NY. Since 2017, they have only been available to players 18 and older; minors can no longer participate in bingo games. As with lotteries, the New York State Gaming Commission regulated bingo as well. When the state barred minors in 2017, the prize payout limits were raised. The maximum single payout from a bingo game in New York state is now $5,000, up from $1,000. Overall prizes “per occasion” have also risen from $3,000 to $15,000.

New York City boasts dozens of legalized and regulated bingo halls running real money online casino games throughout the week. Operations are mostly small-scale and held in clubs and American Legion halls, but standalone clubs and bingo palaces can attract big crowds.

The game is played on 5×5 grids. You can win jackpots by hitting columns, rows and full houses. Many bingo halls can also offer raffles and “Bell Jar” prize draws. Entry can cost as little as 25 cents. Computerized bingo terminals are available at many of the bigger halls in the state, and jackpots can go as high as $6,000.

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