Purchasing tickets online is the easiest way to play lottery games. You can choose your numbers and purchase tickets from your desktop or mobile device. The best online lotteries offer a variety of payment methods and allow you to view current jackpots and odds. They also feature a number of games other than the major ones, so you can try your hand at different games without risking too much money.

The United States’ history with online lottery is relatively young, but it has rapidly expanded over the past decade. Illinois was the first state to launch an online lottery, and the majority of US states now offer a version of it.

These sites are privately run by businesses that act as middlemen between the official government-run lottery and their customers. They pay out lower-tier winnings from the revenue they make from providing their service; for larger prizes, they buy insurance that covers a winner.

Many online lottery websites now offer subscriptions, which let players sign up for automatic entries into a series of draws. This can save them the hassle of remembering to buy tickets for every draw, and it often comes with a discount.

Buying lottery tickets online is legal in the US as long as you are a resident of the state where you live. Most lottery sites use geolocation technology to verify this, and will only sell to people who are within state lines. In addition, winners must submit proof of identity before they can collect their prize.