Online lottery is a form of gaming that lets players play the official state and national lottery games from anywhere in the world. Some states have their own lottery websites, while others use third-party lottery courier services to offer the service. The couriers act as middlemen and purchase entries into the state-run lotteries on behalf of players. They charge a fee to do so, and players don’t pay any extra fees if they win.

In addition to offering multi-state draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions, some lottery sites also offer a variety of instant win games and keno. The latter is a draw-type game that works similar to bingo: players choose numbers and wait for the results of the drawing. In a typical game, 20 numbers are drawn at random from a pool of 1 to 80. If you match a set number of numbers, you win.

Some online lottery sites allow players to sign up for a subscription service that automatically purchases tickets into a specific number of future drawings. This is a great option for players who want to avoid having to remember to buy their tickets each week.

Most US states have legalized some type of online lottery, though regulations vary widely. Pennsylvania, for example, has the iLottery platform and offers an extensive collection of games from IWG, including favorites such as Doublin’ Doubloons and Prospector’s Jackpots. Its online offerings have led to significant growth in traditional lottery sales, with the state logging $4.2 billion in total ticket sales in the year after its launch.