Online lottery is a game where players can buy tickets and play for prizes using their computer, laptop or mobile phone. It is easy and convenient, with built-in safety features such as digital tickets and firm user identification. It can also offer a more social gaming experience, with an online community of fellow lottery enthusiasts where they can share their number-picking strategies and words of encouragement.

The vast majority of national and state-run lotteries follow stringent rules and are transparent in how they operate their games. This means that they would be unable to rig them, and any attempts at rigging would quickly be exposed and punished by the gambling commissions and authorities that oversee them. For these reasons, it is extremely difficult to rig an online lottery game.

Another advantage of playing an online lottery is the ability to buy tickets from anywhere in the world. This can be a huge advantage for people who live far away from the nearest convenience store, and it is especially useful in countries where there are no official lottery agents. In addition, most of the best online lottery sites feature a desktop version that is optimized for use on computers. This can make the gaming experience more immersive and allow users to focus on their numbers without getting distracted by other websites or applications.

Many states restrict how and where lottery tickets are sold, with some requiring residents of the state to purchase them in-person. Others allow anyone to play lottery games online, provided they are physically located within the state lines. To ensure that people are not attempting to circumvent these restrictions, legal lottery websites employ geolocation technology to verify that each person who purchases a ticket is in fact in the state.