Purchasing tickets to your favorite lotteries online is a great way to win big without leaving your home. Online lottery sites offer secure ticket purchases, and let you play international games as well as national lotteries. Some lotteries also offer an instant game option.

Online lotteries are not quite as popular as sports betting, but they are gaining a foothold in the U.S. and a number of states are considering expanding their lotteries to the Internet.

Currently, there are seven states that offer online lottery games. These are Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, and Michigan.

Depending on the lottery game, the top prizes range from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars. These prizes are significant, but not quite as much as the jackpots offered by larger lottery draws.

There are several ways to purchase tickets online, including MasterCard, eCheck, ACH/eCheck, and PayPal. Some lotteries even offer a third-party app.

There are also a number of sites that allow players to participate in syndicates, which allow players to share their winnings based on the number of tickets they buy. This can dramatically increase a player’s lottery bankroll.

The best sites offer an instant game option, which allows players to play casino-style games on the Internet. These are called Instant Games, and include games such as Fantasy 5 and Lotto 47. These games are played for as little as $0.05. They offer a jackpot of up to $500,000.

While not as widespread as sports betting, online lottery games are growing in popularity. The jackpots are increasing rapidly, and players are finding it easier than ever to play the lottery online.