Do you have to live in a state to buy its lottery tickets?
No. Lottery sales depend on where you are standing when you buy, not where you live. A Texan on vacation in Florida can buy Florida Lottery tickets, and a New Yorker who works in New Jersey can play Jersey Cash 5 on the way home. The Powerball FAQ says visitors from places that don't sell Powerball, in the US or abroad, "can purchase Powerball tickets from a retailer licensed or authorized by the selling jurisdiction, if they meet the legal age requirement in the jurisdiction of purchase."
That age rule belongs to the selling state. It's 18 in most states, 19 in Nebraska, and 21 in Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana and Mississippi. Citizenship doesn't matter either; non-citizens can buy tickets and win.
Five states have no lottery at all: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. That's why stores just across the border from them, such as the California retailers on the road from Las Vegas or the Georgia and Florida shops near the Alabama line, sell so many tickets when a jackpot gets large.
Can you buy another state's lottery tickets online?
Not from outside that state. State iLottery sites and apps use geolocation and only sell to people who are physically inside the state at the moment of purchase, and courier apps are limited the same way to the states where they operate. Powerball's FAQ states that "the sale of Powerball tickets over the Internet or by mail across jurisdictional borders is restricted."
Federal law is behind this. 18 U.S.C. § 1301 is broadly worded: it covers carrying, shipping or mailing lottery tickets across state lines, and it specifically bars anyone in the business of getting another state's tickets for customers unless the states involved have agreed to it. In practice, state lotteries accept claims by mail from players who bought a ticket while visiting and have since gone home. The thing to avoid is a service that offers to buy tickets in another state and send them to you; a website offering that is a red flag for a scam. See common lottery scams for the warning signs.
Where do you claim a ticket bought in another state?
In the state that sold it. That holds for Powerball and Mega Millions too: they share a drawing, but each ticket is issued by a state lottery, and Powerball's rules say "prizes must be claimed in the jurisdiction where the winning ticket was purchased." A Powerball ticket bought in Florida is a Florida Lottery ticket.
Small prizes can usually be cashed at any retailer in the selling state, or mailed to that state's lottery. Larger prizes have to go through that lottery's claim center or mail-in process, which may mean a trip back. Claim deadlines also follow the selling state and are usually somewhere between 90 days and a year; the state-by-state list is in how long you have to claim a winning ticket. Sign the back of the ticket before you travel with it, since an unsigned ticket is generally payable to whoever holds it.
Which state taxes the winnings?
Possibly both. Federal tax is the same everywhere: when a prize minus the ticket cost is more than $5,000, the lottery withholds 24% for federal income tax, according to the IRS instructions for Form W-2G. Non-resident aliens are generally withheld at 30% instead.
State tax is where buying out of state gets complicated. The selling state applies its own rules first. Your home state then taxes its residents on income from anywhere, and most states with an income tax give you a credit for tax you paid to the other state, so you usually end up paying roughly the higher of the two rates rather than both in full. Some examples, using the state lottery tax table:
- An Arizona resident who buys a winning ticket in California pays no California tax, because California doesn't tax lottery winnings. Arizona still taxes the prize on the resident return.
- A Nevada resident who buys in California owes only federal tax, since Nevada has no state income tax and California doesn't tax the win.
- A Texas resident who wins on a ticket bought in New York owes New York tax on the prize, even though Texas has no income tax.
Rules on keeping your name private also follow the selling state, not your home state. Both factors feed into the best states to buy lottery tickets comparison. For a large prize, talk to a tax professional before you claim.
Same name, different game
Many state games share a name but nothing else. Pick 3 in one state has its own drawings and its own numbers, separate from Pick 3 in the state next door (how the digit games work). Multi-state games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto America and Millionaire for Life do share one drawing across every state that sells them. Millionaire for Life replaced Lucky for Life and Cash4Life, which held their final drawings on February 21, 2026. If you bought a state game while traveling, check the selling state's results on its state results page.
Buying lottery tickets out of state: common questions
Can you buy lottery tickets in a state you don't live in?
Yes. Anyone of legal age who is physically in a state can buy its lottery tickets. The minimum age is set by the selling state: 18 in most, 19 in Nebraska, and 21 in Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Can you claim a lottery prize in a different state?
No. A ticket has to be claimed in the state where it was sold, including Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, under that state's rules and deadline. Smaller prizes can often be claimed by mail.
If you buy a ticket in a state with no lottery tax, do you avoid state tax?
Not if your home state taxes lottery winnings. California and Florida don't tax lottery prizes, but your own state can still tax the win on your resident return.
Is it legal to bring lottery tickets home across state lines?
The federal statute is broadly worded and covers carrying tickets across state lines, but visitors take their own tickets home all the time and state lotteries accept mailed claims from them. What no legitimate service does is buy tickets in another state and mail them to you.
Can you buy another state's lottery tickets online?
No. State iLottery sites and courier apps check your location and only sell to people physically inside a state where they're allowed to operate.
The national problem gambling helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET.
Sources: Powerball FAQ (powerball.com), IRS Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754, 18 U.S.C. § 1301, Iowa Lottery and Mississippi Lottery age rules. This is general information; the selling state's law governs your ticket.
