Lotteries in the USA: winning odds and jackpots

State taxes

In addition to federal taxes, your winnings may also be subject to local taxes.

Important to remember, what's the tax, charged to your prize, depends not only on the state, but also on your individual circumstances

The following table shows the withholding rate for each participating jurisdiction, and also the threshold value, When do prizes begin to be taxed at the state level?.

State income tax	Jurisdiction
No state tax on winnings	California, Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Washington State, Wyoming
2.9%	North Dakota
0.03	New Jersey
3.07%	Pennsylvania
3.4%	Indiana
3.75%	Illinois
0.04	Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia
4.25%	Michigan
0.05	Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska
5.75%	North Carolina
5.99%	Rhode Island
0.06	Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Vermont
6.5%	West Virginia
6.6%	Delaware
6.9%	Montana
6.99%	Connecticut
0.07	Arkansas, South Carolina
7.25%	Minnesota
7.4%	Idaho
7.75%	Wisconsin
0.08	Oregon
8.5%	Washington
8.75%	Maryland
8.82%	NY

How to play the American lottery in Russia

Most online sweepstakes do not regulate the country of residence of the participants, Anyone can buy tickets, however, this can only be done in the United States. This is the main difficulty, that residents of Russia face, those who want to try their luck in American sweepstakes. Few people can afford to travel to America and buy their own ticket., which most likely will not pay for itself.
At the moment, there are several ways to participate in foreign lotteries:

• Contacting online intermediaries – firms, who buy lottery tickets in the USA for clients for a small percentage;
• Connecting a VPN and changing a Russian IP address to a foreign one. It's a risky move, because when checking, lottery organizers may see the VPN and refuse to pay the cash prize, having doubts, that the ticket was bought by a real person.

№1. How to play through AgentLotto

LottoAgent is one of the most famous and reliable intermediaries, which helps residents of Russia and other countries purchase tickets from abroad.

To take part in a foreign lottery, necessary:

• Register on the LottoAgent website, by linking an email address to your account;
• Choose your favorite draw. The service cooperates with most American lotteries;
• Fill out the lottery ticket, choosing numbers, and pay on the website using a card or e-wallet;
• Agents, located in America, buy tickets and store them in a safe until the drawing begins. The scan will be sent to your linked email and saved in your personal account.;
• Wait for the results. If you win, the service will send a message by email and phone number, if it was specified. Besides, entries of the draw will be published on the website;
• If you are among the winners, you can pick up the prize, by clicking on the “Withdraw winnings” button. Select service, it would be much more convenient to get money. At Lotto Agent you can only pick up a prize from 10 dollars.

If you are lucky enough to hit the jackpot and win more than a million dollars, be prepared for that, that you will have to pick them up yourself abroad.

№2. How to play through TheLotter

TheLotter is another popular intermediary, through which Russians can legally purchase a ticket for a foreign online lottery. To participate in the game, need to:

• Create an account on the site and select any of 45 foreign draws;
• Fill out tickets, by entering numbers manually or selecting the autofill option;
• Click on the “play” button, to confirm registration;
• Pay for participation via a bank card or any payment system;
• Check email, specified during registration: it should receive a notification, that the ticket purchase was completed successfully.
• Wait for the results to be announced.

Besides, the intermediary allows you to cooperate with other players on the Internet, to increase the probability of winning. Several additional options available:

• “Syndicate” – buying shares and playing with additional numbers;
• “Combo” – registration of a regular ticket and a syndicate;
• “Multi-subscriber” – purchasing tickets for scheduled draws in advance. This option has a reduced price.

And also “Subscription” – automatic issuance of tickets for the selected lottery.

What are syndicates and how do they help you get rich??

Every third jackpot in the world is won through a lottery syndicate or group game. It's not a coincidence, it's all math. The more tickets a player buys, the more impressive his chances of winning. One person is unlikely to be able to purchase 100 Powerball tickets at one time. But what if you join a group with like-minded people?? Then winning the Jackpot becomes not such a bright prospect.

With the help of Lotto Agent, anyone from any country in the world can join the syndicate. It's very nice and profitable, and that's why:

• No need to organize anything yourself.
• It's cheaper to play in a syndicate, than placing a regular bet.
• No need to leave home, to play.
• It's an interesting experience: you will play on the same team with people from all over the world, whose language you may not even speak.

***

We believe, that it's worth trying your luck at least once. May be, you have a light hand? In the end, humanity has not yet come up with other ways to get rich by several million dollars in just a few hours.

If you think, that multimillion-dollar winnings do not happen to such people, how are you, just remember the Powerball winner, who hit the biggest jackpot in the world. This is 53-year-old Mavis Wanchik, who came for the prize in an old tracksuit.

Woman during 27 for years I filled out paperwork in the office of a medical center, and became the owner of a fortune in the amount of $758 700 000. As soon as Mavis found out about the win, she called her boss and said, that he will never return to work again. She's starting a new life. Try to start a new life and you, and the international Lotto Agent service will help you.

How to buy an international lottery ticket

On the official site

People from Russia will not be able to take part in world lotteries officially - to do this you must be an American citizen, or one of the European countries. Also, V 2023 year, all Russian banks were disconnected from the SWIFT system. Pay for a ticket, like abroad, so it became impossible on the Internet. Russians can only play international lotteries through an intermediary.

Through an intermediary

It’s easy to play the world lotto through an intermediary. For this you need:

1. Register on the AgentLotto website and confirm your email address.
2. Select one of the world draws in which you want to take part.
3. Buy a coupon and receive a scan of it by email.
4. If you win, withdraw money to a bank card, or to electronic wallets.

If you have any problems or questions, technical support will help you, which works around the clock.

Attention! If you don't want to miss draws, then you can subscribe for a while. On a certain date, money will be debited from your balance, and you will be able to participate in the desired foreign draw.

Go to AgentLotto

What are the benefits?

We studied reviews about MegaMillions Lottery from Russian players, who managed to participate in this draw. They identified the following advantages from megamillions:

• affordable price – even with an intermediary’s markup, a MegaMillions ticket rarely costs more $3 (approximately 200 rubles)
• quick withdrawal – you can receive winnings to your wallet in an electronic payment system or a bank card within two days
• tracking results - see, which balls were the winning ones?, available on the MegaMillions website, broadcast live on American television, the report will also be sent by email
• interesting pranks - the presenters try to create a fun atmosphere and diversify the prank
• honesty - there have been no stories in the history of MegaMillions, when the winners, those who won more money, experienced problems receiving funds.

A story of triumph

The first American lottery was held in Virginia in 1612 year. The new entertainment quickly caught on, since the colonists' annual income from it was 8000 pounds. Besides, the lottery turned out to be the simplest and most effective way to raise funds to finance the army, schools, hospitals, shelters, all types of public works. Therefore, up to 1860 social sphere 24 states of America developed largely thanks to profits from lotteries - so popular were cash draws.

However, American lotteries soon spiraled out of control: the scale of corruption was horrific. Many states have banned these games.. Only Louisiana did not give in to difficulties: during 25 years, monthly revenue from its lottery amounted to 2 million dollars served as an additional item for replenishing the state budget. The ban was lifted only in 1964 year in New Hampshire, and already in 1980 half of the US states have revived the lottery.

And the winner is... anyone!

Today, state lotteries are an important source of revenue for local governments.. Traditionally, proceeds go to public causes: environmental protection (Arizona), education (California, Georgia and Florida), sports (Maryland), healthcare and elderly care (Pennsylvania), culture and assistance to army veterans (Kentucky). Only for the last 40 years, the social sphere of America received from lotteries over 200 billion dollars.

Currently registered 50 lotteries in 39 states. However, each state has only one lottery: many games can be played, but their organization is trusted to a single company.

All American number lotteries are established by state commissions, appointed by state governments.

Hence - absolute legality and guaranteed payment of winnings as US citizens, as well as for foreigners.

There are also so-called interstate lotteries - simultaneous jackpot drawings in several states. Such lotteries include, For example, Powerball.

Powerball tops the list of American lotteries in terms of its scale. It is held in 30 states and has a starting jackpot in 15 million dollars.

The largest jackpot in the history of American lotteries is 390 million dollars - “ripped off” in March 2007 in the Mega Millions drawing this year, spouses Elaine and Harold Messner from New Jersey and truck driver Ed Nabors from Georgia. Previously, the biggest lottery winnings came from 2006 eight workers from Nebraska, who received the Powerball lottery 365 million dollars. And such huge jackpot amounts are far from uncommon in US lotteries. The reason lies in their great popularity and the huge number of participants.

So, V 2001 year on average 157 every American played the lottery. IN 2003 year, the total turnover of the US lottery business was almost 40 billion dollars.

This is approximately a quarter of the global lottery market.

These numbers are not surprising, because throughout the history of America's lotteries they have demonstrated their high social potential: On the one side, they give a chance to the poor (by American standards) people, who make up the vast majority of players in mass lotteries, on the other hand, they make it possible to provide financing for public national projects, for which there are insufficient or no funds in the state budget.

Today the number of players is increasing tenfold - thanks to, that American Internet lotteries are held.

After all, the law does not prohibit foreign citizens from participating in lotteries..

This means, that anyone can buy a ticket for many of the most popular US Internet lotteries and win the jackpot.

into your hands right now!

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Multi-State Lotteries in the US

Below are the most played lotteries in 2023 from the United States.

Powerball lottery

Tickets are sold online and in the states or you could i buy online at our partners. Powerball tickets are $2 per game in America and online about 3,50 – 6 euro for one ticket. Draws are broadcast live from the Florida Drawing Studio in Tallahassee every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. The starting amount of the jackpot of Powerball is $20 million.

Powerball information

Mega Millions

You can buy it online for about 6 euros/ pound/dollar. Mega Millions tickets cost $2.00 per game in the United States. You play by choosing six numbers from two separate sets of numbers: five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball).

Mega Millions information

Lotto America

Lotto America is a American lottery played in 13 states. It is the successor to the original Lotto, held from 1988 to 1992.

• Pull-ups: Wednesday and Saturday.
• Chances of winning the Jackpot: 1 in 25,989,600.
• Starting Jackpot: Starts at $2 million and grows with each draw with no jackpot winner.

Cash4life

Cash4Life is a unique lottery where winners can choose between a lifetime daily jackpot of $1,000 or a one-time payout. It is held in nine states.

• Drawings: Daily in most participating states.
• Chances of Lifetime Payout: 1 in 21,846,048.
• Main Prize: $1,000 per day for life or a one-time cash payout.
• Good causes: Proceeds go mostly to education

American Lottery winners

This year 2023, these are the big prize winners in U.S. lotteries. Read these extraordinary stories of lotto players who suddenly became millionaires on americanlottery365

Powerball jackpot $1.765 billion won on 12 october 2022

Wednesday 12 october the night’s Powerball jackpot worth $1.765 billion. The winning numbers are 24, 52, 40, 22, 64, and a Powerball of 10 for a player in New York. He win this 3th biggest jackpot.

The California Lottery today announced the name of the sole winner of the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot, won by a winning ticket sold in Los Angeles County.

What is the price of online ticket?

The prices of American lottery tickets vary across different platforms. Here’s a comparison from three websites you mentioned:

1. TheLotter: The cost of a American ticket on TheLotter includes the price of the ticket plus a fee for the ticket messenger service. The exact price is not explicitly stated, but they offer options like buying multiple tickets in advance or utilizing multi-draw packages, which can save up to 25% off the regular cost​​​​.
2. Lottofy: A single US Powerball or MegaMillions ticket costs 3,50, but there are discounts for purchasing multiple tickets. For example, three tickets cost 3 each, seven tickets or more cost 2 each, and there’s a similar subscription discount. Lottofy also offers welcome bonuses for new players​​.
3. GiantLottos: The price for a US Powerball/Mega Millions ticket is listed as 5.99. This price is for a single ticket, and there are usually options for buying multiple tickets or participating in syndicates

How to turn lottery winnings into a business

After wandering around Europe for four years, Mandel settled in Australia and decided to play the lottery in a new way.

In a typical lottery, a number of numbers are randomly selected from a certain range (let's say, 1-50); if the numbers you marked match the ones you selected in any order, then you hit the jackpot. The probability of winning depends on, how many combinations of these numbers can there be?; we can talk about millions of combinations.

But Mandel noticed something: in certain lotteries, the jackpot could be more than three times the total cost of redeeming all combinations.

Let's say, For example, that in the lottery you need to choose six numbers from 1 to 40. As a result we have 3 838 380 possible combinations of numbers (here is the calculator). Also acceptable, what is the jackpot in the same lottery? $10 millions. Mandel could buy a ticket for each combination for a dollar per ticket.. This would guarantee him victory, and after taxes - a solid profit.

Mandel insisted, that "any, mastered mathematics at the high school level, can calculate these combinations". But this method was accompanied by serious logistical difficulties.. How to withdraw capital? And how to fill hundreds of thousands of tickets?, number after number?

Mandel's system was simple from a mathematical point of view, but incredibly difficult in terms of execution (The Hustle)

Over the years, Mandel has convinced hundreds of investors to create a pool of capital, thus creating a “lottery syndicate”. After that, he developed and assembled a fully functional system, allowing to automate this process. The result is a room, lined with printers and computers; algorithm was executed on computers, pre-filled tickets.

Computers improved, Thanks to this, Mandel revolutionized his method. Previously, all he could do was, what to write out millions of combinations manually, and a single mistake could bury eight months of work; now this work could be delegated to a machine.

The Mandel Syndicate had to bide its time throughout the 1980s., bye jackpot, finally, did not exceed three times the total cost of all possible combinations. Then it was time to buy thousands of tickets. Managed to win 12 lottery (and collect $400k in small prizes) Australia wide. And in 1986 year the trophy was won in $1,1 million.

"Everyone told me: you won't succeed, That's for sure!», - Mandel told a Romanian newspaper at the time, - “now the voices, for a long time making me look like an empty dreamer, I had to calm down".

But Mandel's system soon attracted unwanted attention.. He won and won, which forced the Australian authorities to change the law, prohibiting one person from redeeming all possible combinations in one lottery

He won and won, which forced the Australian authorities to change the law, prohibiting one person from redeeming all possible combinations in one lottery.

So he set himself a bigger goal - one that would make headlines around the world and cause a global headache for lottery organizers..

When are draws of US lotteries?

The drawing days of the 12 biggest lotteries in the United States of America.

Lottery	Day (draw)
Powerball	Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m
Mega Millians	Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET
Lotto America	Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m. ET
Cash4life	Daily at 9 p.m. ET
Florida lotto	Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:15 p.m. ET
NewYork Lotto	Wednesday and Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET
California SuperLotto Plus	Wednesday and Saturday at 7:57 p.m. Pacific Time (PT)
Texas lotto	Wednesday and Saturday at 22:12 Central Time (CT)
Illinois Lotto	Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 9:22 p.m. CT
Ohio lotto	Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
Georgia Fantasy	Daily at 10:29 p.m. ET
Michigan Classic Lotto 47	Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7:29 p.m. ET

Tips and nuances

By the time of the next drawing of popular lotteries in the USA, queues of people wishing to buy a ticket are formed, and residents of other countries are actively looking for a way to buy American online lotteries. The latter is associated with a huge number of myths and misconceptions.

Let's dispel the main ones:

1. Tourists are not allowed to play American lotteries. As we have already figured out, this is wrong. Non-US residents can safely take part in lotteries. You just need to find a way to buy a lottery ticket.
2. The rules of the game are the same for American citizens and residents of other countries. To summarize, that yes, but there are still some differences. For example, You can purchase a lottery ticket from official realtors in the USA or remotely, but for that, to get your winnings, need to, so that the ticket does not leave the United States.
3. Winnings from winners from other countries are not subject to tax. This is not true. Winner from any country will be required to pay tax on winnings, established by American law.
4. Tax on winnings will need to be paid twice - in America and at home. No, most countries have entered into an agreement on the inadmissibility of double taxation.

Is it true, taking part in the American lottery, you need to immediately mentally prepare for that, that you will not be able to take all the winnings. You will have to pay tax on winnings, and if you go deeper into the topic, then you can do this in two ways:

1. In America. According to American law, all winnings are taxed 30% + in some cases you will need to pay additional tax, established in the state, where was the lottery ticket purchased?.
2. At home. In most cases, this is a more cost-effective option., After all, in the CIS countries the tax on winnings is much lower. In Russia he, For example, is only 16%, and in Ukraine starting from 2016 of the year - 18%.

In almost any American lottery there are two ways to get the main prize:

1. The winner can collect the winnings with one check, but at the same time part of the amount (usually 30% + taxes) will be retained by the organizers.
2. Take your winnings through an annuity - annual payments within 26 years.

Please note, so what?, to express your desire to collect your winnings in a certain way, only two months are given. If you do not respond within this time, then the lottery organizers will automatically register an annuity in the method of receiving the lottery.

Besides, There are also certain time frames for claiming your winnings. So, if you are lucky enough to hit the jackpot, then it is recommended to apply for it within 6 months, and you can come for smaller prizes throughout the year. Before you pay out your winnings, the organizer will first check the authenticity of the ticket and its correspondence to the winnings, which may take some time. Personal presence is a prerequisite for receiving winnings.

“The most incredible thing in the world”

Mandel knew, What, if not close 100% combinations, his entire strategy turns into a multi-million dollar guessing game.

He knew about earlier inglorious attempts to win American lotteries by buying tickets en masse: V 1990 year, a retiree from Sacramento bought 30 thousand tickets for cash, filled a whole diaper bag - and left with nothing. Later, some programmer under the nickname “Phantom” bought 80 000 Jacksonville lottery combinations, Florida, and only won small prizes.

Even if Mandel had the winning ticket, there was still a possibility, that there will be several winners, and in this case the jackpot would be seriously stolen.

IN 11:20 morning 15 February draw started; the process was shown on TV. Alex and the team watched this, sitting nearby in a warehouse and barely breathing.

And then they burst out screaming: victory!

Newspapers around the world wrote about Mandel's win. (selection of American and Australian newspapers, 1992 year)

“When the ticket for $27 millions, everyone seemed to be flying on wings", – Alex said later, - “it was the most incredible thing in the world”. The winning ticket was purchased at Farm Fresh in Chesapeake and issued in the evening. That's what Alex's integrity was worth.

Mandel, being at home in Australia, sent it to my 2524 investors sms: “One of the lotteries we selected gave a jackpot at the level we needed. We entered it and won".

Jackpot in $27 036 142 (and smaller prizes worth $900k) further had to be paid in 20 annual tranches for $1,03 million. But Virginia lottery bigwigs had other plans..

How does the lottery work?

All over the world the lottery works like this, that you can win in it, but the lottery organizer always remains in the black. As in any gambling game, expected value, or, simply put, “return” is always in favor of the organizer.

Loteria Nationala currently has four types of lottery tickets: Heart+, aur7, "Golden Pyramids" and Realizeaza-ti Visele ("Make your dreams come true"). The first two are worth 20 lei, and the second two - 30 lei.

Using Loto+ as an example, we will tell you in detail, how does the lottery work. Total circulation of this drawing 5 million tickets, and the total cost is 100 million lei (considering, what is each ticket worth? 20 lei). Loto+ prize pool - 62 million lei. From 5 million tickets are considered winning 2 million, Although 600 outside. of them only give the right to participate in a TV show, where is the extra draw taking place?. Winnings still in 740 outside. conditional tickets - 20 lei, that is, in fact, you simply do not lose what you spent on buying a ticket 20 lei.

As a result, from 5 million tickets with real winnings - about 690 outside. (14%), that is, those, where you can win more 20 lei. Biggest win - 1 million lei. There are four such tickets in circulation.

The second draw is being held in the Loto+ category. In the first, the circulation and prize fund were half as much - 2,5 million tickets and 31 million lei.

The second draw is also taking place in the Aur7 category. The first circulation was 2,5 million, second - 5 million. Winning tickets 1 945 496, prize fund—61.9 million lei. There are six main prizes in the drawing - 777 777 lei or the equivalent of this amount in gold bullion. Winning tickets 20 lei — 740 outside., more 600 outside. tickets give the right to participate in the draw in the game show.

Circulation of the "Golden Pyramid" - 5 million, that is, the total cost of tickets 150 million lei. Prize fund - 94,5 million lei. Winning tickets approx. 1 751 776 things, of which 500 outside. entitles you to participate in a drawing in a game show. Still winning 700 outside. tickets – 30 lei, that is so much, how much did you pay for it when you bought it?. The two main prizes of the lottery are 2 million lei, and four more - each 1 million lei.

Lottery draw "Make your dreams come true" (Make your dreams come true) — 2,5 million. Prize fund—47.2 million lei. Winning tickets - 1 341 051. At the same time, in 500 outside. tickets hide the right to participate in a TV game, and in 330 outside. - the gain is equal 30 lei, that is, the face value.

How to buy a US lotto ticket? Check this guide

Below a example what you have to do.

Buying a lottery ticket on Lottofy is a straightforward process. Here’s a detailed guide:

1. Visit Lottofy: Go to the Lottofy website.
2. Sign Up: Click the ‘Sign Up’ button to register an account. This involves providing some basic personal information and setting up your login credentials.
3. Deposit Funds: Make a deposit into your Lottofy account. This will be used to purchase lottery tickets.
4. Claim Welcome Bonus: As a new player, you might be eligible for a welcome bonus, like getting 3 Powerball lines for the price of 1.
5. Choose Lottery: Click on the ‘Lottery’ option in the site menu to view available lotteries.
6. Select Your Lottery: Pick the lottery you wish to play
7. Choose Your Numbers: Select your lucky numbers for the chosen lottery.
8. Purchase Tickets: Finalize your ticket purchase. You’ll have the option to buy a single ticket or multiple tickets, often at a discounted rate.
9. Wait for the Draw

All American lotteries, characteristics

I must say, that there are not a lot of lottery projects in the USA - the two most famous with the possibility of multimillion-dollar winnings are Mega Millions and PowerBall. There are also several mini-lotteries and instant. Let's see, what they are.

3.1. Mega Millions Lottery

Minimum jackpot – 15 million dollars and it increases from circulation to circulation, if none of the players guesses the combination of numbers 5/75 and 1/15. It's quite difficult to do this, chances of winning the main prize are low, therefore its amount can rise to several hundred million.

If you really want to play the American lottery, but are not a US resident, The rate will be paid on your behalf by a local representative of the intermediary site.

Numbers are drawn using two lottery machines. Balls with main drawing numbers are painted white and loaded into one lottery drum, and additional – in red (loaded into the second).

Ticket design, purchased in different states, may vary slightly.

You can find out more about this lottery and how to play it in this article.: “How to play and win the Mega Millions lottery from Russia?«.

3.2. Powerball lottery

The game scheme is somewhat reminiscent of Mega Millions: 5/69 (main draw) and 1/26 ( additional).

The chances of winning the main prize are negligible - 1 To 292 201 338, and to win any prize – 1 To 25 .

The jackpot in this lottery never gets lower 40 million dollars and constantly growing until then, until someone rips it off.

Yesterday's winnings (read at the beginning of the article), albeit dizzy, but not that big, as it was at one of the circulations last year - 1, 56 billion dollars were won by three lucky people from different states.

Wins from above 600$ can only be obtained at the lottery office - a representative of an intermediary company can do this for you. And again I have to remind you, that not all concierges are conscientious.

Jackpots are awarded to winners in two ways: as a lump sum payment and as an annuity (in parts over several years). Small winnings await their owners for a year, and if after this time no one has applied for them, prizes are donated to charities.

You can find out more about this lottery and how to play it in this article.: "American Powerball lottery - buy tickets from Russia".

3.3. Mini-lotteries

They differ from standard ones in the frequency of draws and in the smaller number of numbers required for guessing. For example, in Florida Lucky Money the algorithm is as follows: 4/47 + 1/17. Jackpot amounts too, respectively, less, than in big lotteries.

Honestly, where can Russian players buy an American lottery ticket in mini format?, I can't, since I haven’t seen them on any of the intermediary sites.

3.4. American instant lotteries

These are scratches popular among Americans with a colorful design., not involving choice of numbers. But even the most reliable intermediaries are unlikely to sell them to you online.. The American instant lottery requires the player to erase the protective field - simply “scratch” the surface of the paper coupon.

I talked about this type of lottery for informational purposes.

If you suddenly end up in the States, pay attention to Minnesota Hold'em or Texas Hold'em tickets, Monopoly, Win for life

Virginia jackpot on 27 millions

Mandel knew, that the method of winning the lottery using the “buy all combinations” principle is especially difficult not only from a financial point of view, how much from a logistics point of view?. The hardest part of the job was yet to come.

Tickets could be legally printed at home, but they still needed to be transferred to the official retailer, authorized to sell lottery tickets in the USA, pay (by $1 for a ticket) and process. Of course you can't taxi to a gas station with 1,4 million tickets and a cache trailer.

Mandel turned to the auditing firm Lowe Lippmann, instructing them to translate $ 9 millions in investor funds to Crestar Bank in Boston, where this amount was divided into $10k checks, which must be signed by the cashier. He then made deals up front with Virginia-based retailers., so that they buy large quantities of tickets from him. The only thing missing from the scheme was a reliable person on earth, who could conduct this whole coven.

Mandel offered this role to a distinguished colleague named Enizali Alex..

Enizali Alex, retired paratrooper, already burned himself in the oil business, was the strangest candidate for the role of chief in Virginia of all, who could Mandel have picked? (Illustration by The Hustle; picture from ‘How’d They Do That’?’, 1992)

Alex, who never took off his gold Rolex and sported camouflage for safari, was so sweet-tongued, that he could show anyone “the sky in diamonds”. From a paratrooper he retrained as a Rolls-Royce salesman., then went into oil exploration. He lived in the town of Tewtopolis, Illinois, where he could often be found walking around wearing a T-shirt with the words: "Oh my God, let me prove, that winning the lottery will not corrupt me.”

Mandel and Alex have been friends for a long time. When Mandel called, Alex just returned from court, where his bankruptcy case was heard: he was $400k in debt and had 16 maxed out credit cards. He was ready to do anything - any job.

The work ahead was hellish: he was obliged to coordinate the launch, payment and processing 1,4 million lottery tickets at hundreds of locations throughout Virginia.

Jackpot reached $15,5 million on Wednesday, and the next draw was planned for Saturday. Thus, Mandel's comrades knew everything about everything 72 o'clock.