Lottery games have been around for centuries. The first recorded ones date back to the Chinese Han Dynasty, between 205 and 187 BC. They were said to have helped fund important government projects such as the Great Wall of China. The game was even mentioned in the Chinese Book of Songs, as “drawing of wood” and “drawing of lots.”
Before the internet, lottery enthusiasts had a few options for playing games. The location they lived in limited the games they could play and the prizes they could win. But thanks to modern technology, people can buy tickets online and on their phones from the comfort of their homes. Online lottery websites can even be accessed from a tablet or smartphone. However, you’ll want to select a website that’s compatible with the device you’ll use to play. The top lottery sites will feature all the popular lotteries. However, they may not offer some of the smaller games that are more popular in certain states.
Some lottery games, like Mega Millions, have incredible jackpots. Some have even topped $1.5 billion. If you’re lucky enough to win one of these huge jackpots, you’ll be an instant millionaire. And that’s before any withholdings and taxes. Of course, winning the lottery is mostly about pure luck.
Nowadays, there are many different online lottery games available. Many of them are similar to the traditional instant lottery tickets, but offer players an online experience. Moreover, these games are often operated by private companies, which act as a middleman between players and the games. However, you can still buy lottery tickets from the official government lotteries as well. Plus, online lottery games offer a wider variety of games than the traditional games.
Lottery games in the US have a long history. The first lottery was introduced in Puerto Rico in 1934, while New Hampshire became the first official state to run a lottery in 1964. Today, there are 46 states and Washington DC that offer a lottery. Besides state lotteries, there are also lottery games in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Lotteries were first used to raise money for public projects. The Continental Congress and the Colonial Army used them to raise money for various projects. Many colonies used the lottery to help fund local government projects, including fortifications and local militias. In 1758, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts used the money raised through a lottery to finance the “Expedition against Canada”.
Lottery winners can also choose to receive their winnings in a lump sum or annuity. The one-time payment is less than the advertised jackpot once you factor in the time value of money and income taxes. In addition to this, there are withholdings that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In other words, winners can expect to pocket about a third of the advertised jackpot.
The largest lottery jackpot in history was won in January 2016 in the US Powerball lottery, which shattered the previous record of the $1.55 billion lottery. In October 2018, the rival lottery Mega Millions awarded a prize of $1.537 billion.