The United States of America has always been known as the land where dreams come true, so it is much to our dismay that the dream of striking it rich in the foreign lottery is impossible to US citizens.
The US Postal Inspection service has taken a firm stance in saying “don’t do it!” According to the strict laws that have been set in place, US citizens are prohibited from purchasing a ticket, share or chance of winning the lottery by mail/telephone or online for security reasons. The US Postal Inspection Service goes on to state that it is impractical in terms of there not being any tangible guarantee that the dealings made via mail/internet correspondence are legitimate . Unlike playing in your state’s lottery, you could not be certain that you would obtain the play you paid for.
They also raise concerns about identity theft and the dangers of giving your personal details to what may be lotto scams, spam or fraud. In this way, we cannot blame the government for trying to protect their citizens by trying to keep matters as simple and legitimate as possible for the safety of all involved. First-time offenders convicted of knowingly violating the postal anti-lottery law would face penalties of up to a $1,000 fine and two years in prison.
Buying lotto tickets while traveling
Even though the law expressly states that US citizens can’t play any lottery online or via mail, there are no laws that prohibit purchasing a lottery ticket when on vacation or visiting overseas. However, in the case you do win, your winnings may be subject to double taxation: your winnings could be taxed both in the country you’ve won and in the US when you arrive back. But with the International lotteries such as the Euro millions paying out millions of Euros to winners, exploring options while abroad should certainly be considered.
The best lotteries are here anyway
Fortunately, despite the limitations, the USA remains the land of opportunity with some of the best lotteries in the world, including Powerball, MegaMillions and MegaSena Lotto. These and several other lotteries available in USA offer major jackpot prizes and chances to win big.
There are also state lotteries which offer sizable payoffs, with many states such as New York, Georgia and Tex as all reporting largest jackpots being in excess of $300 million.
With extremely high jackpots to be won in any of the above mentioned lotteries; there is no need to search for online lotto agents who promise the best lotto tickets to buy: you already have it on your doorstep.
All that is left to be done now is go out and purchase potentially jackpot-winning your ticket.
Does that include US citizens that are legal residents of another country?
Hi there,
Thank you for your query. If you are a US citizen living in another country and you want to claim your prize in that country, then you are able to do so.
We hope you found this information useful.