Guide: What Is A Lottery Courier Service?

In the USA, playing the lottery varies by state. For example, some states only allow playing in-person at retailers (e.g. Florida), some states allow in-person and online via the state lottery website (e.g. Illinois) and some states allow in-person and online but not via the state lottery website (e.g. Texas).

This last category is where Lottery Courier Services are particularly useful. Say you live in Texas and you want to play the Powerball but you can’t get to the local store or perhaps you want to avoid the long queues when Powerball-fever kicks in. The state allows online play, however, you can’t play via texaslottery.com (the official website) - what should you do?

If you download Jackpocket or another Lottery Courier (see our Texas page for full guide) you can play via your mobile device.

How Does a Lottery Courier Service Work?

A Lottery Courier Service is essentially a company that goes to a local retailer and purchases a lottery ticket on your behalf. The exact steps of the purchase would be like the following:

1. You download a Lottery Courier app (e.g. Jackpocket) in a permitted state (see Jackpocket review for permitted states)
2. You deposit funds into Jackpocket
3. You purchase a ticket to your chosen Lottery (Powerball, Mega Millions, etc)
4. Jackpocket will purchase a ticket on your behalf
5. A scanned copy of your ticket appears in the Jackpocket app

Take a look at this guide from Jackpocket:

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FAQs

Which States Can I Use A Lottery Courier Service?

Check out the review pages to see the current list of states offered by each operator. The current operators are: Jackpocket, The Lotter, Lotto.com and Jackpot.com

Can I Play Lottos From Other States

No. You can only play lotteries from the state you’re physically located in at the time of playing. Think of it like going to a store to purchase a ticket - you must be located in the state you’re playing. The Lottery Courier Services use geo-location technologies to check you’re in the correct location.

Can I Trust Courier Services?

Any courier services featured here on CompareTheLotto.com are trusted US-based companies.

How Old Do I Have To Be To Play?

All of the usual Lottery laws apply to Lottery Courier Services. This means you must be either over 18 or over 21 depending on your state.

What Happens If I win?

This varies operator to operator. With Jackpocket, any winnings under $600 go directly into your account. If you have a ticket winning more than $600, Jackpocket will securely deliver the ticket to you and you collect the winnings yourself.