How to Play the Lottery Online

The US has a long history of the lottery, dating back to the early 1700s. Newspaper ads from the colonial era suggest that hundreds of lotteries operated in the early eighteenth century. In 1934, Puerto Rico introduced its first lottery, and New Hampshire became the first state to introduce the lottery. Today, forty-four states and Washington, D.C. operate lotteries, with the Virgin Islands set to begin operating one in 2021. Today, there are many different types of lotteries, including drawing games and instant win games.

The State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has a records management program in place since October 1, 2017. This division develops and manages the agency’s records management program. The Records Officer is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the records management program and for acting as a liaison with the Department of General Services and the State Archives. This division also manages the production of Lottery-sponsored television and radio commercials. The Division’s other duties include assessing the effectiveness of lottery advertising and overseeing contracts with vendors and lottery employees.

The majority of state lotteries run a state-wide lottery, with Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico also operating state-level lotteries. There is no federal lottery, so only 44 states, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico have a state-run lottery. However, the two biggest lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball, are available almost everywhere in the US, and are considered de facto national lottery games.