The Powerball is one of the most popular lottery games in the United States, with tickets sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With giant jackpots that can climb into the hundreds of millions of dollars, it’s no surprise that Powerball attracts players from across the country hoping to strike it rich. But can you play Powerball if you live in a state that doesn’t participate in the game?
What states offer Powerball tickets?
Powerball is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which currently has 45 member states/jurisdictions that sell Powerball tickets either through the state lottery or other authorized retailers. The participating Powerball states are:
| Arizona | Delaware | Idaho | Kansas | Maine |
| Arkansas | District of Columbia | Illinois | Kentucky | Maryland |
| California | Florida | Indiana | Louisiana | Massachusetts |
| Colorado | Georgia | Iowa | Michigan | Minnesota |
| Connecticut | Hawaii | Kansas | Mississippi | Missouri |
| Delaware | Idaho | Kentucky | Montana | Nebraska |
| District of Columbia | Illinois | Louisiana | Nebraska | New Hampshire |
| Florida | Indiana | Maine | New Jersey | New Mexico |
| Georgia | Iowa | Maryland | New Mexico | New York |
| Hawaii | Kansas | Massachusetts | New York | North Carolina |
| Idaho | Kentucky | Michigan | North Carolina | North Dakota |
| Illinois | Louisiana | Minnesota | North Dakota | Ohio |
| Indiana | Maine | Mississippi | Ohio | Oklahoma |
| Iowa | Maryland | Missouri | Oklahoma | Oregon |
| Kansas | Massachusetts | Montana | Oregon | Pennsylvania |
| Kentucky | Michigan | Nebraska | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island |
| Louisiana | Minnesota | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | South Carolina |
| Maine | Mississippi | New Jersey | South Carolina | South Dakota |
| Maryland | Missouri | New Mexico | South Dakota | Tennessee |
| Massachusetts | Montana | New York | Tennessee | Texas |
| Michigan | Nebraska | North Carolina | Texas | US Virgin Islands |
| Minnesota | New Hampshire | North Dakota | US Virgin Islands | Vermont |
| Mississippi | New Jersey | Ohio | Vermont | Virginia |
| Missouri | New Mexico | Oklahoma | Virginia | Washington |
| Montana | New York | Oregon | Washington | West Virginia |
| Nebraska | North Carolina | Pennsylvania | West Virginia | Wisconsin |
| New Hampshire | North Dakota | Rhode Island | Wisconsin | Wyoming |
| New Jersey | Ohio | South Carolina | Wyoming | |
| New Mexico | Oklahoma | South Dakota |
In addition to the 45 participating states, Powerball tickets are sold in Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. So a total of 48 jurisdictions currently offer the Powerball game.
Non-participating states
That leaves just a handful of states that do not participate in Powerball:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Nevada
- Utah
These 5 states do not sell Powerball tickets and do not participate in the game. Residents of these states must cross state lines in order to purchase Powerball tickets.
Can you play Powerball if you live in a non-participating state?
Yes, even if you live in one of the 5 states that does not offer Powerball, you can still play and purchase tickets by doing one of the following:
Crossing state lines
The easiest way is to simply drive across state lines into a participating Powerball state. For example:
- Alabama residents could drive into Florida, Georgia or Tennessee
- Alaska residents could drive into Canada and purchase tickets in Yukon, British Columbia or Alberta
- Hawaii residents could fly to California or Washington (or any participating mainland state)
- Nevadans could cross into California, Arizona, Utah or Idaho
- Utah residents could drive into Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado or Nevada
In most border towns of the non-participating states, you’ll find retailers more than happy to sell Powerball tickets to out-of-state residents. So crossing state lines works well if you live near a border.
Online lottery retailers
In recent years, many state lotteries have begun offering online sales of Powerball tickets. So even if you live in a non-participating state, you can purchase official Powerball tickets online through authorized online retailers.
However, online sales are only permitted to residents of the state offering the online tickets. So for example, you could not purchase Virginia lottery tickets online if you live in Nevada. The online sales are restricted to residents of that state.
Here are some states that offer online sales to state residents:
| State | Online Lottery Retailer |
| Georgia | play.georgialottery.com |
| Illinois | illinoislottery.com |
| Kentucky | kylottery.com |
| Michigan | milottery.com |
| New Hampshire | nhlottery.com |
| North Carolina | nclottery.com |
| North Dakota | lottery.nd.gov |
| Pennsylvania | palottery.com |
| Virginia | valottery.com |
So if you live in Nevada for example, you cannot purchase tickets through the Michigan Lottery website. The online sales are limited to residents of each state.
Third party ticket courier services
There are some online services that offer to act as ticket couriers on your behalf. You select and pay for your Powerball tickets through their website, and they purchase the tickets through their local state lottery and then ship the ticket to you.
Some popular third party courier services include:
- TheLotter
- Lotto Agent
- Jackpocket
The advantage of these services is convenience, as you can purchase tickets online. The downside is having to pay additional service fees.
Key considerations when playing out-of-state
If you decide to cross state lines or use an online service to play Powerball from a non-participating state, keep these tips in mind:
- Make sure to check the draw dates and times. They vary by state so you’ll want to ensure you’re playing for the draw you intend.
- Always purchase tickets early to allow time for the ticket to be purchased and shipped to you (for online third party services).
- Review the retailer or website’s credibility and make sure it is authorized to sell official state lottery tickets.
- Understand all service fees, terms and conditions associated with online ticket purchases.
- Check the claim procedures for winning tickets purchased outside your home state.
The advantages and disadvantages of playing out-of-state
Advantages
- Access to play major national lotteries not available in your state
- Chance to win the same huge jackpots as everyone else
- Convenience of purchasing tickets online
- Anonymity of playing outside your home state (in most cases)
Disadvantages
- No ability to purchase tickets locally in your own state
- Travel required to cross state border to shop in person
- Additional service fees to use online third party courier services
- Need to thoroughly vet third party online ticket retailers
- Earlier ticket purchase deadlines to allow time for shipping
Do you have a better chance of winning if fewer people play in your state?
One common question that comes up is whether you have better odds of winning if you live in a state like Alaska or Utah where fewer people play Powerball. The answer is no. Your odds don’t change no matter how many people play in your particular state.
That’s because Powerball is a shared national jackpot. All of the ticket sales from across the 48 participating jurisdictions go into one giant prize pool. And winners can come from anywhere the game is played.
For example, the record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot on January 13, 2016 was split by three tickets purchased in California, Florida and Tennessee. Even though California sold the most tickets, smaller states Florida and Tennessee were still able to produce winners.
So your odds of winning are the same regardless of where you make your Powerball ticket purchase. The key is just getting your ticket into the game from wherever you may live.
Future expansion plans
Powerball is always looking to expand by partnering with additional state lotteries. Efforts are made on an ongoing basis to try and bring the remaining non-participating states into the game.
Powerball legislation recently passed the first hurdle in Alaska in 2022. The bill to authorize Alaska to join Powerball passed the state House of Representatives in March. However, it stalled in the Senate and failed to pass this year. Supporters will make another push in 2023.
There is strong interest from lotteries and local governments in Alabama and Utah to eventually join Powerball as well. Both states already border several Powerball states, leading to lost revenue as residents cross borders to play. It’s likely just a matter of time before public pressure and the lure of extra state revenue convinces these holdouts to join.
Nevada may be a tougher sell given its significant gaming industry. There are concerns that Powerball may divert discretionary spending away from casinos. Hawaii is also a question mark going forward.
But over time, as more states join and public demand increases, the odds are good that Powerball will expand to reach nearly nationwide coverage across the United States in the coming years.
The bottom line
To summarize the key points:
- Powerball is played in 45 participating states, plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Residents of the 5 non-participating states can still play by crossing state lines, using online third party courier services, or participating states’ own online sales (limited to state residents only)
- Consider convenience, costs, credibility, and claims when deciding how to purchase out-of-state
- Your odds don’t change no matter where players come from, since it’s a shared national jackpot
- Powerball is looking to expand by partnering with additional state lotteries in the coming years
So while the Powerball may not be offered right in your backyard just yet, there are still numerous ways to get in the game for a chance at a giant jackpot no matter where you call home. The power to play is in your hands!
Conclusion
In summary, Powerball lottery tickets are readily available to play for residents of most US states, with 45 currently participating along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. For folks in one of the 5 holdout states – Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah – it is still possible to purchase tickets by crossing state lines, using authorized online services, or third party ticket couriers. While not as convenient, it allows access for anyone to play for a chance at the same huge jackpots. Over time, as public demand and state revenues grow, Powerball is expected to expand further by partnering with additional US lotteries. So for now, some extra effort is required but there are still ways to play from non-participating states while Powerball works towards nationwide coverage.
