US Online Lotteries Aiding Coronavirus Pandemic

In-person lottery sales have dropped drastically, major draws have increased or canceled their jackpot pools, but the lottery still manages to aid the Coronavirus pandemic, in many ways.

The situation with COVID-19 across the US is quickly escalating, and more and more businesses are suffering significant losses because of it. Considering 42 states, plus Puerto Rico and DC, are remaining at home by the government’s orders, all non-essential businesses are closed. This also includes lottery retailers.

Online Lotteries Provide Much-Needed Help During the Pandemic

Online lotteries in the US are contributing to the battle against this awful pandemic we’re facing. They provide the much-needed revenue to state programs, instead of where they usually do, thanks to the online sales increase of more than 10%.

They proved critical in times where in-person lottery sales have dropped significantly. Yet, still, all state lotteries have managed to contribute to and help during these difficult times.

States Affected By In-Person Lottery Sales Crisis

Eight states offer lotteries in the US: Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, and New Hampshire. The Massachusetts Treasurer, Deborah Goldberg, stated the following:

This pandemic has dramatically exposed the limitations and vulnerabilities of the lottery’s all-cash, in-person business model.

Deborah Goldberg

She said that out of 7,500 lottery retailers, 1,800 were closed, including the casinos’ Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park.

Lotteries Still Assist Specific State Programs

And while the total lottery sales in Massachusetts dropped 33%, as well as keno over 53%, the lotteries still manage to help the states in any way possible. Massachusetts State Lottery distributes its revenue to towns and cities instead of specific programs as it usually does.

Usually, the majority of money from state lotteries from North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, Illinois, Georgia, and Michigan goes to public education, including scholarships and grants. Some states also aid local businesses, special causes, and infrastructure projects. Pennsylvania contributes to the programs for older residents, while Kentucky for college scholarships.

Powerball and Mega Millions Eliminate Their Jackpots

In addition to amending their draws due to reduced sales, the two of the world’s largest lotteries have eliminated their jackpots. Both lotteries explain that this was due to the decline in interest rates and ticket sales. Powerball Product Group Chair Gregg Mineo said:

Since last week, more states and cities have asked their residents to stay at home, which has affected normal consumer behaviors and Powerball game sales. In response to the public health crisis, interest rates have declined. As a result, additional game sales are necessary to fund comparable jackpot amounts.

Gregg Mineo

Powerball initially reduced the minimum jackpot from $40 million to $20 million, and the guaranteed increases from $10 million to $2 million, but, due to the drop in sales, as stated by representatives, “advertised jackpot should be determined by game sales and interest rates.”

Mega Millions did the same thing. Gordon Medenica, its Consortium Director, said:

These adjustments will allow the states and jurisdictions that sell Mega Millions tickets to continue generating much-needed revenue to support state budgets.

Gordon Medenica

Play Real Money Lottery Online

Even though most online lotteries have either canceled the draws or eliminated the huge jackpot prizes that make them appealing to players, if you’re a lottery geek, you could still participate in draws across real money online casinos. There are plenty of lottery-style games across these sites, where you can play for real money prizes.

Top Real Money Online Casinos For Lottery

For instance, Cafe Casino offers a fantastic bonus, which can kick-start your online lotto journey. It provides online lottery scratch cards, the classic American 75-ball bingo, and two versions of keno.

Slots.lv is another excellent online casino where you could participate in 22 lottery games. The most popular game in this casino is Keno, the Chinese 80-number lottery, with prizes of up to $1,000,000!

If you’re into scratch cards, BetOnline is the casino for you, with its most popular Scratcherz game, developed by the one and only, BetSoft. Nine lottery games in total are offered here, as well as plenty of bonuses that you can claim.