The first recorded lotteries offered tickets with money prizes. Low Countries towns held public lotteries to raise funds for town fortifications or for poor people. However, the earliest recorded lotteries were a century earlier, as shown by town records. For instance, a record from L’Ecluse, France, dated 9 May 1445, mentions raising funds for walls and fortifications by selling lottery tickets. The winner would have received a prize of 420 florins, which would be approximately US$170,000 in 2014.

Today, there are government-operated lotteries in 45 US states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The only states without a government-operated lottery are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah, and Virgin Islands. Multi-jurisdictional lotteries also exist. Powerball and Mega Millions are two examples of multi-jurisdictional lotteries. By playing multi-jurisdictional lotteries, you can increase your chances of winning.

Some countries also offer lottery tickets online. In Europe, some countries have government-run websites that allow players to purchase tickets. Other countries have lottery websites that allow international players to purchase tickets. Some Asian countries, such as Burma, Lebanon, and Israel, also offer lottery tickets. Similarly, countries in North and South America have national lotteries, including Australia. Online lottery agency websites provide easy access to lottery tickets from across the world. Unlike offline stores, online lottery agencies let you purchase tickets at various retail websites.