By Chris Skeldon 
And the winning numbers of tonight’s lottery are…
Those are the words that many Americans will sit in front of the TV waiting to hear as the latest numbers get drawn from an automatic tombola. However, just how popular are lotteries in the US, which do Americans play the most, and which type of people are more likely to play? These are all questions that this article aims to answer.
It is common knowledge that Americans love to play lotteries. In fact, over half of all Americans will play a lottery at least once a month. Many others will play every week across multiple lotteries, whether state or national. If you want to learn more about US lotteries or find out recent results, you can use this guide to US lotto results provided here. You will discover which are the lotteries available to you in your state, find out about drawing times, and more.
Which Lotteries are the Most Popular?
In 2019, all states combined brought in a combined $81 million in revenue from lotteries, which is just over half of the revenue brought in via legal gambling in the country. However, which are the most popular lotteries across the United States of America?
Well, each state will have its own selection of lotteries while most in the US will also have access to the two national lotteries, Mega Millions and Powerball. The latter are easily the two most popular and for a couple of reasons. For one, they are available to anyone that is of legal gambling age in any state where lotteries are legal, and second, they offer the biggest jackpots because of more players taking part.
Once they have witnessed Roman Reigns become the undisputed WWE Champion, watched the latest Netflix movie, or just sat down after dinner, millions of Americans will tune into the big national lotteries to see if they have won life-changing sums of money. These lotteries pay out big, and anyone that wins will never have to worry about working again. Some have even won more than a billion dollars!
Aside from the national lotteries, many states also offer state-run lotteries with smaller jackpots but a greater chance to win. For instance, aside from the big two, players in New Jersey can play six other lotteries including Cash4Life, Card Cash All In, and Pick 6 Ultra and those living in Kentucky can play the CashBall and 5 Card Cash.
Information About The Mega Millions and PowerBall
As the two national lotteries and therefore the most popular across the US, the Mega Millions and Powerball will be of the most interest to anyone looking for a lottery to play. Below, you will see a short breakdown of both lotteries:
- Powerball Lottery: Available in 45 states across the US, the Powerball is considered the most popular in the country. Anyone lucky enough to win will walk away with a minimum of $40 million. Wins can grow to become higher too, much higher, in fact. By looking at the highest lottery wins of all time, you will see that Powerball holds the record by paying out $1.586 billion. Draws take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays and to play you have to pick five numbers between 1 and 69 and then a Powerball number between 1 and 26.
- The Mega Millions: Slightly edged out by the Powerball, the Mega Millions is also extremely popular in the US. It is also responsible for the second-largest jackpot in US history after paying out $1.537 billion in 2018. This one draws every Friday and Tuesday and requires players to pick five numbers and one for the Megaball.
Lotteries are More Popular Among the Older Generations
The players most likely to take part in lotteries are those aged 65-74. Obviously, what better way to save for a pension and your retirement than to win a lottery jackpot? On average, that age group spends over $130 per month on lottery tickets. Next up are those aged between 45 and 54 where the average spend is around $75 on average. The least likely to play are those aged 25 and under, as they will spend $40 per month on average.
This suggests that the older people get, the more likely they will spend on the lottery. The young and carefree are not yet too concerned about their future, while the older generation is looking for reasons to give up work, retire, or have something to pass down to their families.