Pennsylvania followed Michigan’s footsteps to embrace a legal online lottery in early-June 2018. PA iLottery has constantly been expanding its gaming catalog since and we can say the players are truly spoilt for choice between both common draw lotteries and bountiful instant win games.
The lottery’s full content can be enjoyed both on the online site and mobile app, compatible with all iOS and Android-powered devices respectively. We’ll take a deep look into everything you should need to know about the Pennsylvanian online lottery, so stay tuned and keep reading to find out what’s in store for you there.
PA Lottery – A historic rundown
The roots of lottery in the Keystone State date back to 1972 when the inaugural lottery draw occurred there. It happened a year after the General Assembly created the Pennsylvania Lottery. The law reveals that at least 27% of the revenues collected by the state lottery have to be used towards the defined public programs. Additionally, at least 40% needs to take part in the further lottery prize pool. Although the majority of states allocate the lottery revenues towards the education program, Pennsylvania decided to put its underserved senior citizens in the main focus. Ever since the original launch in 1972, the Pennsylvanian lottery has secured around $30 billion for the senior-citizen programs.
Nothing has drastically changed until 2011 when the US Department of Justice released the legal interpretation of the Federal Wire Act to conclude its resolutions applied to sports betting only. Such a conclusion paved the way for the introduction of the online lottery. The residents, however, had to wait until October 2017 when Bill H 271 was finally passed by the state Senate. The bill which permitted the gambling expansion in the Keystone State passed through the House the next day, while Governor Tom Wolf pushed it into law by signing the document six days after (October 31st, 2017).
The official date for the PA iLottery debut was June 1st, 2018. Both land-based and online games are currently controlled by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Gaming Oversight Committee.
Who can join the PA iLottery?
Registering a new account at a PA Lottery site is an easy and pretty much straightforward task, but not everyone is allowed to do so. According to the state laws, only those who are at least 18 years old and physically located inside the Keystone State can join the online site, make deposits, and purchase tickets.
PA iLottery is strict in overseeing the mentioned criteria as you can’t even register a new account there without providing the last four digits of your Social Security Number. Furthermore, they can request the scans of an ID issued by the government if needs be. As for the second important requirement, it has to do with technology as the online site, as well as the app, utilizes a geolocation system to check your location based on the IP address.
There is also a family restriction that prohibits the players who have a close relative working for the state lottery to buy tickets.
If you meet the mentioned criteria, you’ll get to sign up for a new account in a matter of minutes. You should just click on the “Sign Up” tab on either PA iLottery desktop page or the mobile app and type in the following information:
- Full Name
- E-Mail and Password
- Gender
- Date of Birth
- Address
- A Couple of Security Questions and Answers
- Bonus Code (if needed)
Safety should by no means be a concern since PA iLottery utilizes the latest security and encryption technology to keep your private and financial data 100% safe.
Deposits
Moving the money onto and off an online site may be a genuine struggle if you are facing a limited array of options. Nevertheless, it will not be an issue at all with the PA iLottery given the site supports several popular and mainstream banking methods. You can thus fund your PA iLottery account by using one of the following options:
- Credit/Debit Card – Visa, Mastercard, Discover
- ACH/eCheck – Just enter your bank account number and ABA number and the money will be up on the site
- Paypal – You just need to link your Paypal account to a bank account and you’ll be good to go
- PayNearMe – You can fund the account with cash at any PayNearMe location, involving 7-Eleven stores, CVS Pharmacy, ACE Cash Express, etc.
- WebCash – You can buy a WebCash voucher at any PA lottery retailer and then redeem it into your PA iLottery account
- PA Lottery Play+ Account – You can deposit to this account with a credit/debit card or directly from a bank account
The minimum deposit is $10. While there are no maximum limits for the deposits made through ACH, debit card, PayPal, and PayNearMe, you can’t fund your PA iLottery account with more than $1,000 in 24 hours by using credit cards and WebCash. It is also worth noting the maximum balance allowed on the Play+ account is $25,000.
Withdrawals
Unlike deposits, cashouts can be made through no more than three options. These include ACH, PayPal, and Play+ card. ACH is probably your best call because it has no maximum limits attached to it. You can’t withdraw more than $10,000 on PayPal and $25,000 on Play+. The minimum withdrawal is $10 for each of the options. The whole process may take up to 72 hours to be completed.
It is also worth noting that certain tax paperwork has to be done for withdrawals higher than $600. Additional verifications are imposed upon winnings larger than $2,500. Speaking of taxes, the players need to pay a 24% federal and a 3.07% state tax.
PA iLottery games
The PA iLottery platform has been launched in conjunction with Global Payments Gaming Solutions. This means the players are allowed to buy tickets and redeem the prizes via the online platform. At the moment, the PA iLottery users can enjoy a 50-game library, mainly consisted of instant win games (47 of this kind).
Sadly, only two keno games are up for grabs (Neon Keno and Red Hot Keno), while fast play and Xpress Sports can only be found in land-based retailers.
On the bright side, the players can purchase the mega-popular Powerball and Mega Millions tickets for a chance of claiming a life-changing fortune. Besides these two heavyweight titles, the players can try their luck by buying tickets for two more draw lotteries, Treasure Hunt and Cash 4Life respectively.
As mentioned above, it’s pretty much all about the instant win games at the PA iLottery. You can test them and play for fun in a “Demo Mode” or experience the real deal thrill. We won’t name each of the 47 instants here. Instead, here is the list of the most popular games currently offered by PA iLottery:
- Pennsylvania Keystone Cash
- Wild Run
- Monster Wins
- Grumpy Cat
- Gorilla Go Wild
- Rainbow Fortunes
- Cashbuster Bonus
- Fast Buck Lucky
- Big Money Slingo
- Fruit Loot
- Treasure Huntž
- Clover Cash
- Big Diamond
- Lucky You
PA iLottery promotions
We have reasons to consider PA iLottery quite generous when it comes to the richness and attractiveness of their promotional department. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that their promos are subject to frequent changes.
For example, they may offer a 100% first deposit bonus up to $500 in January but go to a 50% matched bonus up to $600 in July. At the moment of writing, the PA iLottery promotes a $5 no-deposit bonus. Anyone who registers a new account there will see this little gift on his/her account. You can utilize the bonus on any game you wish, including Prospector’s Gold, Monster Wins, and Lucky You among others. To cash the bonus out, you just need to roll it over one time.
PA iLottery show care for their regular customers through an impressive set of on-going promotions. They give something little extra to their loyal users every single day. The set involves the following promos:
- Monday Cauldron of Cashback – Get $5 cashback when you play $50 on Cauldron of Cash
- “Twos” Day – Get $2 bonus for playing $2 on Pennsylvania Cash Club on Tuesdays
- Winning Web Wednesday – Get $5 bonus for playing $10 on Winning Web
- Weekend e-mail Special – Anyone who is subscribed for mailers will get a special promotion through e-mail on Thursdays
- Risk-Free Friday – Get $5 bonus after a $5 cash loss on Cats, Hats & More Bats
The players can also take advantage of additional benefits by joining the PA iLottery VIP Club.
PA Lottery AP
PA iLottery is available on the go thanks to a fully-mobile optimized app developed by the Scientific Games International. The Pennsylvania Lottery app is free to download for both iOS and Android-powered devices. The former can be found in the Apple Store, while the latter is available on the PA iLottery website.
PA iLottery customer support
Should you have any questions, you can always reach out to the PA iLottery friendly customer support agents. Here are the available channels:
- Live Chat – available round-the-clock
- E-Mail – through the contact form on the PA iLottery website
- Phone – toll-free at 1-833-530
FAQ
PA iLottery offers 47 instant win and 2 keno games, as well as 4 common draw lotteries at the moment. Unfortunately, other draws, fast play, keno, and XPress Sports tickets are only available in PA Lottery retailers.
Yes, the PA iLottery is owned and operated by the state, meaning your money is 100% safe there. The site uses the latest encryption technology to keep your personal and financial information secure, while the games are regulated by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Gaming Oversight Committee.
Only those who are older than 18 and physically located in the Keystone State are allowed to take part in the PA iLottery offers.
Yes, you can buy tickets for the mega-popular draw lotteries online in Pennsylvania.