The history of the lottery dates back to ancient times. In China, the first lottery records date back to 205 BC, and are said to have helped fund major government projects like building the Great Wall of China. In the Roman Empire, lottery games were a form of entertainment for dinner parties and even helped pay for the construction of the city walls. In 1758, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts held a lottery to raise money for an “Expedition Against Canada”.

In the United States, there are 44 states with lottery games, including Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Six states do not have lottery games, and there is no national lottery. Multi-jurisdictional lotteries such as the Powerball and Mega Millions are popular nationwide. You can enter your zip code to find the retailer nearest to you. You can also play the lottery online if you’d rather be in the comfort of your own home.

Online lottery sites offer the convenience of buying tickets within seconds and from anywhere. You can use your tablet or smartphone to buy your tickets. Top lottery sites are mobile-friendly and are compatible with most operating systems and devices. While they offer lottery tickets for the most popular lottery games, you may not find your state’s lottery games on these websites. To avoid this, you should purchase your lottery tickets from an official lottery site. Buying tickets online is safe and legal. The best lottery sites will let you purchase your ticket from any location.