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can u buy lotto tickets with debit card

can u buy lotto tickets with debit card. While it might appear easy to buy a lottery ticket, most people are more concerned with the winning numbers than with whether or not they can afford to do so.

can u buy lotto tickets with debit card

However, purchasing lottery tickets may be limited by law in some states. Actually, you can only use a credit card to buy lottery tickets in 21 states.

Keep reading to find out where and how you can buy lottery tickets with a credit card, why some states have banned it, and why it might be best to avoid doing so.

Is a credit card accepted for purchasing lottery tickets?

It all comes down to where you want to buy your lottery tickets from, though. In a number of states, buying lottery tickets with a credit card is illegal. It’s not always possible to use a plastic payment method when purchasing tickets. If that is the case, you should be prepared with an alternative method of payment.

Only 21% of the states accept credit/debit cards for purchasing lottery tickets. To name them all: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C.

Even if lottery retailers in your state are legally allowed to accept credit cards, scratch-off tickets, or other payment methods, that doesn’t mean they actually do. Convenience stores and supermarkets like 7-Eleven, Safeway, and Walmart typically do not accept credit cards.

Why is there a prohibition, exactly?

The primary motivation behind prohibiting credit card purchases of event tickets is a desire to protect citizens from accumulating gambling-related debt.

The other six states are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah, all of which do not have a state lottery. The goal here is to reduce unhealthy levels of competition. Alabama, Mississippi, and Utah are three relatively religious states where gambling is especially frowned upon.

Here are four explanations why you shouldn’t use a credit card to buy lottery tickets.

It’s unfortunate that you can’t use your card to buy a lottery ticket. However, there are several valid arguments against doing so.

can u buy lotto tickets with debit card

One, you won’t accumulate points toward any rewards. For this reason, gambling costs cannot be redeemed for cash back or other rewards on a credit card. Since there is no assurance of a profit, cardholders are not awarded cash back for their participation.