California Lottery Exposed — Spice Up Your Life!
California Lottery Review
Wouldn’t it be nice to get CA lottery tickets online? After all, so many states have finally decided to launch their official websites and apps dedicated to that very “innovative” feature.
Is California one of these pioneers? We will find the answer by reviewing the state’s official lottery website – CALottery.com.
While the site’s design is a little bit dusty, it could still have a lot to offer. This review will check out the functionalities, the opportunities, and how lottery enthusiasts can benefit from CALottery.com.
Is TheLotter legit in California? Find out in our review
Games at California Lottery Online
Let’s start by answering the most important question first. Does California State Lottery offer an online ticket-buying option? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
The only thing you can do right now through the website and the app is to check your numbers to see if your paper ticket slip has won you anything.
As far as games go, California has so much to offer that the lack of an online ticket-buying option is a major pity.
CA Lottery Powerball and CA Lottery Mega Millions are the two contenders for the state’s most prominent game. Cal Super Lotto is also there, reaching the top for the most popular Californian lottery games.
In California, you can choose among a couple of other smaller draw-style lotteries like Fantasy 5, Daily 3, Daily 4, Daily Derby, and Hot Spot. It’s such a pity that you can access these games only if you are in the state. Let’s hope that laws will change soon, but the situation isn’t that very optimistic. The US has some pretty rigid rules about how lottery games can be played. Unfortunately, online ticket purchases are still not that widely accepted on a regional level.
CA Lottery and Claiming Your Prizes
Since you cannot buy lottery tickets online or through California Lottery apps, you will also have to claim prizes in person. It doesn’t matter if you’ve won one of the regular draw-style games or additional opportunities like California Lottery Second Chance. The procedure is always going to be the same.
For most CA Lottery draw games and scratch-off lotteries, smaller sums can be claimed immediately at any retail location of preference. This rule applies to prizes of up to 600 dollars.
If you win larger prizes, you will need to visit a Lottery District Office in California.
The only difference is that a claim form will have to be filled out, and the claim form differs for regular games and Second Chance.
Keep in mind that if you win anything in California, you’ll have to agree to a public disclosure clause. That means your identity will not be protected, and you’ll lack the opportunity to remain anonymous.
Who Can Play at Cali Lottery?
You probably already have an idea about this one, don’t you? It doesn’t matter if you want to play draw-style games or CA scratchers. You have to be on the state’s territory, and you also have to visit one of the numerous retail venues to get your tickets.
There is absolutely no way to participate if you’re out of state or out of the country. Some lotteries like Powerball and Mega Millions are being offered by international online lottery agencies. For the strictly California-based games, however, you will have no chance to partake from a distance.
If you are in California and want to play the lottery, you have to be aged 18 or older to buy tickets.
Who’s Behind California Lottery Online?
The California Lottery website and the mobile app are created by the actual company behind organizing lottery games and distributing prizes.
The California State Lottery was set up in 1984 after the passing of the California State Lottery Act. Since 2005, the California State Lottery has been offering national games like Mega Millions (it became the 12th jurisdiction to start offering the game). Initially, California did not want to offer Powerball to locals but eventually, it was launched in 2013.
As you can see, it takes some time for certain new things to get adopted in California (which makes us hopeful for the future introduction of online playing).
Right now, you can buy tickets the old-fashioned way without worrying about being scammed.
Other Bits and Pieces
We don’t have too much to talk about since California Lottery offers virtually no digital services to its clients.
Even now, when social distancing is being recommended, there seem to be no plans for a quick change in the way lottery tickets are sold.
We haven’t talked too much about the California Lottery app, so let’s briefly pinpoint some of its key characteristics.
The app is only good for scanning tickets to find if you’ve won anything, entering Second Chance draws (after you have bought an actual ticket elsewhere), checking winning numbers, finding a nearby lottery retailer, and seeing the latest Second Chance promotions.
This may seem like a good start (and it would have been back in 2000). Still, there’s quite a lot missing in terms of convenience and digital service provision. Given that it is going digital’s become so simple in this day and age, there really is no excuse.
Let’s end this review by summarizing the key advantages and disadvantages of the California Lottery.
Why You Should Register with California Lottery
Pros:
An official state lottery operator that is working under California laws
There are both a website and an app dedicated to the lottery
You can enter Second Chance draws through the mobile app
Lots of additional information is available
Why You Shouldn’t Register with California Lottery
Cons:
California does not allow the online selling of lottery tickets
You have to physically be in California to buy tickets and participate in games
You have to claim prizes in person
Is California Lottery Legit?
It is. However, if you live in California, you will be missing out on opportunities that are already available in other states. You cannot purchase lottery tickets online, and we don’t know how long it would take for the situation to change.
So there you have it. We will update you as soon as the situation changes, but currently, the California Lottery website is way behind what other state digital portals have to offer.
Carol Dorighi
Anyone notice that the new scratchers have a lot less winnable prizes compared to like previous game?
Yes, winning prices are reduced and not worth to play anymore
Robert Fonner
80% of winners are from Southern California. Wake up North you’re just making the south richer.
Bob Hartlund
After many years of playing, finally hit a $1,000 scratch off winner. After sending in the ticket with no reply I made a phone call a few weeks later? Was told to expect a check to arrive within 12-16 weeks! WTF!
Al
I have gotten hundreds of dollars worth of scratchers this year alone and won 13 bucks! This is why I don’t spend my own money on lottery tix (is this lotto rigged)???
Like my father used to say: if you don’t let the dog have the stick sometimes, he will not play with you anymore!
Anna Sanchez
I had won big on the second chance draw. An estranged husband of mine, Drew Goodwin, had been intercepting my emails so I never received the notification email stating that I had won. He showed up at their district office in Kearny Mesa along with Jill Hupp whom impersonates an SDPD POLICE OFCR & thinks she is an operative whom can take my royal husbands hostage by threatening to arrest them. Together they made the state lottery office pay out my winnings IN CASH to my estranged husband whom insisted he had the right to them when he did not BC neither the email nor the state lottery account had anything to do with him. I have written two different governors advising them that there is major fraud in their state lottery program. Thus far I have been unable to get anyone to investigate but I am not going to stop until I get paid! This is fraud at every level!