Florida Lottery Exposed — Grab Your Ray of Sunshine!
Florida Lottery Review
Florida – the sunshine state!
That sun definitely shines brighter for anyone with a bit of lottery luck, and if you want to be that person, the Florida Lottery app may be the answer to your prayers.
Launched by the official entity operating lotteries in Florida, the app and the corresponding website add to the Florida lottery operator’s range of services.
In the US, there are some federal and local limitations on the online sale of tickets. Is Florida one of the states affected by such restrictions? That’s a valid question, and we’re on a mission to give you a comprehensive, reliable answer today.
Online Games at Florida Lottery
If you are a Floridian, you already know the abundance of lotteries available to test your luck. Today, however, we’re talking about the Florida lottery website and the games you can play online through the portal.
And here is the bad news: right now, you cannot buy tickets online through the official FlaLottery portal. There are other operators and websites out there that provide such services. However, if you want to go down the official route, you will benefit from no such opportunity.
The same applies to the Florida Lotto App that was recently updated.
As per the official presentation, you can do a couple of things via the app, but the purchase of tickets isn’t one of those. The current range of functionalities includes checking your ticket to determine if you have won anything, entering your already purchased ticket into a second chance game, and creating digital payslips that you can later use for ticket purchase at an authorized retail venue.
That last one is a big disappointment. The only thing it does is speed the process up. Unfortunately, payment processing through the app isn’t available right now, and you need to walk yourself to a store to buy a ticket.
Is there an ongoing Jackpocket scam in Florida?
Fla Lottery and Claiming Your Prizes
It’s pretty straightforward for prizes less than $600. These can be claimed at any Florida Lottery retailer. If you are playing online, then this will be automatically credited to your account. For prizes from $601 to $250,000, wins can be claimed at any Florida State Lottery district office or Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. Any prize over $250,000 awards must be requested at Florida Lottery Headquarters within 180 days of the draw.
Scratch-Offs have their own set of rules with specific dates that apply to start as short as 60 days after the end of the official game. Some folks try and monitor the number of Scratch-Offs sold per game and buy more and more tickets as the game is coming to a close.
Annuity Versus Cash Option
Lotteries at Flalottery.com offers two options for getting your big jackpot – an annuity or cash option. Florida Lotto and Powerball are paid out over 30 years, FL Mega Millions over 26, and Florida Mega Money for over 20 years. If a player opts for the cash option, then the amount of the jackpot won is (remember I am not a mathematician) less than the published jackpot. The amount published is based on the accrued value over the term of an annuity. Sounds confusing? It’s not. It still means winning a pretty colossal jackpot!
Who Can Play Via the Florida Lottery Website?
As already mentioned, Florida does not offer online ticket sales. Here’s an exact quote from the FlaLottery FAQ section:
The Florida Lottery does not offer the sale of Lottery tickets by mail, fax, or via the Internet, nor do we currently offer a subscription service. Tickets must be purchased from any of the more than 13,000 authorized Florida Lottery retailers in the state of Florida. Find an authorized Florida Lottery retailer.
This means that if you want to buy a ticket, you have to be physically present in Florida (whether you are a US citizen, a tourist, or someone who has a valid visa. As long as you meet this requirement, no additional restrictions are applying to you.
You will still have to go to a registered Florida Lottery office to get your ticket, however.
Who Is Behind the Florida Lottery?
This is a state-run Lottery governed by the Inspector General. It was set up to support education in the State of Florida. Each of the lotteries offered has different percentages of how much goes to the state and how much goes to prizes.
The Florida Lottery website is a reflection of this policy. It is an official digital representation of state policies, and you can rest assured that both the online platform and the app are 100 percent legitimate.
Other Bits and Pieces
There isn’t an awful lot more to say about the website because the range of functionalities is limited.
Florida lottery does offer a couple of interesting opportunities like the Second Chance previously mentioned. This is an option you can access via the website and the app. The additional game includes non-winning tickets in an extra drawing that can result in some additional prizes. If you haven’t won anything from the regular drawing, Second Chance may be the option to pursue.
The pros and cons of Fla Lotto include the following:
Why You Should Register with Florida Lottery?
Pros:
A website created by an official lottery entity
There is also a mobile app that was recently updated
You can enter into games like Second Chance via the website and app
A lot of information, extensive FAQ section
Good customer support
Why You Shouldn’t Register with Florida Lottery?
Cons:
Florida does not allow the online buying of tickets
The app also doesn’t support ticket buying; you can only enter Second Chance through it
If you want to play local lotteries, you’ll have to be physically present in Florida
Is Florida Lottery Legit?
Florida Lottery USA offers some great games. It is a legitimate platform. Unfortunately, however, the range of possibilities via the website and app is limited.
And that’s pretty much it! Sorry to disappoint with the information featured here, but we hope that the situation changes for the better shortly.
Jeff Hradek
Never win. If you do it matches what the ticket cost. State is stealing from its people
Edward A Chiariello
There used to be a winner on every fourth ticket and the scratch offs. Even if it was just a free ticket. For the last few years it’s been declining rapidly now you’re sure to buy a piece of worthless cardboard for 5 10 $20 or even $30. Inflation has hit as bad enough…. People need to know they have a chance to win before they spend any more of their hard-earned money on this crap that they call you might get lucky. 😭
J T
A few years ago I could regularly get a win from a ticket when purchasing several at a time. Now, it is so, so rare to get a winning ticket of any denomination. And, even if it is a win, it is never more than twice the amount I paid for a ticket. Sometimes I do experience long stretches when I do not win anything, but now the losses are pretty consistent. What I don’t understand is why … why are they making it so much harder to win? Is the commission so hard up for cash they need to make pay-offs smaller and less frequent? The tragedy is it will never get better … short changing scratch-off winners is profit for them … and the way to increase profit is by continuing to give winners less and less. Sad.
James Carroll
I don’t understand it doesn’t matter what tickets I buy how much it cost your winnings are very very very very very very very very very slllllllllllllllllim to none on a lucky ticket. you might you might!!!! And that’s a might u will break even. and omg don’t let me get to the number pick. I have come up with some great numbers and came close well in my eyes to hit 2 numbers off on same row and some strange reason the same people who is the lucky winner always be in NY and Washington or some strange part of FL and I believe numbers are being switched you could be a winner but they will offset your winning numbers and make you believe that you didn’t win but in reality you would be a huge winner if they didn’t manipulate the numbers you could have thought of numbers 10-12-13 (2) play them. when they come out the winning numbers will be 10-15-13-4 but if they didn’t manipulate the number. 10-12-13-2 will be your winning 🎟 but instead you will win $4 and a free ticket what a shame if they do that. Mind manipulation!!! we spend our hard earned money to play just to be treated like garbage and let downs. much money we put in we deserve to hit big sometimes!! Down to reality, we want to hit big that’s the reason we play who wants to pay money to scratch a card for fun. and I’m in no way saying that’s what’s going on but we not stupid it in plain site we are NOT!! winning
Ed Morgan
Most of the comments on this site are 100 % accurate. The odds of having even a $100.00 scratch-off win on a $ 20.00 ticket purchase have sharply decreased. My days of routinely seeing a $500.00 winning ticket ceased about 2 years ago. Trust me, I am not imagining that the odds of winning anything more than the money spent on the ticket have dwindled considerably. Elements of full disclosure, transparency, and government oversite are missing. I’ve enjoyed playing scratch off games in the past strictly for amusement and never expected to become rich through the process. But I have called a halt to contributing to some murky and mysterious alleged causes without the benefit of even being able to claim a federal income tax loss against my winnings (Unless you itemize your federal income tax deductions, I cannot claim a loss). As a matter of fact, I must claim any winnings that are at least $600.00 as ordinary income and pay taxes on the amount. Playing scratch-off games is no longer fun so I’m cutting my losses by not participating in a rigged system that is stealing my money.