Of all the big lottery games in the world, the Powerball stands head and shoulders above all others.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are often up for grabs.
Before technological advances, this lottery was mostly restricted to US players. Now, licenced online entities make it possible for you to enjoy Powerball in Canada.
But, it’s not just online that you can buy tickets. You can also buy Powerball tickets within our borders.
It’s Legal for Canadians to Play the US Powerball
As a Canadian, you have a couple of options for playing Powerball, depending on your resources and convenience.
1. Travel to the US to Buy Your Tickets
Canadian citizens are welcome to travel to the US to enter the Powerball lottery. However, US law might prevent you from bringing your ticket back.
In other words, if you buy your ticket in the United States and bring it back to Canada, a federal law could stop you from returning to the US to cash in your winnings.
According to the immoral articles law, importing certain items into the US from a foreign country is forbidden. Yet, foreigners have successfully won and claimed US prizes — and the Powerball insists we are eligible.
There are ways around this potential obstacle, anyway. For instance, you could plan your trip to the US until after the draw and then extend your stay to collect your winnings. Alternatively, you could leave your tickets in a safety deposit box south of the border or with a trustworthy friend.
Take the big Powerball draw back in January 2016 as an example. It was described as one of the biggest jackpots in history at over CA$2 billion. While it was eventually claimed by three US ticket holders in Tennessee, California, and Florida, Canadian residents flocked across the border to buy their tickets.
One clerk who worked at a grocery store in Blaine, Washington – which is about a mile from the border – mentioned that around 60 percent of the customers buying Powerball tickets hailed from Canada. In another town, about 45 minutes south of Vancouver, it was estimated that a whopping 95 percent of ticket buyers were Canadian, too.
2. Buy Your Tickets at Home
The good news is you can buy your Powerball tickets right here in Canada. You do, however, have to take a trip to the US borders, whether it’s Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana or whichever border is closest to you.
3. Play Online
By far the safest, easiest and most convenient way to play Powerball from Canada is online. You can buy as many tickets as you like without wasting money, time and travelling effort. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your bed!
Buying lottery tickets online is completely safe. You can purchase your tickets from Canada and the local agents in the US will then purchase physical tickets from a local authorized retailer on your behalf. You are then the official owner of the Powerball tickets.
What’s more, the tickets are kept safely within the US at the site’s local offices from purchase right up until when you collect your winnings.
You Could Be Next!
While it used to be that you had to save up time and money for a drive across the border to buy your Powerball tickets, things are so much easier nowadays.
You no longer have to be American to win life-changing sums, and you don’t even have to leave home, provided you buy your tickets online for a licenced and reputable ticket seller.
So, what are you waiting for?