_{The world of the online lottery and buying online lottery tickets is only going to become more streamlined in the future. The interesting event around the corner will be just how State lottery organizers deal with the insurance method and the repercussions of this upcoming legal judgment. In the mean time, you can feel rest and assured that you can play the US Powerball online, you can win the US Powerball online and you will get paid your US Powerball jackpot winnings if you do win.}

Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), a nonprofit organization formed by an agreement with US lotteries. Powerball's minimum advertised jackpot is $40 million (annuity); Powerball's annuity is paid in 30 graduated installments or winners may choose a lump sum payment instead. One lump sum payment will be less than the total of the 30 annual payments because of the time value of money.

^{Thanks to Giant Lottos, you don’t have to live in the US to play in the USA Mega Millions. Just purchase your USA Mega Millions tickets online at Giant Lottos, choose 5 numbers between 1 and 70 and 1 Mega Number between 1 and 25, and if you match all 6, you’ll be an instant winner! The USA Mega Millions is drawn twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, which gives you two chances every week to hit the jackpot.}
Because the quoted jackpot amount is an annuity of 30 graduated annual payments, its cash value relative to the annuity fluctuates. The actual ratio depends on projected interest rates and other factors. MUSL starts with the cash value, built from a percentage of sales, and then calculates the advertised jackpot amount from that value, based on the average costs of the three best securities bids.[30]
For many potential players, the viral story of the Iraqi lottery winner opened their eyes and showed a proof of concept that not only can you play the Powerball online, but more importantly, if you play and win, you will get paid. Without the concrete example of the Iraqi lotto winner, it would be hard to prove to anyone without a doubt that you will be eligible for the payment if you win. The US Powerball is even more clear cut as it specifically has no limitations or restrictions to who can buy Powerball tickets online. You can be sure that if you get Powerball tickets online and it is to play and not bet on the lottery that there will be a local agent buying your ticket for you. 
Mega Millions (which began as The Big Game in 1996 and renamed, temporarily, to The Big Game Mega Millions six years later) is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery game; it is offered in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The first (The Big Game) Mega Millions drawing was in 2002; see below. (What is now Mega Millions initially was offered in six states; the logo for all versions of the game following the retiring of The Big Game name featured a gold-colored ball with six stars to represent the game's initial membership.)

This method specifically has faced criticism recently from a number of lottery organizers such as Camelot, the UK National Lottery organizers who are not happy with companies “selling tickets” (selling bets on outcomes of their established lottery draws) for prices sometimes even cheaper than Camelot themselves sells their tickets. This legal and corporate dispute looks set to continue for the foreseeable future, in the mean time you can continue to buy Powerball tickets online, only now you are aware of the key differences between the two business models.