US Lotteries by State
Each state in the US with a legal lottery is responsible for overseeing the conduct of the lottery within its borders.
Typical lottery regulations include the establishment of an oversight commission, approving the rules of each game, approving new games, the distribution of lottery funds and determining how winners are paid.
Each state does it a bit differently, so the lottery landscape varies across the US. The following US Lottery pages explain how the lottery works in each state, how to play online legally (if permitted) and much more.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
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Categories: Featured Articles | Green Card Residency
The USA Green Card Lottery is a lottery run by the U.S. State Department that gives 50,000 random people a chance to get a permanent resident visa in the U.S. To enter the lottery, you’ll need to be from an eligible country and either have a high school education or 2 years of experience in a field that requires 2 years of training. If you meet the qualifications, fill out the application on dvlottery.state.gov and submit photos of yourself and anyone else listed on your application. If you’re selected, you’ll need to apply for a visa within the designated timeframe. To learn how to check your lottery status, keep reading!
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Italiano:Join the Lottery for the US Green Card
Português:Enter the American Green Card Lottery
Russian:To participate in lottery american green cards
Indonesian:Enter the United States Green Card Lottery
French:participate in the Green Card lottery
Todays lottery in the States
Today, lotteries are established in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The most recent US lottery to be legalized was in Wyoming, where it began operation on July 1, 2013 although tickets were not sold for about a year.
Some retailers that sit on state lines often offer both state lotteries with state boundaries clearly marked, since such sales still have to occur in the physical state it is offered. One retailer located along U.S. Route 62that is largely in Sharon, Pennsylvania but has a small portion lying inMasury, Ohio sells both the Ohio Lottery and the Pennsylvania Lotteryat one location. The first modern US joint-state lottery game was formed in 1985 inMaine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. In 1988, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) was formed with Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon,Rhode Island, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia as its charter members; it is best known for Powerball, which was designed to create large jackpots. Another joint lottery, The Big Game (now called Mega Millions), was formed in 1996 by six other lotteries as its charter members.
Today, all 44 individual state lotteries offer both Mega Millions and Powerball as a result of a 2009 agreement between the Mega Millions consortium and MUSL to cross-license their joint games to one another’s members, although the two organizations continue to administer Mega Millions and Powerball separately. D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands also offer both games. Only the Puerto Rico Lottery offers only Powerball and not Mega Millions.
Among the states that do not have lotteries, Alabama, Mississippi, and Utah cite religious objections. Nevada’s lucrative gambling industry has lobbied against a state lottery there, fearing the competition. Alaska and Hawaii, being outside the contiguous United States, have not felt the pressure of losing sales to competitors.
Lottery games in the United States
– All or Nothing: draw game in Iowa and Minnesota
– Cash4Life: Indiana, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania
- 2by2: North Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska
– Hot Lotto: North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia , Delaware, Idaho,
Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire and New Mexico,
– Mega Hits: Video slots in Ohio, Rhode Island Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia
– Lucky for Life: Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina , Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Wyoming. Nebraska, South Dakota, and West Virginia were added in in 2017
– Tri-State Lottery (Megabucks Plus°, Pick 3 (Day & Night), Pick 4 (Day & Night), Fast Play: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
Green card competition stages.
To the participant of the online survey after submitting the form, will have to wait almost a year for its results. The whole event can be divided into several stages
Stage 1. Filling out an application for a green card.
You CORRECTLY fill out the form on the official website. Provide correct data. In English. Rewrite them like this, as indicated in your passport in Latin, or foreign passport.
We advise you to prepare in advance, and leave a request in the first half of the registration period, not the second. Those who try to apply at the last moment may face the problem of exceeding visa quotas for the country.
Stage 2. Green card draw and results
All questionnaires are checked by a computer for compliance with requirements and duplicates. Then the next program, randomly selects 50000 questionnaire. These are the winners.
How and when to find out about the win.
The only way: since May 2019 years to 30 september 2020 of the year, by entering the number on the official website: www.dvlottery.state.gov
US State Department does not send letters of winning. From them you can only get a reminder that, what you need to check your status on the site. They also never require remittances anywhere.. Be carefull, if there is an intermediary between you in the application.
If the car didn't pick you, do not despair. Next year you can apply again. If you won, then another survey awaits you. Collection of documents and invitation for an interview.
You shouldn't relax. According to statistics, about 50% half of the applicants are eliminated after the interview. This is the main and decisive stage, which we will talk about in a separate article.
Stage 3. Green card registration.
After the second submitted DS-260 detailed form, collection of all certificates and documents, passing a special medical examination, the most important stage is waiting for you - an interview in English with the consul. Before this interview, you need to pay the grand card and consular fee.
State fee for registration of DV visa,
The cost of issuing a green card last time was 330 dollars for each visa, regardless of age. The fee is paid at the interview with the consul and is non-refundable if the visa is refused.
After receiving visas, it is additionally paid 220 dollars in immigration tax (USCIS Immigrant Fee).
On this visa, the person who won it must enter the United States to authorize his visa.
The first person to enter the United States is the DV1 holder - the winner of the Green Card Lottery. Family members' Green Card authorization depends on the winner's Green Card authorization.
What is a green card and what does it give
According to a survey by Levada Center, held last fall, 53% young Russians would like to leave the country. The reasons for this can be argued for a long time., but it's a fact. And many do not want to leave somewhere, and in the citadel of freedom and democracy - the United States of America. true, so many people want to go to the USA, that the authorities have to weed them out somehow. And one of the options for such a "dropout" is a lottery.
Is considered, that the green card is just that, what can be won in the government lottery, but it is not so. Actually, green card (она же United States Permanent Resident Card) - this identification, which gives its owner the right to legally live and work in the USA. And almost 50 years this card was not even green, at least since 2010 she was returned this color again.
In fact, green card is a residence permit in the United States. I.e, it is no longer an illegal migrant or a tourist, but not yet a citizen of the state. You can get a green card for several reasons:
- come to work at the invitation of an employer from the USA;
- come to work as an outstanding specialist in their field;
- move to the USA for family reunification;
- marry a US citizen;
- obtain political asylum or refugee status;
- invest a certain amount in the US economy and create new jobs there;
- win the diversification lottery.
And only the last option attracts millions of people who want to move to the States for a better life.. The American authorities regulate the number of ordinary immigrants through a diversification lottery. So, only natives of countries with a low level of migration to the USA are eligible to participate in the lottery, and those regions receive the largest quota, of which fewer people move to the States.
Having received a green card, its owner will be able to permanently reside in the United States, including free entry-exit, work or do your business, to get education, use all the possibilities of insurance and social sphere. But the main thing is after 5 years of residence you can apply for American citizenship (but you can not submit, and through 10 years to extend the card).
There are also restrictions - the owner of the green card is required to pay taxes, spend more than half of the time in the United States and not leave the country for more than six months.
Initially, the "green card" was called the receipt of registration of a foreigner in the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and then the receipt confirmed, that the migrant is officially registered - there were simply no illegal migrants in the USA in the 40s. After World War II, the authorities began to take more seriously the issue of immigration., and introduced a special registration document, which could be different in status for different categories of migrants. Over time, the rules got more complicated, as well as a document issued to foreigners. It is now one of the most secure documents in the world. - the green card has not only a hologram, but also optical memory.
Sample green card
The latest changes in the green card program have already been introduced under President Donald Trump, for which some categories of foreigners may not receive a document, as they are viewed as questionable (eg, lack of health insurance, bad English, getting food stamps, etc.)
Third-Party Websites and Applications
The Department uses various types of online surveys to collect opinions and feedback from a random sample of visitors. Primarily, state.gov uses the ForeSee Results’ American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) online survey on an ongoing basis to obtain feedback and data on visitors’ satisfaction with the state.gov website. This survey does not collect PII. Although the survey invitation pops up for a random sample of visitors, it is optional. If you decline the survey, you will still have access to the identical information and resources at the state.gov site as those who do take the survey. The survey reports are available only to state.gov managers and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. The Department may use other limited-time surveys for specific purposes, which are explained at the time they are posted.
The Department retains the data from the ACSI survey results as long as needed to support the mission of the state.gov website.
How to enter the Green Card Visa Lottery?
Applying for participation is quite easy and can be done online on the United States Green Card Office website. We can show you the most hassle-free way to apply in our step-by-step guide
Joining the DV Green Card Lottery with the help of a paid immigration services, such as ours, makes the process faster and painless.
Examine our comparison chart that clearly explain why it’s so important to use a professional immigration service when applying for a Green Card true the Diversity Visa Program.
Remember if your application is disqualified in the United States DV Lottery, you will have to wait for the next year before you can try again. Therefor you won’t regret a single penny spent on our immigration services because we will save your time and help you avoid the risk of rejection.
Interaction With Children Online
The Department is committed to the protection of children’s online privacy. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (CUP) governs information gathered online from or about children under the age of 13. Verifiable consent from a child’s parent or guardian is required before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from a child under age 13. If a Department website intends to collect information about children under 13 years old, COPPA-required information and instructions will be provided by the specific web page that collects information about the child. The web page will specify exactly what the information will be used for, who will see it, and how long it will be kept.
watch the drawing
Lotteries in the United States
In the United States, lotteries are run by 47 jurisdictions: 44 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lotteries are subject to the laws of and operated independently by each jurisdiction, and there is no national lottery organization. However, consortiums of state lotteries jointly organize games spanning larger geographical footprints, which in turn, carry larger jackpots. Two major lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball, are both offered in nearly all jurisdictions that operate lotteries, and serve as de facto national lotteries.
Gambling as a generalization has roots in the United States and other English colonies as far back as the 1600s. Not every colony allowed gambling, however. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, for example, did not allow cards, dice or gaming tables, even in private residences. In most colonies however, gambling was seen as a harmless distraction as long as it was played in a gentlemanly manner.
The acceptance of gambling in the colonies was fairly short-lived by English investors because it was seen as a sign of laziness and as a vice. The investors saw gambling as a root cause of the colonies’ inability to sustain themselves. Lotteries were used not only as a form of entertainment but as a source of revenue to help fund the colonies. The financiers of Jamestown, Virginia, for instance, funded lotteries to raise money to support their colony. These USA lotteries were quite sophisticated for the time period and even included instant winners. Not long after, each of the 13 original colonies established a lottery system to raise revenue. In early American history, legislators commonly authorized lotteries to fund schools, roads, bridges, and other public works. Evangelical reformers in the 1830s began denouncing lotteries on moral grounds and petitioned legislatures and constitutional conventions to ban them. Recurring lottery scandals and a general backlash against legislative corruption following the Panic of 1837 also contributed to anti-lottery sentiments. From 1844 to 1859 alone, 10 new state constitutions contained lottery bans. By 1890, lotteries were prohibited in every state except Delaware and Louisiana.
State lotteries have become a significant source of revenue for states, raising $17.6 billion in profits for state budgets in the 2009 fiscal year (FY) with 11 states collecting more revenue from their state lottery than from their state corporate income tax during FY2009. Lottery policies within states can have conflicting goals. Given that instructions are passed down from state legislatures, lottery implementation is often expected to be carried out with reduced advertising and funding while still producing the same amount of revenue. This issue led states to look for loopholes in the system. Massachusetts, for example, had its advertising budget dramatically cut, and therefore started using free-play coupons as money to pay for advertising. This led to an IRS investigation into alleged non-reporting of income because the IRS considered the coupons to have monetary value.
Personally Identifiable Information
As a general rule, the Department does not collect PII about you when you visit our website, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Submitting PII through our website is voluntary. By doing so, you are giving the Department your permission to use the information for the stated purpose. However, not providing certain information may result in the Department’s inability to provide you with the service you desire.
Generally, the information requested by the Department will be used to respond to your inquiry or to provide you with the service you request. When this information is requested, the reasons for collecting it, a description of the Department’s intended use of the information, how to grant consent to use mandatorily provided information, and how to grant consent for other than statutorily mandated uses will be fully described in a separate customized “Privacy Notice.” This customized Privacy Notice will either appear on the web page collecting the information or be accessible through a hyperlink (link) prominently displayed immediately above or below the information request.
What are the chances of winning?
All participants in the lottery - and there are several million of them - are allocated 55 000 quotas. Moreover, different countries have different amounts. There are usually twice as many winners. This is done in order, in order to subsequently exclude those, who for some reason passed the initial selection for participation, but turned out to be inadequate. Sometimes the choice is made according to additional parameters: education, age, professional skills, financial situation, etc..
The Russian Green Card quota is about 2500. Image from freepik.com.
In general, Europeans are more likely to win the coveted Green Card, than representatives of Asian or African countries. In recent years, it exceeds 1,5%. That is from 200 participants for American permanent residence can count on, least, 3 human. These are quite high odds - they win much less often in the regular lottery.. You can increase the likelihood of getting a Green Card, by filling out a separate questionnaire for a spouse.
Trump has been trying to cancel the DV-Lottery for years. In the event of his re-election for a second term, it will most likely happen. So that, perhaps, for foreigners, this is the last chance to obtain a residence permit and the opportunity to become an American citizen.
Professional Immigration Service
- Green Card Winners
- ApplicationStep-by-Step
- Qualifying Countries
- Have a Question? Ask A Specialist
Apply for the DV Lottery and start living the American Dream
The New World has always attracted enthusiasts from the four corners of the earth who are striving for self-realization and prosperity. To help them get where they want to be, the United States State Department issues 50,000 Green Cards under the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program every year. It aims to provide people in other nations with the opportunity to become permanent residents of America and foster multiculturalism within the country. Thousands of individuals apply to participate in the Green Card Lottery annually, hoping to win a lucky ticket to a new life in the United States. You can become one of the fortunate souls who get the reward they wished for.
From the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Services
The congressional mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the US Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 to provide for a new class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants” (DV immigrants). Alien petitioners for the Diversity Visa Program will no longer be permitted to submit a petition by mail. Instead, the Department will require that all petitions be submitted to it in an electronic format, using an Internet website dedicated specifically to the submission and receipt of Diversity Visa applications.
US GREEN CARD OFFICE provide a value added service for all our clients in 20 different languages, and our fee for this value added service starts from $80.00 The official submission period for the Green Card Lottery is normally 30-60 days but this can vary from one year to another and is typically between the months of October and November. Our professional immigration team offers you the opportunity to prepare and complete your USA Green Card application online according to all legal requirements 365 days per year. Your application will be submitted within the right time as announced by the US Government in the year in which you apply. As soon as your application has been submitted to the US Government by our immigration team an official confirmation number will be send to you as your proof that your application has been received by the US Government.
* Please read our Terms and Conditions and Our Privacy Policy regarding our money back guarantee before submitting an application.
Why do certain countries not qualify for the Diversity Visa Program?
The Green Card Diversity Lottery allows natives of myriad countries to acquire permanent American residency. As a winning participant, you and your family can become United States citizen through naturalization.
People from the following regions can take part in the lottery:
- Asia
- Africa
- Europe
- Oceania
- North, South and Central America
- The Caribbean
There are high- and low-admission regions and states. Each nation’s allowance for the American Green Card Lottery depends on the number of immigrant visas that country has issued to foreign citizens within the last five years. This approach ensures migration balance and stimulates diversification.
Check the list of qualified Green Card DV lottery countries to see if you can apply. Remember that the list is revised regularly, so you can visit our website periodically to get updates on any changes.
The benefits of winning the United States Green Card Lottery
Immigration to America can open many opportunities. If you plan to obtain quality higher education or wish to have access to the best healthcare services, a permanent United States residency is for you. If you want to become a citizen later, your prospects for the future will be even better.
Students with Green Cards are considered in-state permanent residents of the United States, making American colleges and universities’ tuition fees lower for them than for foreign applicants. Moreover, by winning the Diversity Visa Lottery, you gain the right to financial aid, which will reduce your study expenses dramatically.
Green Card holders also qualify for Social Security that grants United States citizens certain privileges. It provides the following benefits:
- medical and disability insurance
- childcare assistance
- rewarding retirement plans
- support for seniors
Once you obtain a Green Card by winning the United States Diversity Lottery, you will be able to find a better job as well. Permanent residents can build careers in almost any company. Unlike regular immigrants, Green Card holders don’t need sponsorship for work visas from their employers.
USA Diversity Lottery Guarantees:
The Green Card Lottery program is one of the most generous immigrant visa categories in the world, which is issued annually up to 55 000 visas. She is the only immigration option for individuals, who cannot qualify for an employee immigrant visa, family member or refugee. While luck certainly remains a key factor in the initial lottery selection, many other important and manageable considerations, affecting the chance of luck for the applicant, are the skill of filling, speed and accuracy of following the rules and requirements of the program.
Our knowledgeable US Immigration Experts are monitoring, to ensure that the applications meet strict criteria, and if the choice is made, would contribute to the ultimate luck of anyone who won the Green Card Lottery.
- Conditions for error-free participation in the Green Card Lottery
- Your application for participation in the Green Card Lottery is submitted on time
- Registration of the Green Card Lottery participants is carried out 365 days a year
- Our US Immigration experts provide free online assistance ( on the internet).
- You can apply for participation in the Lottery in different years
- We will crop and reformat your photos ourselves to meet your requirements
- We will scan your photos for you
- Before submission, you can update your registration information
Our professional services include expert background checks, correction of incorrect or invalid data, cropping and reformatting photos, scanning your photos to meet the stringent visa requirements of the Green Card Lottery. We provide multilingual support and ensure your registration is on time.
Errors when filling out the questionnaire
Here are the popular mistakes and their designation in Russian:
At least one data validation error occurred on this page. Please scroll down to see the specific error messages - some field is filled incorrectly. Scroll the page, to see the problematic question, it will be highlighted in red. Last / Family Name field must start with a letter and can only contain letters, apostrophe, hyphen, or space. Please modify before continuing. - First and last name must start with a letter and must contain only letters, apostrophe, space or hyphen.
First name must contain only letters, apostrophes, hyphens, and single spaces. - same, extra characters in the name.
Passport expiration cannot be more than 10 years into the future. - the validity period of the passport cannot be more 10 years. This mistake is often found among the citizens of Belarus.. You can specify the maximum possible date of validity from the date of submission of documents.
The following are not accepted: &, #, !, double quotes (» «), <, >. You must remove before continuing. - unsupported symbols found (&, #, !, double quotes (» «), <, >). Usually this error occurs when uploading a photo. Remove extra characters and Russian letters from the file name and try again. Names can not contain numbers or special characters. - the field must not contain numbers or special characters. Please fill in the field in English.
City/Town cannot contain invalid characters. - found unsupported characters in city name.
Unexpected Page Request - unexpected page request. Click Resume Entry, to come back.
Error establishing a secure connection
An error occurred connecting to dvprogram.state.gov.
PR_CONNECT_RESET_ERROR
- a common error due to high server load. Press the back button and try sending the data again.
it happens, that the site is buggy and it is impossible to fill out the form to the end. Then you can try again. But when you get a unique number, you can no longer reapply this year. Duplicates are found and disqualified.
To increase your chances of winning, fill out the questionnaire for yourself and your spouse - this is not prohibited.
Even if you win the lottery, not the fact that you will get a turn for a visa interview or will not be refused an interview. Apply now, if you are determined to immigrate, not just try your luck. In case of victory, you will need to save up money for the move in a short time, consular fees and medical examination (more than 100 thousand. rubles of expenses even before departure). Without knowledge of the language and work, life in the United States will seem far from the American dream..
useful links (in English):Filling instructions (pdf)
Draw DV-Lottery 2022
It's fair to say, that we are really talking about the DV-Lottery 2022, a Green Cards, issued this year, were played back in 2018. It takes almost two years to collect and study applications, holding the lottery itself and paperwork. Draw among participants, registered this fall, will be held next year, and the winners will receive permits in 2022. However, failure does not prevent you from trying your luck in the next lottery - there are no restrictions on participation. Anyway for now.
Many are sure, that after the elections, the position on the Green Card lottery will change. Image from freepik.com.
This year there were certain doubts about, that the lottery will take place at all: affected by the pandemic and election expectations. Donald Trump consistently speaks negatively about the practice of drawing American permanent residence among foreigners. And therefore regularly attempts to cancel the lottery, but it is still not possible to "push" the law through the Parliament. So millions of people around the world still have a chance to move to America effortlessly..
