I thought if I was going to supply accurate information to my readers about buying lottery tickets online the only way to do it would be to join up with the respective sites. As I was already an Oz Lotteries member it was only natural that I join theLotter.com, which was free and a painless exercise ;) Once a member I had to decide to pick a lottery from the many that were on offer and since I returned from the States not all that long ago I decided on the U.S.A Mega Million lottery. As a new member I took advantage of their buy one get one free offer, which as it turns out was more than just a free lottery ticket. As you can see from the following image I went for the Multi-Draw as there was a $12.50 savings but that’s not as important as the fact that the people at theLotter deposited the full cost of my lottery tickets into my theLotter account!

So basically I got my lottery tickets for free which means win or lose I still have $50 up my sleeve for the next draw, or I may even choose to buy a lottery ticket from one of the other major draws, like the Euro Millions. In short, they did charge my credit card but they also deposited the same amount into my theLotter account for future lottery ticket purchases.

So, how easy is it to buy your Mega Millions lottery ticket online? It’s a breeze. After selecting that you want to play U.S.A Mega Millions you get taken to the ticket purchase page.

The easiest way to play is select the ‘Quick Pick’ function as it picks all the numbers for you. If you have your own favourite numbers you would use ‘Number Selector’ on the left. Every time you select a number it places it on your form. If you have a set of numbers that you use regularly you simply select that function. Once you picked all your numbers you need to decide whether or not to use the Megaplier for an extra $2.50. If you select the Megaplier you increase your non-jackpot prize winnings by up to 2, 3, or 4 times, depending on the Megaplier number drawn that evening. Wikipedia has a full description of the Megaplier for those who are interested.

Once you’ve chosen your numbers and whether or not you want the Megaplier feature you then need to select if you want a one off bet or, as I did, to enter in multiple draws. If you play the same numbers every week you will save money by selecting the multi-draw feature, or it’s just as easy to select the quick pick. After clicking the Play button you will be taken to the confirmation screen where you review the transaction and payment details. If you’re happy with the way things look you simply click confirm to enter them in the system.

The next image shows you my numbers for the next draw, one which could win me $24 million dollars, now that would be really cool.

As I purchased a multi-draw lottery ticket, even if I don’t win tonight those numbers will be entered in the next four draws. I’m not expecting to win the big bucks, after all I’m not greedy, as far as I’m concerned any win will do ;) For now I will wait to see how I do for this draw, draw# 2011/45. If you have a lottery ticket in this draw you can check the results by checking this post.