(Trends Wide Spanish) — With a jackpot pool of $800 million, many non-Americans may be wondering if they can try their luck at the Powerball this weekend. The answer is yes, but if they can access the purchase of tickets.
To play the popular lottery, which accumulates the second largest jackpot in its history, it is not necessary to be a citizen or resident of the United States.
If you are a foreigner but you are in one of the jurisdictions where the tickets are sold, you can buy them as long as you meet the age requirement imposed by each place.
One clarification: even if you are a foreigner, if you win it, the corresponding federal and state taxes can be applied to you.
Some lotteries sell Powerball tickets online, explains the game’s popular page, but in these cases the service is only available to residents of the jurisdiction where the lottery is located.
“The sale of Powerball tickets online or by mail across jurisdictional borders is restricted,” says Powerball.
Remember that tickets are sold in 45 states, in the city of Washington (District of Columbia), in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
accumulated powerball
To win the jackpot you must match all five numbers on the white balls and the one on the red Powerball ball. The odds, according to the lottery, are somewhat less than one in 292 million.
If someone wins the jackpot, they can choose between receiving 30 payments over 29 years or a single payment, according to a Powerball press release. The cash value of the prize will be about US$335.7 million.
The odds of hitting the jackpot are extremely low, but this year it happened six times, according to the lottery. If you decide to participate, remember that the drawing takes place on Saturday at 10:59 pm Miami time and that you can watch it live on television or on the Powerball.com site.