Does Walgreens Sell Lottery Tickets? A Deep Dive for 2024
With over 9,000 stores across 45 states, Walgreens offers millions of customers convenient access to purchase lottery tickets for major national jackpot games. But does Walgreens sell lottery tickets? Where are they available? And what do you need to know about buying lottery tickets at Walgreens? This comprehensive guide has all the details.
Lottery Ticket Availability at Walgreens
Walgreens sells lottery tickets at most of its locations nationwide. According to industry estimates, Walgreens accounts for around 2-3% of total U.S. lottery ticket sales.
Specifically, you can buy lottery tickets at Walgreens stores in the following states and territories:
| States Where Lottery Tickets Are Sold at Walgreens |
|-|-|
| Arizona |
| Arkansas |
| California |
| Colorado |
| Connecticut |
| Delaware |
| Florida |
| Georgia |
| Idaho |
| Illinois |
| Indiana |
| Iowa |
| Kansas |
| Kentucky |
| Louisiana |
| Maine |
| Maryland |
| Massachusetts |
| Michigan |
| Minnesota |
| Mississippi |
| Missouri |
| Montana |
| Nebraska |
| New Hampshire |
| New Jersey |
| New Mexico |
| New York |
| North Carolina |
| North Dakota |
| Ohio |
| Oklahoma |
| Oregon |
| Pennsylvania |
| Rhode Island |
| South Carolina |
| South Dakota |
| Tennessee |
| Texas |
| Vermont |
| Virginia |
| Washington |
| West Virginia |
| Wisconsin |
| Wyoming |
| Washington D.C. |
| Puerto Rico |
| U.S. Virgin Islands |
The five states where lottery tickets are NOT sold at Walgreens are:
- Nevada
- Utah
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Hawaii
These states do not participate in the national Powerball or Mega Millions lottery games. However, in the rest of the country, you can easily pick up lottery tickets at your neighborhood Walgreens.
Lottery Games Sold at Walgreens
Walgreens sells tickets for the two biggest national jackpot games in the U.S.:
- Powerball – Drawings held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evening for minimum jackpots of $20 million or higher.
- Mega Millions – Drawings held every Tuesday and Friday evening for minimum jackpots of $40 million or more.
When jackpots escalate into the hundreds of millions or billions of dollars, lottery ticket sales surge at Walgreens and other retailers. For example, during a record $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016, Walgreens reported selling around $28 million worth of tickets nationally.
In select states, Walgreens may also sell tickets for state-specific lottery games. However, Powerball and Mega Millions are universally available for purchase at Walgreens stores across participating states.
Step-by-Step: Buying Lottery Tickets at Walgreens
Purchasing lottery tickets at Walgreens is quick and convenient. Here is the typical process:
Go to the checkout counter – Lottery tickets can only be purchased from a cashier, not self-checkout.
Tell the cashier you want to buy a lottery ticket – Specify if you want Powerball or Mega Millions.
Select your numbers – Either choose your own numbers or ask for a computer-generated quick pick.
Indicate the number of plays – Each play costs $2. Decide how many tickets/plays you want to buy.
Show valid ID for age verification – You must be at least 18 years old. A driver‘s license or passport are accepted IDs.
Pay in cash – Walgreens does not accept credit or debit cards for lottery purchases.
Collect your printed ticket – The cashier prints an official ticket with your number selections.
Once you have your lottery ticket in hand, monitor the drawings to see if you become a lucky winner!
Lottery Ticket Purchase Limits at Walgreens
There are no caps on the amount of lottery tickets that can be purchased at one time at Walgreens. You can buy as many as you wish during a single transaction.
The only requirements are having valid photo ID proving you are over 18 and paying in cash. Walgreens also does not offer lottery ticket reservations or subscriptions. Tickets must be bought individually for specific drawings.
Why Walgreens Sells Lottery Tickets
For a national pharmacy chain like Walgreens, offering lottery ticket sales makes good business sense for several reasons:
Increased foot traffic and sales – Lottery players often purchase other items too like snacks, drinks and sundries.
Higher profit margins – Lottery tickets have large per unit margins of around 5-6%. Much higher than typical retail products.
Customer convenience – Easy access to tickets helps position Walgreens as a convenient, one-stop-shop.
Competitive pressure – Matching lottery offerings from grocery stores, convenience stores and other pharmacy chains.
While a small contributor to overall revenue, lottery ticket sales attract customers and incrementally grow Walgreens‘ bottom line. It‘s a win-win offering customers convenient access to participate in major national jackpot games.
The Bottom Line
Walgreens does sell lottery tickets at thousands of stores across 45 states, Washington D.C. and territories for the hugely popular Powerball and Mega Millions games. With jackpots frequently reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, consumers flock to Walgreens and other retailers when lottery fever strikes the nation. By following the steps outlined here, you can conveniently purchase your lottery tickets at Walgreens and try your luck!
