Lotteries are a form of gambling in which numbers are drawn to win a prize. They are popular around the world and are operated by government-licensed companies. These companies sell tickets and process winnings in a variety of ways, including through online gaming sites. These services can be very profitable for operators, as the winnings can be much higher than those from traditional casinos and other land-based lottery games. However, the legality of online lottery games is in question throughout the United States. Several companies operate lotteries on the Internet, including Netlotto Pty Ltd and Jumbo Interactive. GTech Corporation, based in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, administers 70% of worldwide online lottery games.
In Canada, there are four nationwide lotteries: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max (which replaced Lotto Super 7 in September 2009), Daily Grand, and Millionaire Life. The lotteries are run by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a consortium of provincial/territorial lottery commissions: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut).
A state-authorized, state-controlled charitable foundation, the International Lottery in Liechtenstein Foundation (ILLF), operates Internet lotteries on behalf of the Government of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The ILLF pioneered Internet gaming, launching the first Internet lottery and processing the first online lottery transaction in 1995. It supports charitable projects and organizations domestically and internationally. In addition, it is the only lottery operator in the world to offer instant scratch card games and a mobile version of its website.
In New Zealand, the Lottery is a form of public lottery. Profits from the Lottery are distributed by the Lottery Grants Board to a number of community and sports organizations. The largest recipients are Sport and Recreation New Zealand, Creative New Zealand, and the New Zealand Film Commission. The remainder of the proceeds are transferred to the government to be used for general purposes.