Every year, Americans spend over $1000 on lottery tickets to participate in a variety of national and state lotteries in the hopes of winning a grand prize.
So if you’re planning to visit Costco in the near future and want to participate in this year’s lottery, you may be wondering – does Costco sell lottery tickets? Here is what I’ve found out!
Does Costco Sell Lottery Tickets?
Unfortunately, Costco does not sell lottery tickets either in-store or online. However, there are many other stores such as Target and Walmart that sell both the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries to adults (18+). Alternatively, residents of some states can also purchase lottery tickets online.
If you want to learn more about why Costco does not sell lottery tickets, where you can buy these instead, and how you can purchase lottery tickets online, keep on reading!
Why Doesn’t Costco Sell Lottery Tickets?
Although Costco has not officially published a reason for why it does not sell lottery tickets, there are several potential reasons that we can think of.
One reason is that selling lottery tickets will not really bring any kind of profits to Costco as a whole since it cannot control the price that each ticket is sold for.
Additionally, selling lottery tickets can cause mass delays at the checkouts where people will want to check and review their tickets after purchase.
Costco is already quite a busy store, so adding these delays could be detrimental to its waiting times and will affect customer satisfaction.
Where Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Instead Of Costco?
You will be able to buy lottery tickets at any of the following stores in the U.S.:
- Target
- Walmart
- Walgreens
- Most local convenience stores
Although the types of lotteries sold by these stores will vary across states, you can expect to find the popular Mega Millions and Powerball lottery tickets sold at most of these outlets for $2 per ticket.
Can You Buy Lottery Tickets Online?
Depending on which state you are located in and the running lotteries within that area, you may be able to purchase your lottery tickets online.
In order to do this, simply find your state’s lottery brand and head over to their website. You can find more information on how to go about this entire process here.
Are There Any Restrictions For Buying Lottery Tickets In The U.S.?
Retailers and other outlets are legally only allowed to sell lottery tickets to adults, i.e. those over the age of 18 (or 19, depending on which state you live in).
So if you’re an adult and are looking to buy a lottery ticket, make sure you bring a valid government-issued photo ID to verify your age.
To learn more about buying lottery tickets from other retail chains, you can read our related posts on whether or not Walmart sells lottery tickets, if Kroger sells lottery tickets, and if Walgreens sells lottery tickets.
Conclusion
Costco does not sell lottery tickets either in-store or online for several reasons such as logistical difficulty as well as the adverse effects on customer satisfaction of selling lottery tickets at checkout.
However, you can visit stores like Walmart, Target, and other convenience stores to purchase Powerball, Mega Millions, and other state-level lotteries. You must be above 18 years of age to purchase lottery tickets in the U.S.
