Playing the lottery is a lot of fun and, if you're very lucky, you can win anywhere from a few dollars to millions. Knowing how to play the lottery depends upon which game you want to play. In the United States, 43 states have lotteries. Some are state games, played only in a single state, and some are multi-state games played in more than one state. To date, there are 180 state games and 12 multi-state games that you can play. http://www.us-lotteries.com/info/us-lotteries.asp On this page, you will learn how to play some of the most popular multi-state games, as well as which states they are offered in.

Aside from the game Kicker, which is played only in Ohio and Kentucky, all lottery games allow you to pick your own numbers. Games also have a quick pick option that allows you to have your numbers randomly generated by an automated system. Many people choose their numbers for a particular game and continue to play those same numbers week in and week out, sometimes for years. The main thing to remember is that playing the lottery is a long shot at best. It is a fun way to support education and other causes in your state. But, your odds of hitting the jackpot in, for instance, the Mega Millions lottery, are 1 in 176 million!http://www.starkeffects.com/lottery_calc.htm But, someone's going to win, right? And it just might be you! So, let's learn how to play the most popular lottery games.

Before you can play any lottery game, you need to know how to enter the game. No matter how many numbers are played in a particular game, you have to start by filling out a lottery play slip.http://www.ildado.com/lottery_rules.html These play slips are available at any store where you can enter the lottery.

1. Select the play slip for the game you want to enter from the game kiosk at your local store.
2. Read the directions on the play slip which will tell you how many numbers to select and the range of numbers you have to choose from.
3. Use a pencil, not a pen, to fill in the boxes for the numbers you want to play. Play slips are run through a machine that reads these marks and may not read marks made with a pen.
4. Some play slips have sections for more than one game play. If you want to play once, fill in one section. If you want to play multiple times, fill in more than one section. Make sure to use different numbers for each play.
5. Take your play slip to the store salesperson. He or she will run your slip through the machine, which will generate an official lottery ticket with your numbers on it.
6. In lieu of filling out a play slip with your own selected numbers, you can have the salesperson run a quick pick to automatically select numbers for you.
7. The date of the drawing will be printed on your ticket. You can check your numbers online at your state's lottery site, or at any store that sells lottery tickets in your area.
8. Don't lose your ticket. The lottery is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets. If you have all the numbers, but you don't have your ticket, you don't win the prize.
9. If you want to play the same numbers from week to week, save your play slip. It can be run as many times as you want.
10. If more than one person chooses the same numbers, the jackpot will be split among all winners.

• For each play, select five numbers between 1 and 59, and one powerball number between 1 and 39.http://www.us-lotteries.com/info/us-lotteries.asp
• To win the jackpot, you must match all five numbers plus the powerball number.
• Participating states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin

• For each hot lotto play, select five numbers between 1 and 39, and one powerball number between 1 and 19.http://www.us-lotteries.com/info/us-lotteries.asp
• To win the jackpot, you must match all five numbers plus the powerball number.
• Participating states: District of Columbia, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia

• For each Wild Card 2 play, select five numbers between 1 and 31http://www.us-lotteries.com/info/us-lotteries.asp
• The ball number is selected from the cards Jack, Queen, King or Ace, and a suit of Diamonds, Spades, Clubs or Hearts.
• To win the jackpot, you must match all five numbers plus the ball card and suit.
• Participating states: Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota

• For each 2 By 2 play, select two red numbers between 1 and 26, and two white numbers between 1 and 26.http://www.us-lotteries.com/info/us-lotteries.asp
• To win the jackpot, you must match all red and white numbers.
• Participating states: Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota

• For each Mega Millions play, select five numbers between 1 and 56, and one powerball number between 1 and 46.http://www.us-lotteries.com/info/us-lotteries.asp
• To win the jackpot, you must match all five numbers plus the powerball number.
• Participating states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Washington