US$1.9 billion Powerball jackpot: How to enter from Quebec?

Failing to win on Saturday, the Powerball jackpot is now at a record US$1.9 billion (C$2.6 billion), the jackpot you can win in the USA even if you don’t live.

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Quebecers tempted to bring this huge kitty into Monday’s game can legally do so, but participating in the draw can be complicated.

According to lottery rules, anyone passing through one of the 45 participating states can legally obtain a ticket without being a US citizen.

In contrast, US Customs Act Section 1305 prohibits the importation of “immoral articles,” which include “any lottery ticket or any printed paper that serves as a lottery ticket or any lottery advertisement.” Legally speaking, a Canadian cannot enter Canada and then return to the United States with a Powerball ticket, which must be validated in the state of purchase to claim its prize.

Another solution is to do business with an online lottery resale site that offers its customers to buy tickets. Since tickets are purchased and stored in the United States, importing lottery tickets is not a problem, but it is still possible to trust various websites.

Really 1.9 billion?

Moreover, while Monday’s record prize pool may sound very attractive, you should know that the winner will not actually pocket $1.9 billion.

Powerball offers two ways to claim the jackpot, either by claiming the entire jackpot over a 30-year period or by accepting a smaller amount immediately. In the next draw on Monday, the amount should be slightly more than US$900 million (C$1.2 billion).

In either case, the winner will be required to pay 30% of their winnings in US federal tax. Different states also have their own rule, which is around 10% without taxes.

Thus, among the states bordering Quebec, New Hampshire is the most affordable state with a 0% tax, followed by Vermont (6%), Maine (7.15%) and New York State (8.82%), according to a compilation from TheLotter. Established in Florida, “Snowbirds” do not have to pay taxes on lottery winnings.

Powerball works by drawing a combination of five numbers between 1 and 69, followed by a Powerball number between 1 and 26. The odds of getting a perfect combination are 1 in 292,201,338. In other words, a person is 292 times more likely. He has a 1 in 1 million chance of being struck by lightning than winning if he plays Powerball even once in his life.

In a sign of the difficulty of winning the jackpot, the jackpot has continued to grow since August 3, despite a rhythm of three draws per week, thus totaling a record US$1.9 billion. The previous record was set on January 13, 2016 when three winners split US$1.5 billion.

A draw of more than $1 billion is rare in the United States. In the last two years, two Mega Millions draws in July 2022 and January 2021 have also crossed this mark.