Jackpocket Review 2024: I Didn't Win Big, But It's Legit

Key takeaways

• Can Jackpocket be trusted? I was able to buy real lottery tickets through the app. It even scans the physical ticket and tells you where it was purchased. For example, my Classic Lottery ticket for Ohio was purchased at a Circle K store. 
• How hard is it to use Jackpocket? If you're used to using apps to buy groceries or order food, using Jackpocket is a similar experience. If you're used to running into your corner store and buying tickets with cash, you might find Jackpocket takes a few more steps, especially when you're first getting started. 
• Who can use Jackpocket? The app isn't available in all states, and even in states where it's available, you may not be able to use it even if you download it from the Google Play Store and are in one of the states it serves. In my case, I had to follow Jackpocket's directions and re-download it from the Samsung Galaxy Store.   
• Can I buy out-of-state lottery tickets? Unfortunately, you can only buy tickets for the state where you're physically located. Jackpocket requires you to share your location before you can buy tickets. For example, since I live in Ohio, I could only buy lottery tickets that are available for purchase in Ohio. 

How does Jackpocket work?

Jackpocket is a lottery app that offers opportunities to play lottery games in select states — currently 19 states and jurisdictions. You create a Jackpocket account, fund it, and then use that money to order lottery tickets.

Jackpocket fulfills your lottery purchases with licensed lottery retailers it partners with in each applicable state. After you place an order, Jackpocket will send you an email confirmation with details about your order. You’ll also receive an email that acts as proof of purchase of your ticket and shows your ticket’s serial number. This email includes where your lotto ticket was purchased.

Through the Jackpocket app, you can view high-resolution scans of the front and back of your ticket. Your paper ticket is then stored in a locked, fireproof vault with 24-hour video surveillance.

Here's what one of my tickets looked like:

It did take 1-2 hours for my physical tickets to be scanned and uploaded, so don't panic if you don't see them right away. 

Downloading the app

The app is available for download on the App Store, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Google Play Store for compatible iOS and Android devices. It's available in 19 states and jurisdictions.

One quick note on availability — even though I live in a state where Jackpocket can be used, I couldn't use the version of Jackpocket I downloaded from Google Play. Instead, I had to delete that one and download a version from the Samsung Galaxy Store.

If I hadn't had a Samsung phone, I could have downloaded the app from the Jackpocket site. The situation is a quirk where Google Play doesn't allow lottery purchases from certain states, even though you can download the app from the store. So if you're like me, you might have to try a couple of times to get a version of the app you can use, which is mildly annoying.

What lottery games are available?

The available lottery games through Jackpocket depend on where you live and what lotteries your state offers. In Ohio, this included Powerball, Mega Millions, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Classic Lotto, Lucky for Life, and Rolling Cash 5.

Certain states, including mine, offer opportunities to play in pools with other people for opportunities to improve your odds of winning. If a ticket within your pool wins, the winnings are split evenly between all members of the pool. Here’s the breakdown of the available pools:

• Public pool: Purchase at least one ticket to join a public pool of players. This is open to all eligible players and winnings are split evenly among everyone in the pool. In Ohio, I could access two public pools — one for Powerball and one for Mega Millions. I joined the Powerball pool and was able to view my ticket just like the other tickets I purchased. 

• Private pool: Join or create your own lottery pool. The winnings are split evenly among all participants, but these pools aren’t open to the public. While I didn't fully start a private pool, I took the initial steps, and it was very easy to set up a private pool, and it provides you with links you can send to friends by email, text, Facebook, and WhatsApp. 

If you don’t want to keep track of buying lottery tickets whenever your favorite game is available, use the Autoplay feature. Autoplay will automatically order tickets for you depending. While I can see this being a useful feature for really dedicated lottery players, I don't love it. To me, it seems too easy to forget you have it and make purchases you didn't mean to.  

If you do set up Autoplay, consider having a reminder somewhere so you know exactly how much you're spending and when.

Does it have fees?

Jackpocket doesn’t charge a monthly subscription fee, but it does charge you a service fee when you add funds. 

The deposit fee amount typically depends on where you live and your deposit method, but is often around 7% to 10% of the amount being deposited.

In my case, it cost more than 10% to fund my account. I added $10 and I was charged a service fee of $1.49, so a total of $11.49 was deducted from my bank account. This is closer to 15% of the amount I wanted to add. 

If I added $50, Jackpocket would charge me a service fee of $6.29, which is just over 12% of the amount you're adding. 

You can see how much your service fee will be before you complete your transaction so you're able to make an informed decision about how much to add. It does seem relatively high, but it also saves me a lot of time and effort. Paying the fee makes sense to me as someone who would have to make a trip out specifically to buy lotto tickets. 

If you're someone who buys tickets when you're at the grocery store or when you get gas, it might not make sense to switch to the app and pay an additional fee. 

How do you fund your account?

Jackpocket offers multiple ways to fund your account, though the available options depend on where you live. Here are the six payment methods for funding your account:

• PayPal
• Directly from a linked bank account
• Debit card (Visa, Mastercard, and/or Discover)
• Credit card (Visa, Mastercard, and/or Discover)
• Apple Pay
• Venmo

I linked a bank account because it would instantly fund my account. And I was able to use my funds to buy tickets immediately.

One aspect of funding my account that I didn't like is the way Jackpocket sets a default amount of $50 and you have to be careful to change it to something else. I'm concerned that some players might click through and add more to their account than they mean to. So double-check your funding amount before you confirm your transaction. 

Who can use Jackpocket?

You have to be age 18 or older to use the Jackpocket Lottery App. Jackpocket does verify your age by asking you to scan a photo ID, including a driver’s license, or manually entering applicable information yourself.

Jackpocket is currently available in these locations:

How can you contact support?

Jackpocket offers customer support through messaging options in its app, on its website, and through its social media channels. You can also search FAQs in the Jackpocket help center or send an email to support@jackpocket.com.

How does Jackpocket pay out its winnings?

If your ticket wins a small prize — about $600 or less, it varies by state — you’ll receive the money directly to your Jackpocket account. You then have the option to use those credits to continue playing or to withdraw them by making a payout request and initiating a bank transfer to your linked bank account.

I won $4 from one ticket and $0.17 from my pool ticket, and those were immediately credited to my Jackpocket account. I was able to withdraw the funds from Jackpocket with no issues. 

If you win a large prize, your ticket will be securely sent to you so you can claim your winnings from your state’s lottery department. You need to sign and present your government-issued ID to claim a ticket. Jackpocket offers in-app options and notifications to alert you about any winnings.

I wish I could tell you how the process of winning a large prize went personally, but unfortunately, I have yet to buy a winning ticket. Fingers crossed, though!

What users are saying

Like me, many users like Jackpocket for the convenience of not having to drive somewhere to buy a ticket. This is what a couple of Reddit users had to say:

There are some users who experienced issues with notifications or who didn't realize there was a service charge. I didn't experience any issues with notifications personally, and I thought the service charge was pretty clearly explained, so this wasn't my experience. 

Some states, like California, offer "second chance" drawings if you purchase a losing lottery ticket. One user noted that you can't submit your barcodes to earn points for losing tickets. 

If this is an important part of your lotto play, you may want to keep purchasing physical tickets. 

Overall, Jackpocket has over 176,000 ratings and reviews and an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 from the Apple App Store and over 10,000 ratings and an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 from the Google Play Store. I think the Apple App Store rating better reflects my personal experience with the app.

FAQs

Alternative apps to try

Jackpocket has been around for over 10 years and has the capacity to purchase over 1 million tickets per day. Its established track record is why we recommend it over competitors like Lotto.com. That said, Lotto.com does offer access to scratcher tickets, so it's the better choice if you're looking to purchase those online.

For non-lottery-based options to make money in your free time, consider these popular gaming apps.

Many lottery players also like the occasional game of Bingo. Bingo Cash is one of the most popular casino apps on the App Store and offers players the opportunity to win cash prizes. You compete against other users in a modern version of this classic bingo game, with the most skilled players having greater chances of winning. 

Check out Bingo Cash on the App Store or read our Bingo Cash review. 

For something a little different, consider Solitaire Clash. It's among the top casino games on the App Store, with over 319,000 ratings and reviews. This game offers players the opportunity to win real money by competing against other people in Solitaire matches. 

Download Solitaire Clash on the App Store or read our Solitaire Clash review. 

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Jackpocket: bottom line

I recommend Jackpocket because it's a reliable way to buy lottery tickets from your phone. I liked being able to buy tickets easily and even join a pool with others without having to organize anything myself. 

Keep in mind that it does have service fees when you fund your account, so make sure it's an amount you're comfortable with. And make sure you don't accidentally click on the default amount if you're not planning to spend that much. 

And you will need to take a few steps, like scanning your driver's license and potentially downloading the app twice, to get signed up. 

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Easy to sign up and add funds

Add funds instantly by connecting to your bank account

Pools are easy to set up and invite people to