Lottery makes player convenience a priority with a simple tap of phone or card
Olympia, Wash. (July 28, 2026) – The jackpots are high – $800 million for Mega Millions and $663 million for Powerball – but you forgot your wallet. Thankfully, if your debit card is in your mobile wallet, you're still in luck.
That’s because Washington's Lottery has added tap-to-pay to lottery vending machines statewide, giving players another convenient payment option when purchasing lottery products. Players can now use an eligible contactless debit card or mobile wallet, while still having the option to use cash, insert a debit card or use winning tickets toward additional purchases.
"We’re always looking for ways to improve the player experience, so it’s been great to see players already embracing tap-to-pay," said Brian Bennett, Director of Washington's Lottery. "This upgrade gives our players another convenient way to purchase lottery products with the same safeguards that apply to debit purchases."
Washington’s Lottery has made big strides when it comes to player convenience in the past few years. From 1982 to 2022, lottery tickets could be purchased only with cash, but in September 2022, the lottery introduced debit card purchases from its lottery vending machines. It began testing tap-to-pay in a limited number of machines in May and achieved full statewide rollout on more than 2,200 lottery vending machines at nearly 2,000 authorized lottery retailers earlier this month.
Since the rollout, Washington players have completed more than 330,000 tap-to-pay transactions totaling more than $7.7 million in sales.
To use tap-to-pay, players simply select their lottery products at a lottery vending machine, choose the debit payment option and tap an eligible contactless debit card or mobile wallet on the payment terminal. Once payment is approved, tickets are dispensed as usual.
Tap-to-pay follows the same rules as all other cashless lottery purchases. Debit is the only accepted cashless payment method, and credit cards cannot be used, including through mobile wallets. Debit purchases are limited to $700 over a seven-day period.
To find an authorized Washington’s Lottery retailer, visit www.walottery.com/WhereToPlay/.
Who Benefits
Since 1982, Washington’s Lottery has generated more than $5.7 billion to support several important state programs. The Lottery’s primary beneficiary is the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA), which provides much-needed funding for programs including early childhood education, the WA Grant and College Bound program, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, and more. These programs help provide critical services and support to thousands of Washington residents each year and help improve their lives.
Beneficiary Fact
Washington’s Lottery is proud to be a financial supporter of the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), which administers state financial aid programs. WSAC leads a variety of initiatives to increase educational opportunities for students, families, and educators across the state, with a particular focus on increasing equity by reaching communities of color and students from low-income families. The Lottery also proudly supports the state’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP), a state-funded pre-K program that helps children become kindergarten-ready by building early skills in reading, math and science. The program works closely with parents to support their children’s health and education.
About Washington’s Lottery: The state’s Lottery offers consumers several types of games, including Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Hit 5, Match 4, Pick 3, Cash POP, Daily Keno and Scratch. For more information, visit www.walottery.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @walottery.
Keep it fun. Know your limit. Washington’s Lottery is an advocate for responsible gaming and collaborates with the Evergreen Council for Problem Gambling to provide resources for those in need. More information is available at www.walottery.com/Responsibility.
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Press Contacts
Dan Miller (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: dan.miller@curatorpr.com
Xiamara Garza-Urbieta (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: xiamara.garza@curatorpr.com