Everything we found in Delaware
Delaware is a state where the winner’s privacy, the claim window and store-only sales all shape how a pool works. Every fact below comes from the Delaware Lottery’s own pages and claim form, its iLottery help pages or the Delaware Code, linked in the sources, and each one shows the day it was last checked. Pools can be created in every state that runs a lottery; Delaware is open.
Is a private pool legal here?
We found no Delaware statute that prohibits a group of people from putting money together to buy tickets and share a prize. The lottery’s claim form explains how a prize is paid: “Lottery tickets are bearer instruments. Once a ticket is signed the proceeds related to any prize will be associated with the name and tax identification number of the signee.” The form asks for one name, one Social Security number and one signature. Section 4808 of Title 29 says no right to a prize “shall be assignable,” except to an estate or under “an appropriate judicial order.”
How the lottery handles a group: The pool agreement names who claims. Delaware's lottery rules let one ticket carry several owners' names: the people named on the back designate one of them to be paid, and every person named signs the claim form. (10 Del. Admin. Code 202-19.0, checked Oct 9, 2026) The claim form itself has room for a single name and tax number, so ask the lottery directly how it wants a group’s names written before anyone signs the ticket. Our guide How a pool claims a prize explains the IRS paperwork for groups in general.
ShareTheWinning is free, takes no cut of tickets or prizes and never holds money. Whether a particular arrangement is lawful is a question for counsel, not for us.
Minimum age
18 or older (Delaware Lottery Rules page, checked Oct 8, 2026). The Rules page applies the age both to buying tickets and to claiming prizes. Members confirm their age when they join a pool.
Where tickets are sold
At retailers. The fact sheet: “Tickets are available statewide at over 600 licensed Delaware Lottery Retailers.” It also says “iLottery launched October 28, 2025,” but the iLottery FAQ says: “No, you cannot purchase Powerball® and Mega Millions® tickets online at this time. Please see your local retailer to make a purchase.”
Courier apps: the Delaware Lottery does not publish a position on courier services; ask the lottery directly.
- Powerball multi-draw: Up to 15 drawings per ticket (Delaware Lottery Powerball page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
- Mega Millions multi-draw: Up to 15 drawings per ticket (Delaware Lottery Mega Millions page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
Powerball’s Double Play add-on is offered in Delaware, per powerball.com’s Double Play page.
Group purchase limits: None found in the rules we read (not yet verified). The rules we read include the lottery chapter of the Delaware Code (Title 29, chapter 48) and the lottery’s Rules page, which says the lottery “reserves the right to limit sales of tickets for bets on any specific number at any time.”
Claim deadlines
One year after the drawing (Delaware Lottery claim page, checked Oct 8, 2026), for Powerball and Mega Millions alike. Title 29 section 4812 sets the same period in law.
Where to claim depends on the prize:
- $599 or less: any Delaware Lottery retailer, the Lottery Office, or by mail, per the Guide to Winning.
- Up to $2,500: select Retailer Claim Centers.
- $600 to $5,000: the Division of Revenue redemption centers in Wilmington and Georgetown, or the Lottery Office, Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- $5,001 and up: the Delaware Lottery Office in Dover, “any business day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.”
The Rules page: “A physical ticket must be presented for all prize claims (no photos will be accepted).” Keep the paper ticket safe; the photo in your pool record is proof for the group, not for the lottery.
Can winners stay anonymous?
Yes. Delaware law says the State Lottery Office may not disclose a winner's name and address to the public unless the winner gives permission. (29 Del. C. section 4818, checked Oct 8, 2026) The lottery’s FAQ says the same for all Delaware Lottery winners, and there is no dollar threshold.
Taxes
- State withholding: Not yet verified. The FAQ says “All winning Delaware Lottery tickets are subject to Delaware Income Tax,” and the iLottery FAQ says state tax is part of what the lottery deducts from larger prizes, but we found no published state rate; ask the lottery directly. The split calculator shows each member’s share of the prize.
- Federal: The lottery withholds 24% federal tax when a prize minus the wager is more than $5,000. A prize of $2,000 or more is reported to the IRS on Form W-2G. (IRS Form W-2G instructions, checked Oct 1, 2026) The final federal bill is settled on your return.
Claim offices
- Dover: Delaware Lottery Office, McKee Business Park, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904. Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone 302-739-5291. Mail claims go to the same address.
- Wilmington: Division of Revenue, Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 (enter at 9th and French Streets). Phone 302-577-8162.
- Georgetown: Division of Revenue, 20653 DuPont Blvd, Suite 2, Georgetown, DE 19947. Phone 302-856-5358.
Official site: delottery.com.
How our pool record helps in Delaware
A signed ticket ties the prize to the signer, so the group’s own record is what shows everyone’s share. In a ShareTheWinning pool the members, shares and confirmed payments lock before the ticket is bought; the ticket is photographed and recorded before the drawing, with the signer’s name on the back; and every change afterward is a new entry, never an edit. When a prize reaches the Delaware threshold ($600 by default), the round goes on hold and we preserve an export bundle for the claimant, the accountant and, if it ever comes to it, a court.
For the first 48 hours after a win, read You won. The first five things to do. The “If we win” stop on the Journey shows the deadline and the privacy rule for Delaware next to your numbers.
