Everything we found in Indiana
Indiana’s lottery publishes a way to pay pool members separately, and Indiana passed a law in 2025 that makes running a courier service without the commission’s written permission a crime. Every fact below comes from the Hoosier Lottery’s claim page and winner guide, the Indiana Code or the Department of Revenue, 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; Indiana is open.
Is a private pool legal here?
We found no Indiana statute that prohibits a group of people from putting money together to buy tickets and share a prize. How the lottery handles a group: The pool agreement names who claims. The Hoosier Lottery can pay each member of a group of 99 winners or fewer separately: the group representative signs the ticket and claim form, and the group completes IRS Form 5754. (Hoosier Lottery Winner Resource Guide, checked Oct 8, 2026) The claim page repeats the paperwork step for any prize that more than one person is claiming.
Indiana Code 4-30-11-2(a) makes prizes non-assignable, and 4-30-11-5 gives competing claimants equal shares. Decide the shares before the ticket is bought.
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 (Hoosier Lottery how-to-claim page, checked Oct 8, 2026). The statute is IC 4-30-12-1. Members confirm their age when they join a pool.
Where tickets are sold
Retailers only. The Powerball page: “Purchase your $2 Powerball ticket at any participating retailer.” The Hoosier Lottery app builds a digital playslip to scan at the counter; it does not sell tickets. Under IC 4-30-3-20(b), unless a statute specifically grants the authority, the commission “shall not” operate or authorize “the sale of digital representations of” draw games.
Courier services are now a legal matter in Indiana. IC 4-30-3-7.5, added by P.L. 152-2025: “A person who, without written authorization of the commission, operates a lottery courier service commits a Class A misdemeanor.” The commission is not required to authorize any courier, and IC 4-30-3-20(b) says it shall not authorize “a lottery courier service” unless a statute specifically grants it that power. We found no such statute in IC 4-30.
How many drawings one ticket can cover, per the lottery’s game pages:
- Powerball: Up to 12 drawings per ticket (Hoosier Lottery Powerball page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
- Mega Millions: Up to 10 drawings per ticket (Hoosier Lottery Mega Millions page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
Group purchase limits: None found in the rules we read (not yet verified). IC 4-30-3-7 tells the commission to adopt rules on “the bulk purchase of lottery products,” but the Hoosier Lottery does not publish a bulk-purchase limit; ask the lottery directly through its contact page.
Powerball’s Double Play add-on is offered in Indiana (“adding Double Play for $1” on the lottery’s Powerball page; powerball.com lists Indiana).
Claim deadlines
180 days after the drawing (Hoosier Lottery how-to-claim page, checked Oct 8, 2026), for Powerball and Mega Millions alike. The statute is IC 4-30-11-7.
Where to claim depends on the prize:
- Up to $25: any retailer; some retailers pay up to $599.
- $600 to $49,999: by mail, or at a Prize Payment Center in Indianapolis, Mishawaka or Evansville. Mail the physical ticket, a copy of your photo ID and a signed claim form.
- $50,000 and up: by appointment, 1-800-955-6886.
Can winners stay anonymous?
No. The name, address and city of Hoosier Lottery winners are public record under Indiana's Access to Public Records law. (Hoosier Lottery Winner Resource Guide, checked Oct 8, 2026) The winner guide adds that the lottery must give reasonable access to a public record on request, and that it may publicize a win as the law allows (IC 4-30-3-7; IC 4-30-3-9).
Taxes
- State withholding: 2.95% on prizes over $1,200 (State withholding table, checked Oct 9, 2026). The winner guide says state tax comes out of winnings above $1,200 (“we will take out the minimum required in state tax”), and IC 6-3-4-8.2(c) requires the deduction on lottery prizes above that line even when no federal tax is withheld. The state income tax rate itself is on the Department of Revenue’s rates page.
- County: Indiana counties levy an income tax on adjusted gross income (IC 6-3.6), so a prize is taxed by your county on your return. The Hoosier Lottery does not publish whether it withholds the county portion at the counter; ask the lottery directly.
- 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.
The split calculator shows each member’s share of the prize; see How a pool claims a prize.
Claim offices
- Indianapolis (headquarters): 1302 N. Meridian Street, 1st Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
- Mishawaka: 230 Red Coach Drive, Suite D, Mishawaka, IN 46545.
- Evansville: 6225 E. Virginia Street, Suite A, Evansville, IN 47715 (Central time).
- Mail: Hoosier Lottery Headquarters, 1302 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Phone 1-800-955-6886.
Official site: hoosierlottery.com.
How our pool record helps in Indiana
Separate payments to members only work against a list that names every member and their share. In a ShareTheWinning pool that list already exists: the members, shares and confirmed payments lock before the ticket is bought; the ticket is photographed and recorded before the drawing; and every change afterward is a new entry, never an edit. The export bundle gives the pool everything the group paperwork asks for. When a prize reaches the Indiana threshold ($600 by default), the round goes on hold and the bundle is preserved for the lottery, 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 Indiana next to your numbers.
