Everything we found in Minnesota
Minnesota’s Powerball rules let the lottery pay each person who agreed to share a larger prize, the clearest group-claim rule on this site. Every fact below is as of October 5, 2026 and comes from the Minnesota Lottery’s pages and game rules, the Minnesota Statutes and Rules on revisor.mn.gov, linked in the sources. Pools can be created in every state that runs a lottery; Minnesota is open.
Is a private pool legal here?
We found no Minnesota statute that prohibits a group of people from putting money together to buy tickets and share a prize. The lottery’s FAQ asks the question for you: “I’m in a lottery pool at work. How many people can go together to claim a winning lottery prize?” How the lottery handles a group: The pool agreement names who claims. The Minnesota Lottery publishes how a group claims: there is no limit on how many people can claim, and each person who wants part of the prize fills out an individual claim form. (Minnesota Lottery FAQ, checked Oct 8, 2026)
The Powerball rules (revised July 16, 2026), section 5.1.B: “The Director may make payment to each person who has agreed to share a prize so long as the prize being claimed is more than $599.99.” Minnesota Rules 7857.5000 backs this up for any ticket whose owner “has otherwise agreed to share the prize.” Smaller shared prizes go to one person.
Section 8.1.D limits how a pool buys: Minnesota retailers may not take a group order of more than $500.00 of Powerball tickets for one drawing (Powerball). (Minnesota Powerball game rules, section 8.1.D, checked Oct 8, 2026)
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 (Minnesota Statutes 349A.12, subdivision 1, checked Oct 8, 2026). The age applies to buying a ticket and to redeeming one for a prize. Members confirm their age when they join a pool.
Where tickets are sold
Retailers only. The FAQ: “You can’t purchase tickets from the Minnesota Lottery online or on our mobile app. Tickets are only sold in person at one of our 3,000 brick-and-mortar retailers across Minnesota.” Statute 349A.12, subdivision 3: “A person other than a lottery retailer may not sell a ticket in the state lottery.” Courier apps: the FAQ says “Lottery service businesses are not affiliated with the Minnesota Lottery, and we have no regulatory authority over their operations.” It does not publish whether one may buy tickets for players; ask the lottery directly through its contact page.
- Powerball multi-draw: Up to 14 drawings per ticket (Minnesota Lottery Powerball page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
- Mega Millions multi-draw: Up to 14 drawings per ticket (Minnesota Lottery Mega Millions page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
Powerball’s Double Play add-on: not offered in Minnesota; powerball.com’s Double Play page does not list it.
Group purchase limits: the Powerball rule above. We found none for Mega Millions on the lottery’s Mega Millions page.
Claim deadlines
One year after the drawing (Minnesota Lottery FAQ, checked Oct 8, 2026). Statute 349A.08, subdivision 5 sets the claim period, and the Powerball rules add that a mailed claim counts on the day the lottery receives it.
Where to claim depends on the prize, per the claim-a-prize page:
- Up to $599: any Minnesota Lottery retailer.
- $600 to $50,000: the Roseville, Grand Rapids or Owatonna office, or by mail to Minnesota State Lottery, P.O. Box 131000, Roseville, MN 55113.
- Over $50,000: headquarters in Roseville only. Appointments are strongly recommended.
Can winners stay anonymous?
Only above $10,000. The names and cities of winners of more than $10,000 are private unless the winner opts in to publicity; for prizes of $10,000 or less they are public. (Minnesota Lottery FAQ, checked Oct 8, 2026) The rule is in Statute 349A.08, subdivision 9, which treats the larger winners’ names as private data under chapter 13 unless the winner gives written consent.
Taxes
- State withholding: 7.25% on prizes over $5,000 (State withholding table, checked Oct 1, 2026). Statute 290.92, subdivision 29 sets the Minnesota rate.
- 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.
- Local: Minnesota has no local income tax.
The split calculator applies the Minnesota rate; see How a pool claims a prize for the general steps.
Claim offices
- Roseville (headquarters): 2645 Long Lake Road, Roseville, MN 55113. Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 651-635-8273.
- Owatonna: 205 Cedardale Drive, Owatonna, MN 55060. 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. 507-444-2400.
- Grand Rapids: 1800 McKinney Lake Road, Grand Rapids, MN 55744. Same hours. 218-748-2450.
- Mail: P.O. Box 131000, Roseville, MN 55113.
Official site: mnlottery.com.
How our pool record helps in Minnesota
When each member files a claim, the group has to agree on the split first. 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; and every change afterward is a new entry, never an edit. The export bundle lists every member with their share, ready for the stack of individual claim forms. When a prize reaches the Minnesota threshold ($600 by default), the round goes on hold and the bundle is preserved.
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 Minnesota next to your numbers.
