Everything we found in Montana
Montana is the one state on this site whose lottery names the courier apps that are licensed to sell its tickets. It also has its own rules on winners’ privacy and states its claim period in months, not days. Every fact below is as of October 5, 2026 and comes from the Montana Lottery’s claim page and FAQ or the Montana Code Annotated, linked in the sources. Pools can be created in every state that runs a lottery; Montana is open.
Is a private pool legal here?
We found no Montana statute that prohibits a group of people from putting money together to buy tickets and share a prize. The lottery’s claim page sets the mechanics: Montana pays one claimant; the agreement names who claims and how the pool splits it. Only one person may claim a Montana Lottery prize; the group can share the tax with IRS Form 5754. (Montana Lottery claim page, checked Oct 8, 2026) MCA 15-30-2522 backs this with a signed statement naming every person entitled to a portion of the prize.
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 (Montana Lottery FAQ, checked Oct 8, 2026). Members confirm their age when they join a pool.
Where tickets are sold
More than 1,100 retailers, and licensed courier apps. The FAQ: “The purchase of Lottery tickets from the Montana Lottery over the internet is not allowed,” and mail orders are also prohibited. But the same FAQ says: “Any business with an active Montana Lottery sales agent license is legally authorized to sell tickets. This includes Jackpocket, Mido Lotto and TuLotero.” So a Montana pool may buy through one of those apps, and the app’s order record becomes part of the pool’s record.
- Powerball multi-draw: Up to 24 drawings per ticket (Montana Lottery Powerball page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
- Mega Millions multi-draw: Up to 24 drawings per ticket (Montana Lottery Mega Millions page, checked Oct 5, 2026).
Powerball’s Double Play add-on is offered in Montana, per powerball.com’s Double Play page, and the lottery’s Powerball page notes that Power Play is included with every Powerball purchase in the state.
Group purchase limits: None found in the rules we read (not yet verified). We read the lottery’s FAQ, claim page and Powerball page.
Claim deadlines
Six months after the drawing (Montana Lottery FAQ, checked Oct 8, 2026). The lottery states the period in months, so count to the calendar date rather than counting days.
Where to claim depends on the prize:
- Up to $599: any retailer.
- $600 and up: headquarters in Helena, in person or by mail to P.O. Box 6073, Helena, MT 59604-6073, with a photocopy of your ID. The lottery recommends certified mail.
Can winners stay anonymous?
Yes. Under Montana law a winner's name is not public, and the Montana Lottery does not release it without the winner's permission; it does release the amount won, where the ticket was sold, the winner's community, the game and the drawing date. (Montana Lottery FAQ, checked Oct 8, 2026) The statute is MCA 23-7-313, amended in 2021, and it applies at every prize amount. The current claim form still carries older wording from before the change; the statute controls.
Taxes
- State withholding: 5.9% on prizes over $5,000 (State withholding table, checked Oct 1, 2026). MCA 15-30-2522 ties the rate to the state’s highest marginal income tax 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: Montana has no local income tax.
The split calculator applies the Montana rate. For the group paperwork, see How a pool claims a prize.
Claim office
- Helena: Montana Lottery, 2525 North Montana Avenue, Helena, MT 59601-0598. Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 406-444-5825.
- Mail: P.O. Box 6073, Helena, MT 59604-6073.
Official site: montanalottery.com.
How our pool record helps in Montana
When one person claims for the group, the group’s own record is the only account of the split. In a ShareTheWinning pool the members, shares and confirmed payments lock before the ticket is bought; the ticket, or the courier app’s order, 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, the details a group claim asks for. When a prize reaches the Montana 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 Montana next to your numbers.
