Can I Use A Credit Card To Buy Lottery Tickets?

Here’s an issue that comes our way a lot, whether in questions from retailers or players: Is it OK for a credit card to be used to buy Iowa Lottery tickets? The short answer is no. But you can use a debit card because they’re two very different things. Here are the details.

Iowa Law spells it all out in Code Chapter 99G.30(5): “The retailer may accept payment by cash, check, money order, debit card, or electronic funds transfer. The retailer shall not extend or arrange credit for the purchase of a ticket or share. As used in this subsection, ‘cash’ means United States currency.”

In plain speak, that means that you can use cash, money orders and checks to buy Iowa Lottery tickets. And, because using a debit card is the same as writing a check, the use of those cards also is OK. But the use of credit cards is not OK.

While a lottery retailer may accept a check or debit card for the payment of lottery tickets, the retailer is not required to do so.