Lottery ticket sales usually close shortly before each drawing, and the exact cut‑off depends on your country, state, and the specific game. In many places, it is roughly 1–2 hours before the draw time.

Typical cut-off times

• For large U.S. draw games like Powerball or Mega Millions, sales usually stop about 1 to 2 hours before the scheduled drawing time, which is often around late evening local time.

• In the UK National Lottery, tickets for the main Lotto and EuroMillions draws generally must be bought by around 7:30 p.m. on the draw day to count for that draw.

• Online lottery platforms often let you buy tickets from early morning until late evening, but they still apply the same draw cut‑off: anything bought after that time goes into the next available draw.

To know “how late” you personally can buy, check your local lottery’s official website or app for that specific game and your time zone, because rules vary by jurisdiction and retailer.