A lottery is one of the most common and most popular forms of gambling in India and has been around here since ages. There have been various instances of lottery games found in Indian history and mythology. Back then, gamblers use to play lotteries in the hope of winning precious items, such as houses, land or precious metals.
With the advent of the internet, lottery games have become digitalized and can be played from the comfort of one’s home. The web-based versions are similar to their traditional counterparts, only they’re safe and easy to play and you can win a lot more.
Here is an article that provides an insight into everything you need to know about online lotteries in India, from how do online lotteries work to the benefits of playing lotteries online.
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What is an online lottery?
Online lotteries are web-based versions of traditional lotteries that can be played anywhere, anytime. There are two popular types of online lotteries. The first one is online lotto sites that host the lottery games themselves. It’s where you play lotto games, and it’s the one that draws the combinations. The other type is online-lottery sites that go out and purchase the ticket on your behalf. These websites have offices scattered around the world and send their agents to buy tickets. Most lottery agents scan the tickets and send the copy to you as proof of ownership.
How does the online lottery work?
Most online lotteries work in a similar way, which is quite simple and easy to understand. The standard game is played with one pool of consecutive numbers, out of which players need to predict several of them in order to win. For instance, a 5/75 lottery game requires players to accurately predict 5 numbers from a pool of 75 options for the jackpot.
Some of the world’s largest lotteries, like Mega Millions and Powerball, feature an additional pool of numbers out of which players need to select one or two. Your numbers from both pools must match the drawn numbers in order for you to win the jackpot.
Most online lotteries come with a progressive jackpot, which increases after each draw if the prize is not claimed. This results in massive jackpots that can be worth crores. There are also smaller prizes for matching only some of the numbers and they have fixed values.
If someone is lucky enough to win the progressive jackpot, the amount for the next draw resets to a predetermined level and the process repeats. If there are multiple players who’ve won the jackpot at the same time, the prize is split evenly.
How to play lottery online in India?
Here is a step-by-step guide to playing lottery online.
Select a game
While the prize amount for each lottery is different, most of these games have the same playing process. What you usually do is visit an online lottery site and select the game you want to play. You’ll find a button which says Play Now, Buy Now or something like those.
Choose the number of combinations
Tapping on the “Play Now” button will open a drop-down menu or interface containing a list of options. This is where you’ll select the number of lottery tickets you’d like to purchase. This is also where you’ll choose whether to pick the lottery numbers yourself or let the Quick Pick feature to automatically pick them for you.
Add to cart or buy
After choosing the lottery numbers, your purchase summary is shown. This usually includes the name of the game you’re going to play, the number of tickets and drawings, and the total amount spent. You then have three options – you can purchase another lottery ticket, edit your current ticket, or checkout.
Check out
If you’ve bought a lottery ticket before, then you can use your login credentials to log into your account and proceed with the checkout option. If not, then you first need to create an account. Don’t worry because you don’t need to repeat the entire registration process every time you buy lottery tickets online, and the entire process can be completed in a matter of minutes.
Payment for purchase
When playing the lottery online, there are lots of options to pay for your purchase. You can use your credit or debit card to buy your lottery ticket. VISA and MasterCard happen to be the most widely accepted cards.
What online lottery game types are available for Indian players?
Indian players have several types of online lottery games to choose from, including instant lottery, general lottery and the lotto. The most popular versions of online lottery in India are:
Traditional number lottery
Standard number lottery otherwise known as the lotto is the most popular type of online lottery game among Indian players. Playing this lottery requires players to pick a set of numbers out of a predetermined pool. In most cases, the draws of these lotteries take place twice weekly with a payout starting in crores.
Scratchers or scratch cards
Scratchers or scratch cards get their name from traditional lotteries where players scratch off the specialized latex or UV ink coating to reveal the numbers underneath. Much like their real-world counterparts, online scratch cards have you “scratching” cells to reveal the hidden numbers. If you manage to get matching images, you win something.
Unlike the general lottery, scratchers don’t involve number selection and players can purchase them anytime. Online scratchers are quite easy to play and come in many forms with different themes and ways to scratch.
Daily lottery draws
For anyone who wants to enjoy the thrills of online lotteries every day, they can try daily lottery draws. These lotteries are drawn once or even twice a day. While the prize money of daily lottery draws is not the same as the weekly lottery draw, they feature payouts that are definitely worth playing for. Daily lottos often feature a smaller set of numbers with the players picking three or four numbers on a ticket.
Mini lottos
As the name suggests, mini lottos are the mini versions of standard weekly lottery draws. The amount you pay for mini lotto lottery tickets is significantly less, but then again, so is the amount that you can win from them. You’ll find mini lottos on almost every online lottery site with multiple draws taking place each day.
Syndicates
Lottery syndicates are more common in India nowadays thanks to the advent of top online lottery sites and reliable communities. In short, syndicates allow you to join other players and pool your tickets in order to improve your chances of winning. In case of a win, the prize amount is shared between players based on the number of tickets purchased by each one of them.
Unlike traditional lotteries, it’s easier to win with syndicates but you need to share your winning with your fellow players. That said, you can only increase your share by purchasing more tickets.
Factors to consider while selecting an online lottery
Below are some of the most critical factors to consider while selecting an online lottery to play:
Number draw or instant win
This is one of the essential things to consider while choosing an online lottery to play. Determine whether you want a game where you get the results instantly, or you would want a game where you wait for the number draws.
The best part of playing instant win games is that you get find out if you’ve won a prize at the moment. Also, these games have higher odds of winning as compared to the conventional lottery.
On the other hand, you ought to exercise patience if you opt to play number draw lotto. This is because the draw of these games happens every week or bi-weekly. However, the prizes of number draw lottos tend to be more lucrative than instant win lotteries.
The size of the jackpot
The size of the jackpot is an essential factor when choosing an online lottery as it may vary in the amount of cash. Every online lottery provider in India reveals their jackpots to make sure that players can know what is on offer.
But it’s important to note that the size of the jackpot usually depends on the rollovers. So, the prize money of some of the online lotteries can rise significantly to massive amounts. It can climb even higher depending on the number of ticket sales.
Odds of winning
While the jackpot amount of some lotteries can be worth crores, winning it is not that easy. You need to consider the odds of hitting the jackpot so that you can the right strategy in place. If you’re new to the world of online lotteries, it’s best to start with smaller lottos as they have better odds and more prize tiers.
The best international lotteries to play in India
Online lottery in India is still in its infancy and has a long way to go but Indian players are trying their luck on international lotteries that are played in Europe and the United States. This is because they offer incredible jackpots and have a whole host of other advantages.
Here are some of the best foreign-based lotteries that Indian players can play from the comfort of their home:
Powerball
Powerball is known as the biggest and the best online lottery in the world. It is originally an American lottery game offered by 45 US states but players from all across the globe can enjoy it thanks to international lotto sites.
To play US Powerball, you must select 5 numbers between 1 and 69 and a Powerball number between 1 and 26. If all your 5 numbers plus the Powerball number matches, you win the jackpot.
The starting jackpot prize of US Powerball is $40 million (approx. Rs. 293 crores) and the biggest ever jackpot won is $1.586 billion!
Mega Millions
Also known as The Lotto, Mega Millions is another US lottery that is popular all around the world. It is available in a total of 47 jurisdictions in the US and players from India can also take part in it at international lotto sites.
To play Mega Millions online is quite easy! All you need to do is pick 5 numbers out of 70 and 1 Mega Ball out of 25. To win the jackpot, you need to match all the numbers on your lottery ticket.
Mega Millions is known to have the second-highest jackpot of all lotto games after Powerball. The starting price begins at $40 million and the biggest ever won is $1.586 million!
EuroMillions
EuroMillions is a European lottery that is played in India and all around the world. The jackpot amount of Euro Lotteries tends to be smaller than their American counterparts but have way more winners.
To play EuroMillions, you need to choose 5 numbers between 1 and 50 and two lucky star numbers between numbers from 1 to 12. The EuroMillions jackpot starts at €17 million (approx. Rs. 148 crores) and caps at 190 million euros.
EuroJackpot
EuroJackpot is another great international lottery to play in India. To play you need to select 5 numbers between 1 and 50 and two supplementary numbers from 1 to 12. The jackpot prize of this lottery starts at €10 million and goes all the way up to €90 million.
SuperEnaLotto
SuperEnaLotto is Italy’s national lottery that is available in India thanks to international lotto sites. To play this lotto in India, you need to choose 6 numbers between 1 and 90. SuperEnaLotto has a starting jackpot of €2 million but it has no limit.
Benefits of playing International lottery from India
There are numerous advantages of playing lotteries on sites based outside India. These include:
Licensed and regulated – All the top international lottery sites are licensed by reputable gambling authorities and are subject to strict laws to ensure fair play. So, if you manage to win a prize, they must pay out to avoid getting delicensed. In short, your winnings are completely safe and secure with these sites.
Guaranteed ticket purchase – Another great benefit of playing with international lottery sites is that they guarantee ticket purchase. As a player, all you need to do is add funds into your account and request to buy a lotto ticket. The online agent then buys the ticket on your behalf and its scanned copy is sent to you.
Instant win games – Besides weekly lotteries, such websites also offer a range of scratch cards and other instant win games which you can play anywhere, anytime.
Bonuses and promotions – Playing at foreign lotto sites mean that you’ll be awarded regular bonuses, free tickets and other offers.
Fast withdrawals – If you manage to secure a win, you’ll be immediately notified. Thereon, withdrawing is easy because lotteries that accept Indian players also support credit and debit card payment options that are common in India.
Customer support – International lottery sites offer 24×7 customer support to assist you with all your queries and problems.
Can I play online lottery games for real money in India?
Lottery in India is subject to state laws and each state has its own laws about gambling depending on their local preferences and history. Currently, 13 Indian states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and West Bengal have legalized lottery. So, you can play the lottery legally in 13 of the 29 states in India.
Playing the lottery is illegal in the other 16 states. However, these laws are restrictive to the Indian lottery only and are not applicable to international lotteries. This means that you can play lotteries legally with a licensed foreign-based lottery provider.
