Online Lottery in India
A lottery is one of the well-loved gambling forms in India and other parts of the world. This page is all about online lottery, specifically lottery in India, including buying a lottery ticket, choosing the best online lottery sites, and how to purchase lottery tickets online. We will discuss the legality of online lottery in India, playing lotto from your smartphone, and International lottery jackpots. Moreover, we will also go over the Indian Government and State lotteries. You can find the answers to your questions in the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this page. Let’s take a deep dive into our detailed online lottery guide in India.
The popularity of online lottery sites
The lottery has been in India for many decades now through the state lotto games. However, it was recently that many lottery players are switching from state lottery to online lottery. The reasons are obvious – biggest jackpot, safe, promotions, and bonuses, not to mention buying tickets at the comfort of your home.
Best online lottery platforms for Indian players
Lottoland
It is the world’s biggest lottery site that paid over Rs. 7600 crore to players from different parts of the world. It holds a record as the lottery site that released the biggest payout. In June of 2018, a German woman was fortunate to won the top prize worth €90 million. It has a site dedicated to Indian players (Lottoland.asia.com). If you’re from Asia, visit the site to purchase lottery tickets from the world’s renowned international games such as EuroMillions and Powerball.
LottoSmile
It is an exclusive lotto site for Indians from The Lotter, one of the world’s biggest lotto agents. Players across India can buy tickets and participate in the top international lottery games. Through LottoSmile, players can easily access tickets giving them a chance to win jackpots.
Lotto247
Another best Indian lottery site is Lotto247. Through them, you can buy online lottery tickets to international games such as Mega Millions, Powerball, and SuperEnaLotto.
Buying lottery tickets online
Buying lottery tickets is easier than you ever think it would be. First, you need to sign up for an account with an international lotto site. The purchased tickets are stored online and auto-corrected every after each draw. With the auto-corrected feature, it would be easy for you to find out which number works.
What are the requisites when buying lottery tickets online?
When buying lottery tickets online, there are a few things you need to comply with. These are the following:
- Mobile phone – You can use any phone for as long as it has internet connectivity and a mobile browser or a lottery app installed.
- Payment option – You need to have a payment method ready, ideally, the one accepted by the lottery site such as MasterCard, Visa, and e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller.
- Reliable internet connection – It is a must to have a stable/reliable internet connection.
The legality of playing an online lottery in India
Online lotto games are played in India, but the big question is, “Are they legal?” the answer to this question is confusing because online lotto isn’t illegal but is also not legal. The law concerning lottery in India is outdated and created before the internet era. Private lotteries in India are not allowed to operate, but there’s an international lottery site Indian players can participate in as it is located outside India. Therefore, the Indian government has no jurisdiction over international lottery sites. The good news, for the record, no one was punished for participating in the online lottery.
Indian states where a lottery is legal
There was a time when private lotteries are banned in India. It was in 1967, to be exact. The only allowed to operate at that time were state government lotteries. Fortunately, as time passes, some states in India have been allowed to have their own lotto schemes. These include the following:
- Kerala – It is the first Indian state to have its own lotto schemes.
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Kerala
- Goa
- Madhya Pradesh
- Manipur
- Maharashtra
- Mizoram
- Meghalaya
- Punjab
- Nagaland
- Sikkim
- West Bengal
The Indian states mentioned above are governed by the Lottery Regulation Act of 1998. It sets the terms and conditions on how each state set up their games in accordance with the lotto laws.
Finding out which Indian online lotteries are safe
When it comes to choosing Indian online lotteries, you have to carefully look at parameters, especially when it comes to the safety and security of online lotteries. These include licenses, security certificates, and customer feedback.
- License – A lottery license is given to deserving lotto operators and given by highly reputed bodies such as Malta, Sweden, and Great Britain. Once the license is given, it will be audited regularly to ensure that fairness is observed at all times.
- Security certificate – The security and safety of players should be the top priority. Hence, online lotto operators employ measures to prevent outside threats. Once you see the security certificates, it means that the lotto operator install measures to protect your safety online such as installing firewall and SSL encryption technology.
- Customer feedback – Players’ experience matters. Choose a lotto operator with a proven track record.
Lottery agent and bookkeeper
When playing an online lottery in India, you have two playing options: lottery agents and bookkeepers.
- Lottery agents – A website that functions as a lotto agent through their representative will purchase the ticket on your behalf at a retailer. The ticket will be sent to your account after scanning it.
- Bookkeepers – Buying a ticket from a bookkeeper means you’re not buying an official ticket but making a bet on the lotto’s outcome.
Playing online lotto straight from your mobile
Playing online lotto is best experienced using your phone as it enables you to access all available features. With just a few seconds and clicks, you’ll be able to purchase lottery tickets at the exact money you feel you’re the luckiest at. Some available features include notifications on promotions, bonuses, and campaigns.
International lottery jackpots – How huge are they?
The online lottery in India is still in the infancy phase. Still, Indians can freely participate in international jackpot games in other parts of the world, such as in the United States and Europe. The jackpot amount from these countries is massive, especially the rollover policy (when there’s no jackpot winner for a particular draw, the pot money will be added to the next draw).
Some of the lottery games you can participate in include the following:
- PowerBall – It marked a name in the lottery world as the lottery game in the world with the biggest jackpot. How is PowerBall played? Select five numbers (1 to 69) as well as PowerBall numbers (1 to 12). Here’s the amazing part: starting a jackpot is $40 million, but throughout the history of PowerBall, the biggest jackpot ever won was $1.586 billion.
- Mega Millions – It is an international lottery based in the USA. Select five numbers (1 to 70) and one goalball (1 to 25). To hit the jackpot, match all the numbers on your ticket. The prize money starts at $40 million, and the biggest jackpot won in the history of Mega Millions is $1.586 billion.
- EuroMillions – Compared to American lotteries, Euro lotteries have a smaller jackpot but have plenty of jackpot winners. Select five numbers (1 to 50) and two lucky numbers (1 to 12). The jackpot money begins at €17 million.
- EuroJackpot – Choose five numbers (1 to 50) and two numbers (1 to 12). The starting jackpot prize is €10 but can go as high as €90 million.
- SuperEnaLotto – It is based in Italy, but Indian players can participate through international lotto websites. Select six numbers (1 to 90), and the starting jackpot prize is €2 million.
How to increase your chances of hitting the jackpot?
Winning at a lottery is based on luck, but is it possible to increase your chances of winning? In a way, yes. Reduce your investment in the lottery and have as many tickets as you can. It is common for lottery players to buy many tickets; most of them play for a long time before winning.
Getting more tickets at a discounted price
- Promotions and bonuses – Bonuses and promotions are given to new players as a part of marketing efforts. Free lottery tickets are a part of the welcome bonus package. To increase your number of free lottery tickets, sign up to several lottery websites to welcome bonuses. Promotions are also offered every year.
- Lottery syndicates – Joining a lottery syndicate will help increase your chances of winning a jackpot. What is a syndicate? It pertains to a group of people pooling their money together to purchase tickets and share the winning prize with all members.
Indian lotto players who won at the international lottery
- Sandeep Singh – He won $30.5 million at Mega Millions. Ironically, his girlfriend broke up with him a few days before winning the jackpot.
- Nandlall Mangal – His lucky year was 2018 when he won Powerball’s jackpot amounting to $246.5 million.
Indian Government Lottery
The National Lottery games have been around since 1967. The government draws the winning combination with state lotto official representatives to ensure fairness. There are two types of draws offered by state lotteries:
- Weekly draw – As the name suggests, it is played on a weekly basis, and the jackpot prize is usually in the tens of lakh. The tickets for a weekly draw are affordable (as low as Rs. 2).
- Bumper draw – It happens once a year; the biggest government lottery game. The jackpot is massive, which can go as high as Rs. 10 crores.
Kerala State Lottery
Kerala is the first Indian state to offer lottery games and proactively promote innovation in online lottery. The tickets can be bought throughout Kerala. It has lottery fund state welfare programs like Karunya Scheme that helps cover expensive hospital bills for less fortunate patients.
Lottery Sambad
It is the most played lotto game in India. Players can play three times a day (morning, afternoon, and evening). The game is offered in other Indian states, including Punjab, Sikkim, Goa, Manipur, and Madhya Pradesh, to name a few.
State Lottery Ticket
Buying a state lottery ticket is easy as you can find vendors all over India, even on the streets. However, you have to be wary of fake lotto tickets. With state lottery tickets, you cannot select your own numbers as the tickets are a part of the series with slips printed already. Make sure you place the ticket slip in a secure place. Do not crumple or distort as it can invalidate the ticket, especially if the validating machine cannot read the serial code.
Online state lottery
As of the moment, an online government lottery is not available. Playwin is the only online state lottery that ever existed, but the company behind it, Pan India Network, eventually filed bankruptcy because of tax-related issues. Online lottery is becoming a big thing in India, which might want state governments to look into it and eventually consider providing sales online. The current pandemic that the world continues to experience might affect the Indian government’s decision regarding online lotteries. It’s just a matter of time for the Indian government to offer tickets online.