*Contributed Article
The advent of the internet ushered in a new era in the development of the gambling industry, especially since the rise of smartphones. However, by no means did this signify the death of the bingo hall or the brick-and-mortar casino. Whilst all these changes were taking place, the lottery industry seemed to remain stagnant, until Lottoland stepped onto the scene.
PLAYING THE LOTTERY vs ONLINE LOTTO BETTING
Some people buy lottery tickets as an afterthought when they pop into the corner shop, others play frequently and are ready to stand in line to pick their ‘lucky numbers’. Either way, the process or purchasing a ticket, and the game itself, hasn’t changed much since the National Lottery was introduced to Ireland in 1986.
Although it’s now possible to play the official Irish Lotto online, Irish lotto enthusiasts are still limited to the few games offered by the National Lottery, which include EuroMillions, Daily Million and a number of instant win games, along with scratchcards.
On the other hand, Lottoland offers Irish punters a world of lottos at their fingertips by enabling them to place a bet on the outcome of an official lottery, this is the difference between ‘online lotto betting’ and ‘playing the lottery online’.
With Lottoland, you’re not playing the official lottery, as you would do if you logged onto the National Lottery’s official site.
The huge advantage of Lottoland is that Irish lotto enthusiasts are able to bet on the outcome of lotteries from around the world, including the Irish Lotto.
The process is the same as usual, you select 6 numbers from 47, if your numbers come up in the official draw, you’ll win the same amount as the official winner, but there’s much more to Lottoland than simply making a bet.
THE LOTTOLAND DIFFERENCE
Apart from the convenience of being able to bet on the lottery from pretty much anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection, there are other advantages to the Lottoland online lottery.
Earlier this year, the Irish Lotto reached a record jackpot of €19 million, which was won on 15th January by a ticket purchased in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, dubbed ‘luckiest town in Ireland’ after a serious of EuroMillions, and now Irish Lotto, record jackpots, being won in the town which has a population of just over 12,000 inhabitants.
If €19 million isn’t even to tempt you to try your lucky, how about €38 million for the same odds? Lottoland’s DoubleJackpot feature allows you to win double the amount of the official Irish Lottery jackpot!
The odds to win the Irish Lotto jackpot stand at 1 in 10,737,573. Whilst the odds are very much stacked in your favour, especially in comparison to betting on horses, the Irish Lotto odds are amongst the most favourable lottery odds in the world, especially in relation to the size of the jackpot.
For example, the Austrian Lotto offers jackpot odds of 1 in 8,145,060 but the minimum guaranteed jackpot is €1 million and the current record jackpot is €14.9. million. The Irish Lotto minimum jackpot is €2 million and the current jackpot is capped at €19 million following January’s record win.
Another popular European lottery is the French Lotto, which also offers a minimum guaranteed jackpot of €2 million, although at odds of 1 in 19,068,840. If we consider the biggest world record jackpots such as EuroMillions and US Powerball, the odds increase significantly. The EuroMillions jackpot odds are 1 in 139,838,160 and the Powerball odds are 292,201,338. The hardest lottery to win is the Italian SuperEnalotto with odds of 1 in 622,614,630. Therefore, in relation to other lotteries, the Irish Lotto is a great choice for the discerning lottery punter.
Another special feature which Irish punters can take advantage of with Lottoland is NumberShield, which allows you to block your ‘lucky numbers’ so that no one else can select them. This means that should your numbers come up, you won’t have to share your winnings with anyone else!
Aside from special features, Lottoland gives you the option to subscribe to the Irish Lottery for a period of up to 52 weeks. You can select which day, or days, you wish to place a bet and you can cancel your subscription at any time. Again, apart from the convenience factor, the further advantage of an online lottery subscription is that you you’ll never forget to enter the draw and subsequently, you won’t miss out on any big draws!
Speaking of big draws, Lottoland also gives you the option to participate in a draw when the jackpot reaches a certain amount up to €15 million.
When it comes to picking your numbers, Lottoland offers a feature called. ‘System Bets’ which allows you to pick up to up to 13 numbers on the same betslip instead of picking the standard 6!
Prior to January 2022’s record €19 million jackpot, the previous jackpot of €18.9 million had been won in June 2008, with the winners being a syndicate of 16 workers from the Dan Morrissey quarry and concrete plant in Bennekerry, Co. Carlow.
With Lottoland Ireland, you don’t need to worry about trying to gather a big group of friends together, or convincing any work colleagues, to form a lottery syndicate as Lottoland offer their own lotto syndicate betting system. The advantage of syndicates is that you’re able to be on hundreds of lines at a time!
The cost of a single line for the Irish Lotto with Lottoland is €2, the same as for the official lottery, however, the special features have an additional fee. DoubleJackpot costs double the price of a normal line, NumberShield costs just €1 whilst if you were to Select a ‘System 7 Bet’ (7 combinations ), this would set you back €7. The price of placing a syndicate bet depends on the amount of lines included and the number of shares you select, starting at €5 for 1 share of 200 combined lines.
WHO ARE LOTTOLAND?
Lottoland are an online lottery betting operator based in Gibraltar.
The company was founded in 2013 and has fast grown to be the world’s leading online lottery betting company, offering punters the chance to bet on a wide range of world lotteries, including mega US lotteries PowerBall and MegaMillions.
Futher to lottery betting, Lottoland also offers a wide range of instant win games, scratchcards (including a €20 million jackpot scratchcard – the biggest scratchcard jackpot in the world ), casino games (including live casino ) and sports betting.
Lottoland is regulated by the Irish National Excise Licence Office.
ROOM FOR TWO
Lottoland are challenging the National Lottery by offering a wider range of products to bet on, especially international lotteries with the biggest jackpots in the world, such as PowerBall and MegaMillions. Lottoland also gives punters a chance to consider which lotteries around the world have better odds. Furthermore, Lottoland offers exclusive special features which the National Lottery has no equivalent to.
This does not mean to say that Lottoland poses a direct threat to the National Lottery as Lottoland is simply offering bets on this lottery, not creating an alternative lottery for Ireland. People will carry on buying official tickets when they pop to the shops and can even buy them online on the National Lottery’s website. Lottoland needs the National Lottery to carry on functioning if they are to offer bets on the draw. In fact, by Lottoland being an international company which is available in various markets across the world, the chance to bet on the Irish Lottery is being put out to the world. No doubt some of Lottoland’s customers who bet on the Irish Lottery would be keen to pick up a ticket or two if ever they were to visit Ireland!
It's a misconception that Lottoland doesn’t give any money to charity. Lottoland supports the Irish Red Cross and the DSPCA through their Win-Win Charity Lotto.
However, the National Lottery is one of the cornerstones of charity in Ireland, having raised over €6 billion since its establishment in 1987 and supporting over 3,000 charitable causes across Ireland. It’s safe to say that the National Lottery is very much at the heart of Irish lottery culture and has great support due to the impact of its charitable work.
It seems that Ireland is big enough for both models to work and neither seems to be going anywhere anytime soon!
