Across the globe, lotteries are a state-sanctioned form of gambling, and in most cases, all are either run or regulated by the government. Money raised often goes to good causes and public funds. Most countries now offer the option to play your numbers online – an improvement for those who are prone to losing small slips of paper! Here on FreeSpins-UK we learn you how.
Because of the national aspect of the lottery, they are only legally open to residents of the country from which they are run. A German national can’t suddenly decide that they fancy the jackpot on this week’s US lottery and buy a ticket online. However, a new concept in lottery sites has recently been devised, allowing players to do just that.
This is a clever idea by which players from any permitted country can place a bet on the outcome of a number of different lotteries from around the world. Players do this by choosing numbers, just as they would in the lottery they are betting on. Should the winning numbers be picked by a participant, the company taking the bets will match the jackpot.
Australia
In Australia, all the various lotteries are licensed and conducted by the government. Online lottery sales are also supported by the government. Oz Lotto is the name of the national lottery game, and has been in place since the year 1994. A person should get 3 winning numbers and a supplementary number out of the seven mandatory numbers that need to be selected, for the award of a minimum prize.
Brazil
The lottery of Brazil, known as Mega-Sena, is a bi-weekly event, where players can bet on 15 numbers out of the 60 numbers that will be drawn.
Canada
The lottery in this country is regulated by five organizations, and the lotteries that are offered vary between number-drawing lotteries, such as Lotto, and scratch and win cards, and betting on sports.
Mexico
The Mexican lottery goes by the name Lotería Nacional, and has been in operation since the 18th century, with its primary objective to create jobs for the people and redistribute wealth.
Spain
This boasts of one of the highest total prize money of any lottery. The maximum win, or the first category win that is possible, amounts to €720 million, and is known as the El Gordo.
Thailand
Though initially held to gather revenues for Britain’s war, the present lottery in Thailand is regulated by the government, and is a bi-monthly event, with the maximum winnings up to 32 million baht – over € 830,000.
USA
Two famous lotteries, Mega Millions and Power Ball, are conducted by almost all jurisdictions in the USA. The jackpots are among some of the biggest in the whole world.
UK
The lottery in the UK (in all its forms) is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and is conducted by the licensed operator, the Camelot Group. The revenue from lottery tickets sold is divided into various fragments. While 50% of the funds go to the prize fund, 28% is allotted for government-sponsored social causes.
Taking part in a lottery is probably the highest-odds way to gamble – that is, the chances of hitting the jackpot are one in several million. So why do people take part? One reason is the low ticket price. For mere cents, a future as a multi-millionaire is a possibility, and everyone can afford to take part.
There’s also minimal effort required, and not everyone is interested in spending time on learning a game strategy and whiling away hours playing it. Nobody who plays really expects to win, and yet everyone knows that it might just happen. Unless you’re already Bill Gates, lottery winnings are in amounts that would transform anyone’s life, so why not?
Although there’s really nothing that can lower the odds, there are some ways to play that can improve your experience. One thing that online lottery has brought us is the ability to automatically re-order a lottery ticket for each draw, so if you’re the kind of player who always picks the same numbers, this eliminates the anxiety of your numbers coming up on the one week that you couldn’t buy a ticket in person.
Some people prefer to choose lottery scratchcards, where the odds are a bit lower. And for those who agonise over the smallest decisions, let the auto-pick options decide the numbers for you.
