You could live your whole life without ever winning any prize, let alone the lottery! Online lottery sites offer convenience and ease of playing from the comfort of your phone or computer.
Real lottery sites give you a real chance of winning. They act within the law in setting up clear payment structures which are made known to the lotto players. These are strictly followed when a player wins, however small the amount may be!
Be on the lookout for requests for payment and how they are made. This is the number one avenue for lottery scams. Before you play, check that the site is legal and trustworthy.
Pay to win – A good rule is to avoid pay-to-play lottery sites. Or just be ready to lose what you pay to play. Don’t fall for the lie that your chances of winning are greater if you pay. It is a made-up charge to get money from you. Lotteries do not gain from increasing anyone’s chances of winning!
Pay urgently or you’ll lose – you are asked to pay a fee urgently so that someone else does not win before you. The trick is to make you feel you’ll lose then pay now to secure the win. But lotteries operate on luck and chance. If you pay, you are not guaranteed to win.
Pay administration or processing fees – after winning, you are asked to pay a fee to “process” the transfer of funds to you. Say you win $10000 and it costs $100 to “process”. Why can’t they deduct the $100 and send you the rest? Because, it is your $100 that they are after!
Pay delays and failure to pay at all – there shouldn’t be any delay to pay what you have won. If you are asked to wait for a couple of days for whatever reason, just leave the site. Also, failure to pay any win is a red flag.
Request for personal details via email – the hook used to draw you is always that you have already won and need to reply by sending your bank account details or personal identification. Do not respond to such emails or you will be a victim of identity theft and bank your account will be swept clean!
Yes! Play lotteries that are registered and based in your own country.
This way, you can check the legal status and license of a lottery in your country through the authorities. And in case of a legal issue or any other complaint, you can report and follow up.
Say you play a USA based lottery while you are based in the Netherlands and have a complaint about the service. How will you follow it up? It will cost you time and money in calling expenses. Because travelling won't be an option if your winning is small. Best to stick to reliable local lotteries.
Country | Certified Lottery Site |
USA | |
UK | |
Canada | |
Netherlands | |
Spain | lottosphoto.com |
Germany |
lottostar-24.com |
Here are more tips to keep you safe in playing lotteries online.