Operating License & SSL encryption

Being able to trust the lottery site operator is obviously important, not only because you’re handing over cash to a merchant that’s likely thousands of kilometers away, but also because you want to be sure winnings will be passed over should you be lucky enough to win.

Consequently, one should only play at licensed sites that use proper security measures.

Operating licenses issued by the likes of the MGA and UKGC carry more weight than, for example, a Curacao license. The main focus of these two regulators is player protection and all license requirements are set accordingly.

What’s more, they won’t hesitate to sanction non-compliant behavior. The Curacao government isn’t as strict and not all of its licensees operate in a fair and open way.

Trustworthy sites implement strong encryption which prevents malicious hackers from accessing sensitive information and cleaning up your bank account. They display security credentials and provide clickable logos of companies such as McAfee, Norton, or GoDaddy, allowing their clients to view pages that confirm the security certification.

A padlock in the URL bar is another way to check whether the connection to the server is encrypted and view related certificate information.

Multiple Tools & Options

In addition to easy-to-use, multilingual websites, the best online lotteries provide a range of helpful tools and options.

These may include Quick Pick function which allows players to randomly select numbers with a single click of a button, statistics with past results that may be used to predict winning numbers, email and/or SMS notifications sent to lucky winners, and so on.

Some sites also offer lottery syndicate options which enable their clients to buy multiple tickets for the price of one and thus increase their chances of winning.

Joining a syndicate eliminates the need to approach friends and family and try to convince them to join in.

It’s a great option but only if you’re happy to split the prize with other syndicate members.

Reasonable Fees

Online lottery sites provide a service and that service always comes at a cost. The charge may come in the form of handling fees or a cut of your winnings.

Some players may prefer service charges while others would rather pay a commission but they all want to see a good spread of payment options.

The best sites support everything from credit/debit cards and eWallets to popular cryptocurrencies.

The cost of playing online lottery differs from one place to another and it’s not always a straightforward comparison.

Some sell bundles (minimum of X ticket lines) while others quote a price for a single line.

It’s not uncommon to be charged twice the price of a ticket bought at a local retailer so it pays to shop around for the best deal.

Fast & Convenient Payouts

Winning a hefty prize changes our time perception; hours feel like days and days feel like weeks. Getting paid seems to take forever, especially when operators impose long pending periods.

Not all of them do, though, so you should look for lottery sites willing to release the cash as soon as regulatory conditions have been met.

However, you should know that online lottery wins aren’t necessarily paid the same way as money won by betting on sports or casino games.

Most sites will credit smaller amounts of up to a few thousand Euros to your account immediately but large jackpots may need to be claimed in person.

Perhaps you wouldn’t mind flying across the world to collect a 6 or a 7-figure win but not everyone is able to do it. The more convenient it is to get paid, the better.

Great Customer Support

The quality of customer support is important no matter if you’re a new player or a loyal customer. New clients are bound to have questions that the website itself doesn’t answer and may need help to get started.

Returning visitors might encounter an issue they can’t deal with alone.

When it’s time to get paid, you’ll definitely want to have someone to talk to, clarify what needs to be done in order to claim the winnings and receive the money as quickly as possible.

The best lottery sites train their representatives so that they’re able to answer all questions and make them available round the clock.

If a site offers few contact options, has limited operating hours, agents fail to answer phone calls or chat request and take forever to respond to emails, you might be dealing with a rogue operator that has no intention of paying what’s due. That’s when choosing to play at an unlicensed site proves to be a very bad idea as there’s no one to turn to for help.

Types Of Lotteries Offered + Sidegames

Kind of an obvious one, but worth it to be added anyway.

Ideally, you want all the big ones like Powerball, Eurojackpots, but having smaller ones that have better odds of winning like the Daily Grand and OZ Lotto is helpful.

Many lotto sites now also offer side games with tons of slot machines and even live casino tables being available.

US Powerball

Powerball lottery, which has been running since 1992, nowadays awards the biggest jackpots in the world.

Players need to pick 5 main numbers between 1 and 69 plus one additional (Powerball) number between 1 and 26.

Getting all of them right wins the jackpot which currently stands at $130 million. The ticket costs $2 and your odds of collecting the top reward are about 1 in 300 million.

Draws take place every Thursday and Sunday.

Players can pay $1 extra for the Power Play option which acts as a multiplier for all prizes except for the jackpot.

They can consequently get paid 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x the usual amount, though the latter is only applicable when the jackpot is less than $150 million and for wins of $50,000 or less.

Mega Millions

Mega Millions, operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association, is the second biggest jackpot lottery.

As much as $90 million can be won on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

In order to claim the jackpot, one has to pick the right 5 numbers between 1 and 70 and one extra (Mega Ball) number between 1 and 25.

Cost per line is also $2 and odds of winning the jackpot the same as with US Powerball.

Megaplier feature increases non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x but you’ll have to pay an additional $1 per play.

Eurojackpot

Eurojackpot is a European lottery launched in 2012 and operated by Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG.

It currently offers to pay up to €76 million for an investment of €1 per line.

Five main numbers are picked between 1 and 50 plus two more between 1 and 10. Matching all 7 wins the jackpot.

The top prize may be smaller than in US Powerball but odds are much better – 1 in about 95 million. There’s only one draw per week and it takes place on Fridays.

EuroMillions

EuroMillions, launched in 2004, is a lottery played across nine European countries.

There’s a minimum jackpot guarantee of €17 million which can roll over up to €200 million though it currently stands at “only” €65 million.

n order to collect this life-changing amount, the player has to invest €2.50 per line and match five numbers between 1 and 50 as well as two “lucky stars” between 1 and 12.

The odds of doing so are 1 in 140 million. Numbers are drawn every Tuesday and Friday.

SuperEnalotto

SuperEnalotto is an Italian lottery played since 1997.

Having paid €1 per line, players currently stand to win over €34 million. All they have to do is pick 6 numbers between 1 and 90.

The odds are a bit discouraging, though: 1 in over 600 million.

Drawings are held 3 times per week – Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. One can also select a SuperStar number at an additional cost of €0.50.

SuperStar is drawn from a separate machine which also holds numbers from 1 to 90.

If you match all six main numbers as well as the SuperStar, you’ll receive an additional €2 million on top of the jackpot.

El Gordo de la Primitiva

El Gordo de la Primitiva is a Spanish lottery launched in 1993.

One interesting fact is that as much as 70% of funds generated via ticket sales are put back into prizes, more than with most other national lotteries in the world.

The lottery costs €1.5 per line and currently offers a jackpot worth over €17 million with winning odds of 1 in about 30 million.

One has to select five main numbers between 1 and 54 as well as a key number between 0 and 9. Draws take place every Sunday.