Best UK Lottery Gambling Sites

Playing any lottery is simple: just select a string of numbers and then wait to see if some or all of your numbers come up in the draw, potentially unleashing a massive windfall. These days, thanks to the plethora of online lottery sites around, you can bet on a whole array of lucrative lotteries around the world, far beyond the UK Lotto and EuroMillions. Curious to know more? Check out our recommended lottery sites, compare their welcome bonuses, and sign up to play international lotteries.

How to Play Lottery at Gambling Sites

If you’ve never used online lottery gambling sites before, it’s natural to wonder how it all works. Let’s take a closer look at the two main ways to play at the top lottery gambling sites.

Lottery Agents

Some online lottery sites will act as your agent abroad, purchasing lottery tickets on your behalf and holding onto them for you until the draw takes place. By using these kinds of proxy ticket purchasers (also known as lottery agents), you’ll actually be playing those lotteries for real, with your winnings coming from the official lottery operator itself.

Lottery Betting Sites

With lottery betting sites, you won’t actually be purchasing official lottery tickets. Instead, you’ll bet on the outcome of the lottery in question. It works in exactly the same way as buying an official ticket – you’ll still select a string of numbers, and then wait to see if they match the ones that come up in the draw. The difference is, your winnings will be paid out by the betting site, rather than the lottery operator.

If you’re wondering how betting sites could possibly cover huge jackpot wins (think El Gordo or the US Powerball), you’ll be reassured to know these betting sites utilise an iron-clad insurance model. This means that while smaller winnings are paid out from the betting site’s own coffers, any gigantic jackpots are comfortably covered by their insurance company.

Regional, National and International Lotteries

When you’re deciding which online lottery site to join, you’ll probably want to consider how big their selection of lotteries is. After all, one of the best things about playing online is being able to easily try out different lotteries from around the world, whenever the mood takes you. The top sites will offer three main types of lotteries, geographically speaking.

Regional

Regional lotteries hail from specific parts of different countries. A prime example is the state-specific California SuperLotto Plus, which has drawings every Wednesday and Saturday.

National

There are numerous national lotteries to choose from, and one of the most famous is Italy’s SuperEnalotto. There are three weekly draws for this big money bonanza, taking place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

International

Some lotteries encompass multiple countries. Take, for example, Eurojackpot. It’s not quite as well known as EuroMillions, but it’s certainly a monster lottery in its own right, with participating countries including Croatia, Norway, Poland, and Spain. The draw is held every Friday in Helsinki, Finland.

Chances of Winning

It goes without saying that it’s no easy thing to win a top lottery jackpot. But this is exactly why the phrase ‘winning the lottery’ has such a unique, magical resonance. While the odds are stacked overwhelmingly against you, a lottery jackpot can be hugely transformative. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at the odds you’re up against with a few of the biggest lotteries available.

To bag the biggest jackpot with the California SuperLotto Plus, you’ll need to have five matching numbers along with the matching Mega number – the odds of that happening are 1 in 41,416,353.

With Italy’s SuperEnalotto, the top multi-million jackpot requires six matching numbers, and you’ll have a 1 in 622,614,630 chance of that happening.

The Eurojackpot’s main prize, meanwhile, requires matching five numbers along with two bonus numbers – the odds here are 1 in 95,344,200.

You needn’t let the numbers put you off, though. It’s important to bear in mind that there’s far more to play for than the top jackpots. With any lottery, you’ll have a much greater chance of winning lower-level prizes by matching fewer numbers – and these prizes can still be incredible amounts of money.

Available Bonuses

Anyone who’s ever placed bets at online bookmakers or casino sites will be familiar with welcome bonuses – those tempting gifts designed to attract the notice of potential new customers. The good news is that welcome bonuses are also available at many lottery sites. Here are some you might see when browsing our list of recommended operators.

Matched Deposit Bonuses

This is an enduringly popular sign-up incentive, and will see a certain percentage of your initial deposit matched by the site. A bonus offering ‘100% up to £100’, for example, will double your deposit up to a maximum of £100 in bonus cash. While matched deposit bonuses are often the most enticing, it’s important to remember that they’re almost always tied to wagering requirements, time limits, winnings caps, and game restrictions. Check the terms and conditions before settling on a decision, bonus-wise.

Free Bets

If you like the thought of playing the lottery for free, you’re in luck. Some of the top sites will let you do exactly that after you sign up. You might, for example, be offered ‘2 Bets for 1’ for a particular lottery, which means you’ll get an extra line on top of the one you purchase. Be sure to read the T&Cs, however, to make sure you understand the ins and outs of the bonus.

No Deposit Bonuses

While no deposit bonuses are a great way to get acquainted with a site’s features, games, and betting markets without having to deposit any of your own cash first. It’s important to bear in mind, however, that anything you win with a no deposit bonus will be subject to strict terms and conditions, including wagering requirements that must be fulfilled before you can make any withdrawals. In effect, you can get started for free, but to make the most of the bonus you’ll need to invest some of your own money a little later down the road.

Terms and Conditions

Remember to always check the terms and conditions before snapping up any welcome offers. Some sites may not let you use bonus funds on certain lotteries, for example. There may also be hefty wagering requirements, meaning you’ll have to bet a number of times before being able to draw out your winnings. Still, even if there strings attached, bonuses are a great way to try out new sites and see how you feel about them without risking your own funds.

Lotto on Mobile

Convenience is everything these days, and you certainly don’t have to fire up your laptop whenever you want to play any of the regional, national, or international lotteries offered online. Here at TopRatedCasinos, we look carefully at lottery agent sites and lottery betting sites to check they’re fully optimised for use on mobile devices – it’s one of the non-negotiable, baseline indicators of quality we expect.

Some sites even have native apps you can download, offering better, faster functionality and removing the need to open your web browser whenever you want to access the lottery site. Native gambling apps can also give you push notifications, meaning you’ll be kept in the loop whenever the site offers new bonuses and promos, or adds a new lottery game to its roster.

Ready to Play the Lottery?

If you’re keen to branch out and try some of the eclectic and highly lucrative lotteries out there, great! Simply browse our list of the best lottery agents and lottery betting sites available right now, weigh up the welcome bonuses available, and sign up!