Lottery Betting Sites

Modern lotteries generate billions for state projects and create dozens of new millionaires every week. In the UK, we have access to several major games, including the National Lottery and EuroMillions. But the world’s biggest (Mega Millions, Powerball) are often out of reach.

There is a way to play these games though…

What are Lottery Betting Sites? 

Lottery betting sites are licensed gaming sites that let you gamble on official lotteries. They are nowhere near as widespread as bingo sites or online casinos, but they seem to be growing in popularity, and there are a number of top sites out there.

How Do Lottery Betting Sites Work? 

Lottery betting sites work just like sportsbooks, but you’re betting on the outcome of lotteries and not sporting events. You can also think of them as online vendors—intermediates that let you play lotteries that would otherwise be out of reach.

Take the US Powerball lottery as an example. It’s the world’s biggest lottery, so it usually features prominently on all lottery betting sites.

These sites let you choose numbers just like you would on the official Powerball site. If you win, you’ll get the stated amount (including the jackpot).

There are a few caveats, though.

How Lottery Betting Sites Differ from Official Sites

Although lottery betting sites ask you to choose numbers on a virtual ticket and even let you keep these tickets in your account, you’re technically not buying tickets.

You’re placing bets, and there are very strict regulations regarding how these bets can be placed and advertised. These sites are licensed by betting regulators, so they are allowed to provide this service, and you’re covered by the regulator if anything happens.

The second major difference is the price.

Many UK lottery betting sites will charge you between £15 and £20 for 4 Powerball bets. However, if you buy an official ticket in the US, they’ll cost you just $2 each, so those 4 tickets equate to around £6.30 at the current exchange rate in early 2025.

This is not as much of an issue with non-UK lotteries like Powerball, as you can’t walk into a shop and pay $2/£2 for a ticket, but it’s more of an issue with EuroMillions.

You can play this European lottery through most lottery betting sites, but it’s just as easy to open an account with the lottery organiser (currently Allwyn, who acquired the rights in 2024). It’s also considerably cheaper, so it doesn’t make much sense to take the unofficial route.

Lottery betting sites also offer things you can’t find on the official lotto site, including a raft of promotions (such as no deposit free spin promotions) and licensed slot machines. It’s generally a much more gamified experience.

Is it Worth Betting on Lottery Tickets?

I have bet on a lot of lottery tickets over the years. I also have an account with The National Lottery. I use the former for those lotteries that are out of reach, including Mega Millions and Powerball, as well as El Gordo, also known as the Spanish Christmas Lottery.

But if I want to play EuroMillions, Lotto, Set for Life, and other UK games, I’ll stick with the official provider. It’s not that I distrust the lottery sites, as they are all legitimate, licensed operators. I just don’t see the point in paying more for what amounts to the same result. If I end up winning, I’d also rather have an actual ticket as opposed to a bet.

I suggest doing the same thing; buying tickets directly when you’re playing UK games and using lottery betting sites for the ones you can’t buy directly.

Is it Legal to Play Non-UK Lotteries? 

One of the misconceptions around these sites is that it’s somehow illegal for someone in the UK to play US lotteries. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The lottery organisers don’t really care where you’re from, as long as you can afford a ticket.

However, they do have rules regarding where those tickets can be sold, and there are no official vendors in the UK. If you’re on holiday in the US, you can buy a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket. If you win, you can collect your funds without issue. But of course, it’s not feasible to fly to the US every time you want to play the lottery or cash a ticket, and that’s where lottery betting sites come in.

You’ve probably dabbled in this industry yourself or know someone who has. For years, UK betting sites have offered lines on the Irish Lottery. Lottery betting sites are just an extension of that, using the same foundations but casting their net much further than the Emerald Isle.

Lottery Options on Lottery Betting Sites

Powerball, Mega Millions, EuroMillions, and the Irish Lottery are the most popular lotteries on lottery betting sites. It’s also common to see major national lotteries from Spain and Italy.

Make sure you know the rules before you play these games, as they can differ greatly from UK lotteries.

Take the Italian SuperEnalotto as an example. The tickets are some of the cheapest of any European lottery, but the odds are also the highest at 1 in 622.4 million. To put that into perspective, the UK Lotto is just over 45 million to 1, while EuroMillions is less than 140 million to 1.

And then you have lotteries like the aforementioned El Gordo. Technically, it has the biggest payouts per ticket of any global lottery, but the tickets are basically like raffle books, and players buy snippets and collect a percentage of the prize.

Summary: Play Lottery Betting Sites

I have listed the best lottery betting sites in this guide. Not only are these sites licensed in the United Kingdom, but I have also personally played and reviewed most of them, with other Bingo Paradise reviewers covering the rest.

Check out the links to read these reviews for yourself and learn about bonuses, games, payment options, and everything else you need to know before signing up.