Indian Online Lotteries
When it comes to betting online, India may be a latecomer, but the industry is rapidly expanding. One of the more popular markets to spring up the Asian country of late indian online lotteries.
Of course, India has had state-run lotteries for decades, but these are coming under threat from the popularity of major, international lottery sites. When you understand what these domains can offer, it is not hard to see why.
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Lottery gambling falls into something of a grey zone in India (much like all forms of online gambling), so there is nothing to prevent you from competing in the biggest international lottery draws. How do you do this? What can they offer, and why might you want to play a global lotto? We have the answers, so read on indian online lotteries…
Play the World’s Top Lotteries from India
Of course, before you can play the world’s leading lotteries from India, you need to find somewhere to play. Below, you can find five of the absolute best Indian lottery websites. Each has its own perks and can make for the ideal place to get started.
Here is what we have to say about each:
The World’s Biggest Lottery Site
Lottoland was founded in 2013. This Gibraltar-based lottery ticket site is involved in some of the world’s biggest lotteries and has over 330 active games on the fly if you include casino titles.
Lottoland acts as a ticket bookmaker, allowing you to bet on the predicting outcomes of a lottery. You will still pocket the full prize, should you manage to land it. Indian players can head to Lottoland.asia, where an Indian rupee accepting, dedicated Indian betting site is available.
Indian Exclusive
LottoSmile is a fork of the popular lottery betting site, The Lotter. However, this site is dedicated to Indian players. In fact, it is an exclusive Indian domain.
There are over 45 international lottos for Indians to play, and you can join syndicates and purchase bundled tickets to boot. Moreover, the website is designed in a manner which makes it very mobile-friendly.
A Renowned Lottery Site
Lotto247 is another popular and renowned lottery site. Although the selection of lotteries available at this lottery site is smaller than some of their rivals, they do have a solid reputation. Lotto247 also offers scratch cards and has multiple promotions which Indian players can take advantage of. Quick Pick tickets are an option, but syndicate gameplay is not supported at Lotto247.
A Top Place to Play Lottos
Owned by Lotto247, this site was one of the first to debut, and provides limited access to just under 15 major lotto games. It allows Indians to purchase tickets, enter raffle draws, and get involved in promotions and bonuses. In many ways, Play Huge Lottos.com is a like-for-like version of Lott247. However, there is a 5% commission on some tickets, which is worth considering before you play there.
The Original Lottery Ticket Site
The Lotter is arguably the first and most famous lottery ticket site in the world. Unlike Lottoland, it does not require you to “bet” on a lottery. Instead, they send their agents out to acquire tickets to the lottery you wish to play. They will then scan your ticket, and if your numbers come up, you will win in much the same way as a player in that lotto’s country. Founded in 2002, it is the most experienced site of its kind, has paid out $100 million, participates in 50+ lottos, and has over 5 million worldwide users.
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How Do You Play Lotteries in India?
Playing online lotteries from India is legal, but the process behind getting yourself involved in the draws can vary, depending on where you sign up. For instance, there are two types of lottery betting sites.
These include:
Ticket Agents: The lottery site will send an agent to acquire a real ticket based on the numbers you have selected. They will then scan that ticket and upload it to your account as proof of payment and ownership.
Ticket Bookmakers: These sites will not actually buy a ticket for you. You can still pick your winning numbers, though. Instead, you are predicting what the outcome of the lottery will be. You will receive the same prize that winning tickets would have done in the real lottery.
To pay out prizes, lottery websites need to be expertly insured, and many of them are. Any Indian lottery site that is not insured should be avoided, as these insurance companies will cover the big win should you land it.
What about gameplay, though? How does it work?
Regardless of whether you opt to play in a site that offers agents or bookmaker options, the process is the same. You can select the draw you want to play and choose your numbers according to the rules of the lottery in question. Once you have purchased your lotto ticket, you will either win a prize (or not) based on the outcome of the most recent draw.
Are Lottery Games Legal in India?
Some international lottos have strict rules concerning who can purchase tickets and who cannot, and this will often dictate whether the site you play at offers a real ticket, or a bookmaker/betting style service. However, there are also laws in India to consider.
India’s laws regarding lotteries are certainly complicated because playing international lotteries online is neither legal nor illegal. It is, in effect, a grey zone. You see, each Indian state has control over its own lottery laws. Some permit lottery betting and others do not. On top of that, these laws are quite outdated, being written at a time before the internet.
India still upholds its 1957 law which bans national lotteries. However, since Kerala introduced their own state lotto, many other Indian states have followed suit. They must still base their local lottery laws according to the guidelines in the Lottery Regulations Act of 1998. However, for Indians in thirteen states, playing local lotteries is perfectly legal.
Indian states which have legal, licensed, local lottos include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, and West Bengal. However, it should be noted that you must buy a physical ticket in person (not online) for these games, and they can only be played by people resident in each state. Private lottos are not tolerated.
Notably, these laws do not apply to international lotteries. Because these games are based offshore (outside of India), they are not subject to the same rules and are treated in the same manner as internet sports betting and casino gaming. This means that it is neither illegal nor legal to bet on an international lotto. Nobody has ever been prosecuted for doing so, and some big winners have emerged of late.
What You Need to Know About Playing Indian online lotteries
There will always be scam sites out there, especially ones that have no intuition of paying out your winnings. On top of that, few lottery sites run in the same way.
Because of this, it is crucial that you get a good understanding of the things to look for in safe, reputable, and legal lottery games. We have put together a small guide in Indian online lotteries:
Secure and Legal
The first thing you need to do is make sure that you are playing at a safe, legal Indian lottery site. Those licensed out of Malta, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and even Curacao should fit the bill.
Excellent History
Any reputable lottery sites in India should have a proven history of winners. There have been a few major winners in the past, such as Sandeep Singh’s $30.5 million win on the Mega Millions, and the $246.55 million won by Nandlal Mangal on the Powerball lotto in 2018.
How Your Ticket Is Acquired
As mentioned, betting on international lottos can occur via several methods. If you want proof that you have got a ticket, make sure that you play at a ticket agent lottery site. Alternatively, you can bet on the overall outcome of a lotto at bookmaker lotto sites. Some of these sites also offer casino games, while others give you a chance to purchase bundles. Bundles are a mix of syndicate tickets and individual tickets. We will look closer at syndicates shortly.
The Payout Process
Ideally, you want to pocket your winnings in one lump sum, not in instalments. It is important to make sure that you know how your Indian lottery site pays out. A lottery site needs to be insured so that they can pay out your winnings. Some sites pay out in instalments, with others offer one-off prizes. Make sure that there are no hidden lotto fees on payouts, too.
Unexpected Taxes
Will you have to pay taxes on what you win? If you win in a lottery, you will be subject to Indian income tax. However, if you have a winning ticket, you could also end up taxed in the country where the ticket was bought. This plagues players of US lottos, for instance, as they tend to take quite a chunk out of your winnings. It is always worth figuring this information about before you buy a lottery ticket.
Fortunately, most of the reputable Indian lottery sites (such as those listed above), provide in-depth guides on the issues raised. They also have customer support teams who can help you understand the ins and out of betting, winning, and how each lotto works.
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Play the Five Biggest International Lotteries in India
The average lotto betting sites in India will carry at least 15, but possibly as many as 50 lottery games, not to mention casino games, scratch cards and raffle games. There are a lot of lottery options out there for Indians to choose from. However, some international lotteries are more appealing than others, and these typically tend to be the best-paying ones.
Below, you will find the five most popular international lottos that you can bet on Indian online lotteries:
US Powerball Lotto
The US Powerball Lotto is regarded as one of, if not the biggest paying lottery game. You will need to pick five numbers (1-69) and a Powerball (1-12). You are guaranteed to win at least $10 million if you get them all, but prizes have risen to an epic $1.58 billion in the past. This is regarded as one of the most challenging lotteries in the world to win, with many rollovers, and the top prize is often shared between multiple winners.
Mega Millions
The USA’s other major lotto is the Mega Millions. It requires you to pick five numbers (from 1-70), and a bonus ball (1-25). You will need to match the lot to win the top prize, as in any lotto. The prizes in Mega Millions closely resemble those found in the US Powerball lotto.
Euro Millions
The Euro Millions is Europe’s premier lottery game. It has paid out jackpots worth well up to €190 million in the past. You will need five numbers (1-50) and two Lucky Stars (1-12) to bag the top prize. This pan-European lotto is guaranteed to offer a prize of €17 million, but the lotto does pay out more frequently than the big American games.
Euro Jackpot
Most European countries which do not participate in the Euro Millions play the Euro Jackpot instead. Prizes start at €10 million but can reach up to €90 million. If they are not won by that figure, they trickle down to the next prize tiers. Again, you will need five numbers (1-50) and two bonus balls (1-12) to land a win.
SuperEnaLotto
The SuperEnaLotto is Italy’s premier lottery game and one which is hugely popular with players in India. It may have a small, guaranteed jackpot of €2 million, but it has risen to €209 million in the past. Six numbers (1-90) are needed to win the top prize in this petite but unique lottery game.
Opt for Local Indian Lotteries
If playing international lotteries online does not tick your boxes, you can always opt to play your local state lottery. We assume that you already have a good idea of what this is. It is not legal in India for players in one state to play the lottery games of another. However, the Lottery Sambad is sort of a special exception there.
Let us find out what it, as well as India’s most famous state lotto game has to offer.
Kerala State Lottery
The very first state lottery to appear in India, the Kerala State Lottery is also the richest in terms of prizes. You can snap up tickets to this lotto across the state in many outlets. The Kerala State Lottery is a major game because it pours lotto funds into state welfare programs. While the Kerala State Lottery lacks the epic prizes found in European and American lottos, it is still the best paying Indian lotto, and some of the proceeds are going to homegrown causes, rather than foreign works.
KLottery Sambad
By contrast, the Lottery Sambad is the only game which is played three times a day. Held at 11:55, 16:00, and 20.00, the game costs just 6 INR, and offers prizes worth up to 31 Lakhs. You can expect to play the Sambad lotto game in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Manipur, Kerala, Mizoram, Goa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Punjab, and West Bengal. It is as close to a national lottery as you are going to find in India.
Again, you must purchase tickets from outlets for these games, as India does not permit online lottery betting.
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How to Buy Lotto Tickets in Indian online lotteries
If you opt to play international lotteries online in India, you must have a payment method that works for internet payments. All the major Indian online lotteries accept Indian rupees as a currency.
In many cases, you can choose to deposit into an account (and keep money there, like an e-wallet), and use that balance to purchase tickets when you feel like it. However, you may also be able to buy tickets directly, using a credit card as a one-off purchase. Some sites prefer one method or another. It varies.
Let us give you a heads up, by looking at the primary payment methods available to Indian players at Indian online lotteries betting sites.
They include:
| Lottery Site | Lottery Site Payment Methods |
|---|---|
|
Lottoland |
VISA, MasterCard, RuPay, Skrill, Neteller |
|
Lotto247 |
MasterCard, VISA, Neteller, Skrill, Bank/Wire Transfer |
|
Play Huge Lottos.com |
VISA, MasterCard, Skrill, Neteller, Bank/Wire Transfer |
|
LottoSmile |
VISA, MasterCard, Skrill, Neteller, MuchBetter |
|
The Lotter |
VISA, MasterCard, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, Bank Transfer, Wire Transfer |
It is very much worth noting that if you win a sizable sum, you are going to need to withdraw your winnings via a wire transfer. This could see you incur additional costs.
Always ensure that you have both acceptable deposit and withdrawal methods before you decide to play at an Indian lottery site.
The Key Thing to Know About Indian Gambling Taxes
The last thing you want is to lose most of your winnings in tax. However, you are not going to be able to get away with winning tax-free in India. Even if you win a large sum on a tax-free lottery game, such as the Euro Millions, you will still have to pay tax in India. The Euro Millions is only tax-free if you win in a country where there is no gambling tax. That is not the case with Indian online lotteries.
The Indian Income Tax Act of 1961 ensures that any lottery winnings worth over ₹10,000 are subject to a 30% income tax. You can list these wins as “other sources of income” on your tax form, and they will not affect the tax rate on the rest of your income. However, winnings will still be taxed in Indian online lotteries.
The worst prospect for an Indian player is that you could end up taxed twice. Some lotteries, such as the Powerball and Mega Millions lotto, will also see you subject to paying Uncle Sam tax, just like an American. The reason for this is that the ticket was bought stateside. US gambling taxes are high. Moreover, if you opt to claim the payment in a lump sum (and not an annuity payment), you will not receive the full jackpot in Indian online lotteries.
Most lottery ticket sites will already take out any tax owed to the country in question. For instance, if you do win with a US lotto, your winnings will already be minus the US tax, once you decide how you wish to be paid. However, few Indian lotto sites will take out the 30% income tax from your winnings. It is not impossible that you may stumble across one which does, but you should certainly count on declaring and paying this gambling tax yourself.
Fortunately, most Indian online lotteries sites have crystal clear guides which tell you everything you need to know about how they pay out winnings in relation to taxes. They also have quality customer support teams who you can get in contact with for more information about this issue.
How to Get Started at Top Indian online lotteries
Once you have decided to join a lottery site in India, you will need to open an account. Here is a brief, step-by-step guide to playing lottery games and getting started:
- Pick Your Poison: First, choose one of our recommended Indian lottery sites. These are all safe and secure sites which are not illegal to play at Indian online lotteries.
- Review the Features: Check the lotto site for rules regarding taxes, winnings, how you acquire tickets and the games it offers. If you like what you see, you can proceed to the next step.
- Sign-Up as a New Member: Open the registration e-form, enter your details, and complete it. You will now have an account at the lottery site.
- Make a Deposit: You can either choose to top-up your account balance by depositing, or purchase tickets directly when you want to buy them. Check the schedule for upcoming lottery draws before you make this decision. Bear in mind that the ticket prices may be more expensive than those for players residing in a country where the lotto is usually held. This is to cover the cost of running the website.
- Play Your Favourite Lottos: Most sites provide in-depth guides on how each lottery works and how payouts are processed. Again, have a quick read of these before you play any lotto game.
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FAQs: Everything You Need to Know About Indian online lotteries
Before you start betting on lotteries from India, it is worth taking a quick look at our brief FAQ guide.
Below, you may find answers to any lingering questions that you might have:
Are Online Lotteries Legal to Play in India?
Yes. If a lottery takes place outside of India, if the website has servers based abroad, and if you are aged 18 or older, then playing online lotteries (international ones) is not against the law, as it falls into a grey zone.
Is There a National Indian Lottery I Can Play?
No. Outdated Indian gambling laws prevent there being such a thing as an Indian national lottery. However, the Lottery Sambad is about as close as you are going to get to a national lotto, and there are thirteen state-run lottery games you can play if you do not want to try international lottery games.
Which Lottery Games Have the Best Jackpots?
Either the US Powerball or Mega Millions jackpots are technically the biggest paying ones. However, they pay out far less frequently than the Euro Millions. Indian players tend to like all three. If you want regular hundred-million-euro jackpot prizes, opt for the Euro Millions. If you want to try and potentially win ten-figure sums, opt for the American ones.
Are Lottery Ticket Sites Safe to Play at?
Provided that they are licensed, regulated, are insured, and have an excellent track record, there is nothing dangerous about lottery ticket sites.
Do I Have to Declare My Lottery Win?
Yes. A handful of lottery sites may already take out any tax owed directly, but that is not likely to happen for Indian players. Make sure you declare the win and pay the necessary 30% tax on it.
Why Can I Trust Your Lottery Sites?
We only choose lottery ticket sites that are licensed, have a proven record for paying out players, and that we have explored in-depth ourselves. Our team has tried, tested, and researched the Indian lottery sites we promote, so we can safely say that they are trustworthy.
Can I Bet on Lotteries from My Mobile Phone or Tablet?
That depends on the site. Most lottery ticket sites are developed using HTML5, so they are mobile-friendly for players in India.
Can I Play Indian State Lottos Online?
No. India’s gambling and lottery laws prevent this. However, you can play state lottos by purchasing physical tickets from vendors across your region.
What Is a Bundle?
Bundles are combination packages. When you buy a bundle, you are essentially purchasing some individual tickets (Quick Picks with randomly chosen numbers, often), and syndicated tickets. There may be a reduction in cost for doing so.
How Do I Join a Lottery Syndicate?
A typical lottery syndicate is a group of people who pool their tickets together to improve their chances of success. As a result, if one person’s ticket wins, everybody in the syndicate wins. You can form syndicates with your friends at lottery betting sites or join existing syndicates that are open to all Indians.
Are Indian Lottery Bookmakers or Lottery Agents the Way to Go?
Personally, we would suggest the lottery agent as the better method of playing lottery games online in India. Bookmakers are guaranteed to pay out, too, but they rely heavily on insurance companies to back them up. On the other hand, lottery agent will pay you out in full, just as soon as they have received the winnings from the lottery in question. Moreover, they will scan and e-mail you your copy of the ticket they have acquired on your behalf. This gives you at least some proof of your win.
Play at the Best Indian Lottery Sites Today
We can strongly recommend any of the Indian online lotteries listed above.All can offer you access to some of the world’s top lottery games. On top of that, they are all legal and fully available to players in India.
Most accept Indian rupees, and a handful even have a few promotions and bonuses that you can use to cut down the tickets’ cost. If you want to win significant sums of money, you can play local Indian state lotteries.
However, if you want to win truly life-changing sums of cash, Indian online lotteries offering access to international lotteries are the way to go.
