How to Play Lotto India from South Africa

Lotto India is an Indian lottery that attracts a huge number of players from the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere around the world. One of the lottery’s main attractions is the fact that the tickets are inexpensive compared to European or American lottery games, but the jackpot prizes are still commendably massive since millions of players participate in each draw.

However, unlike the US Lotto India or Euro Millions of lotteries, Lotto India does not have a long-standing history. In fact, Lotto India is one of the newest lottery games anywhere in the world. The operating company was founded in 2014, but the first Lotto India game was launched in 2019. 

Until the introduction of Lotto India, the country was home to several lottery games which were operated by various state governments. Currently, there are 13 state lotteries which take place across India and these are off-line lottery games where players will have to purchase a physical ticket in order to participate in the draw and stand a chance to win. 

Private lottery games were banned in India back in the 1960s by the Indian Government as it came to light that many of these games were not fully transparent in their fairness or integrity. The state-run lotteries mentioned sprung up after the ban on private lottery games. 

Lotto India is the only Indian lottery which is offered to players from all states within India and to players based in other countries as well. What’s more? Lotto India is the first fully online lottery game from India. Lotto India’s headquarters is located in Mumbai, India. 

Is it Possible to Play Lotto India from South Africa? 

If you are based in South Africa and are interested in playing Lotto India lottery games but aren’t sure if you can play from South Africa, then you are in the right place. In this review, we will discuss all things Lotto India from the perspective of a player located in South Africa. 

We are going to touch upon how anyone based in South Africa can play Lotto India games, how the game works, the draws, odds offered and the different prize tiers available. We even look at some of the biggest wins that Lotto India has paid out to date. 

First things first, if you are based in South Africa and would like to play a Lotto India game, you should know that you are welcome to take part. Lotto India allows players from any part of the world to participate so long as they are of legal age to gamble in their jurisdiction. Therefore, if you live in South Africa and are 18 or over, you can play Lotto India. 

Since Lotto India is not an offline lottery game where you can visit a store and buy a ticket, you can play fully online from the comfort of your own home. So, how do you play Lotto India online? Read on to understand how it works. 

How Does it Work?

There are many popular lottery games from around the world that are available online. This includes the US Powerball, Lotto India, Mega Millions, Euro Millions, Italy SuperEnalotto, NZ Lotto, etc. These lottery games are offered by various third-party online lottery agents and lottery betting websites. A few examples of such websites are – The Lotter, Lotto Agent, Lotto Send and Jackpot.com 

These websites charge a commission to buy a lottery ticket on your behalf for a lottery game in some other country. Therefore, for instance, someone from South Africa can use such a website service to buy a ticket for the Italy SuperEnalotto by paying for the ticket plus a commission fee at the lotto agent website. This way, you do not actually have to be present in Italy in order to buy the ticket. An agent who is in Italy will buy the ticket on your behalf and will send you a scanned copy of the ticket.

When it comes to Lotto India, you don’t need to use such third-party lotto agents or lotto betting websites in order to buy tickets since Lotto India is a fully online lottery game that lets players from anywhere in the world buy tickets to their games. (Note: there are some restricted countries where players will not be able to get Lotto India tickets due to legal challenges in these jurisdictions).

So, in order to buy a Lotto India ticket, irrespective of whether you are in India, South Africa or anywhere else, you simply need to visit the official Lotto India website. The Lotto India website is available in English and Hindi. Players can register for an account and buy a ticket or multiple tickets to the next draw in a matter of minutes. The website is intuitive, user-friendly and pretty self-explanatory in terms of how it works. 

One of the advantages of playing Lotto India on its official website when compared to playing some other lottery on a third-party lottery agent website is that there is no extra commission fee. You only pay for your ticket/s. 

Game Details

The main game available is Lotto India, which is a chance-based lottery game that adopts the concept of a special ball drawn from a separate pool which was first introduced by the US Lotto India Lottery.

The draws for Lotto India take place twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. Draw results are available without any delay as soon as the draw is concluded.

The first-tier prize is the jackpot, which is a guaranteed minimum of 4 crore Indian rupees (approximately ZAR 7,571,036). There are other games offered, such as Bumper Draws, Lotto India Raffle and Instant Games. The draw is processed digitally and there is no physical ball from which numbered balls are drawn. All results are driven by a certified and independently tested random number generator algorithm to ensure the fairness of the game. There are a total of 12 prizes available, including the jackpot.

How to Play

If you’ve played any lottery game with a special number concept, then you will find the Lotto India game pretty straightforward. Playing Lotto India is simple and only takes a couple of minutes to pick your numbers, make a payment and participate in the next draw. 

You can play on the official Lotto India website from anywhere in the world (save for a few restricted countries) using a PC, smartphone or tablet device which is connected to the internet.

Firstly, you need to visit the official Lotto India website, which is https://lotto-india.com/. Once you are on this website, you can open an account by clicking on the ‘Register’ tab. You need to complete a three-part registration form by providing details such as first name, surname, email, password, address, and date of birth and by accepting the terms and conditions and the privacy policy of the website.  You are now ready to make a deposit (minimum deposit is INR200 = R40).

You can now pick your numbers. For each ticket that you buy, you will need to pick 6 main numbers from a range of 1 – 50 and 1 special number called the ‘joker ball’ from a range of 1 – 5. You can add up to 4 tickets to your cart at the same time and pay for them at once. Furthermore, you have the option to enter these tickets into the next upcoming draw or even the next 2,3,4 or 8 draws.

How to Buy a Ticket

When you go to the official Lotto India website and try to pick numbers and buy your ticket, you will be automatically redirected to in.lotteryworld.com, which is a Curacao-based online lottery website that Lotto India has tied up with.

On this website, you can find Lotto India as one of the lotteries offered. Click on the ‘Play’ button on the Lotto India thumbnail, and you will be able to sign up or log in to your account and buy your tickets.

To buy a ticket, you need to pick 6 main numbers and 1 special number. You can add up to 4 tickets into your cart at once and pay for them. Each ticket costs INR 40 = approx. ZAR 7.50.

You can enter your ticket/ tickets for the next draw or even up to the next 8 consecutive draws.

The website also gives you a discount if you subscribe to auto entries where you can save 20%. The subscribe option automatically enters your tickets to the next eight draws.

Once your tickets are in the cart, you can proceed to checkout and make an online payment through Visa, Mastercard, Bank Transfer or UPI wallets. Upon the successful completion of the payment, your tickets are confirmed and can be accessed anytime under My Account > Purchases.

Draw Dates

Lotto India draws happen twice a week, which means that punters can play two times a week in hopes of winning the elusive jackpot. The draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays at 6:00 pm (2:30 pm SA time).

Lotto India Odds

The odds of winning the jackpot prize of 4 crore Indian Rupees (ZAR 7,571,036) are the lowest, but there are 11 other smaller prizes with much better odds, as published in the table below. Your overall odds of winning any prize is 1 in 3 and overall odds of winning a free bet bonus is 1 in 5.

What Happens if You Win and How to Claim the Money

Since Lotto India is an entirely online lottery game, you will receive an email notification right away if you win any prize. The email address you provided during the sign-up process will be used as the communication email address. You can also check the results of the draws at anytime on the website manually.

If you win the jackpot, you will receive a telephone call on the phone number provided during the signup process. You will need to provide documents to verify your age and address. Once the document verification process is completed, the money will be wired directly to your bank account. You will receive the money in your account within 4 weeks after verification.

Other smaller prizes, such as the free bet or prizes below INR400 (ZAR 75) are credited directly to your Lotto India account.

Where Can I Buy Tickets From?

Lotto India tickets can only be purchased online. Apart from a few restricted countries, players from anywhere in the world can log on to the official Lotto India website to purchase tickets. The Lotto India website acts as the landing page and will redirect players to the in.lotteryworld.com website, where they can pick their numbers and purchase their tickets using secure online payment methods. Tickets are available until 5:50 pm IST (2:20 pm SA time) on the day of the draw.

Biggest Jackpots Won with Lotto India

The winners page on the official Lotto India website lists all the recent winners and even a list of testimonials from people who regularly play Lotto India. At the moment, a man named Mr Rao from Serampore in West Bengal is one the biggest winners of Lotto India after he matched 6 numbers but missed out on just the Joker Ball. He won INR80,000 (ZAR 15,113) recently on 4th May, 2021.

Why Play Lotto India

Lotto India is a recent lottery game launched in 2019, but it does offer some compelling reasons why you should play it. To begin with, this is an exclusively online lottery which can be played on the official Lotto India website by a player from anywhere in the world. Secondly, the tickets are some of the cheapest at just INR40 (ZAR 7.50) a pop. Also, Lotto India’s claim process is one of the smoothest, where they actually contact the big winners and assist them in the claim.