Oz Lotto Expert Review | Play Oz Lotto Online
Oz Lotto Overview and History
Tatts Group, an operator and the subsidiary of the Australian Gambling Commission, began Oz Lotto on February 26, 1994. Since then, the company has maintained and administered the game to all Australian states except for Western Australia wherein Tatts Group's counterpart Lotterywest conducts Oz Lotto.
Oz Lotto is just one of Australia's offered lotteries apart from the Monday & Wednesday and Saturday Lotto. In fact, Oz Lotto was similar to its Saturday counterpart until October 18, 2005, when Tatts Group changed the rules and added the seventh number. It paid the biggest winning amount of AUD $112 million in November 2012.
One reason the lottery is special to players is they have two chances of getting the seventh number correctly, which means all participants are actually playing eight digits. Only one from the two bonus numbers needs to be correct to complete the 6 + 1 winning combination.
Another is its "System" entry that allows players to choose up to 20 digits in a single line. The ticket will use all possible number combinations. Adding figures can make the entry more expensive.
Oz Lotto only permits players aged 18 years and above to buy entries and possibly win. All official tickets are sold in Australian kiosks only. If you're not in Australia, you can still join the lottery, though. To learn more about how you can do this, just scroll down to this post's dedicated section for that topic.
Official Oz Lotto Ticket Cost
Oz Lotto tickets cost AUD $1.31 for a line of eight numbers. Since the game only needs you to match seven digits to win the grand prize, the entry price is a total steal!
Oz Lotto Draw Schedule
Oz Lotto draws every Tuesday at the following hours:
New York, USA
04:30 Eastern Time
London, England
08:30 Greenwich Mean Time
Sydney, Australia
19:30 Australian Eastern Time
Berlin, Germany
09: 30 Central European Time
Vancouver, Canada
01:30 Pacific Time
Oz Lotto Prize Breakdown
Oz Lotto can pay as high as AUD $112 million (if not even higher) because it has no jackpot cap. Second-tier and other low-level amounts are a considerable windfall if weeks go by without any Division 1 winner.
Here is a sample breakdown of all winnings you could have in Oz Lotto:
- Match 7 + 0 = AUD 14,000,000 (Jackpot)
- Match 6 + 1 = AUD 105,011
- Match 6 + 0 = AUD 3,860
- Match 5 + 1 = AUD 382.11
- Match 5 + 0 = AUD 45
- Match 4 + 0 = AUD 24
- Match 3 + 1 = AUD 16.46
Odds of Winning
Winning a top-tier or Division-one prize by combining seven numbers is likely to happen 1 in 45,379,620 chances. While this might seem pretty daunting, the game's odds are better when compared to SuperEnalotto, which has 1 in 692 million (or 55 billion with its "SuperStar" option) chance to win and US Powerball with 1 in 292 million.
Here are all the odds you'll be facing in Oz Lotto:
- Match 7 + 0 = 1 in 45,379,620
- Match 6 + 1 = 1 in 3,241,401
- Match 6 + 0 = 1 in 180,078
- Match 5 + 1 = 1 in 29,602
- Match 5 + 0 = 1 in 3,430
- Match 4 + 0 = 1 in 154
- Match 3 + 1 = 1 in 87
Why Play Oz Lotto Online?
Even if you're not residing or traveling in Australia, there's no need for you to fly into the country to purchase an official ticket. All you need to do is go online and use a reliable Internet-based lottery ticketing or betting service.
Ticketing companies use an agent situated in Australia to purchase your ticket from an Oz Lotto kiosk. Such agents will secure your entries, claim all prizes as possible, and deposit them into your online account. They also scan your ticket, which they present as proof of purchase. They will provide your physical entry should you win any jackpot either by courier or through their Australian office if you intend to fly into the country to claim the ticket and the prize in person.
Betting services operate a game similar to Oz Lotto complete with ticket mechanics and rules. However, they have no relation with Tatts Group and the Australian Gambling Commission (unless they are regulated in Australia).
The tickets you purchase from these companies are valid only on their website. They pay the prizes through profits generated from selling their betting products and jackpots through a reputable insurer. If they are working with a well-known insurance company or a giant in the industry, you can rest assured that the betting service is trustworthy.
Lottery ticketing and betting online are cheaper because they have subscription services and welcome bonuses. The more dates you join Oz Lotto using your prospective company, the better deductions you get! As long as you are in a country that does not disallow online gambling and lotteries, you can use any service that offers entries to Oz Lotto.
How to Play Online
Most sites require you to sign up for an account on their website and deposit into your online balance for smoother purchases using their interface. Most accept payments from major credit cards, e-wallets, and instant payment services. Other methods may be available and listed in their site's FAQ section. The company you are using might offer a welcome match bonus, a 100% cash back on your first purchase, and other welcome bonuses.
Usually, you can find in the top menu of the site an option that links to the complete list of lotteries available, but you might also find all the site's offered games on the homepage. Click on Oz Lotto, and often the site will direct you to a virtual representation of the actual game ticket where you can click or type in your winning numbers. Before you check out, the ticket-buying page will often present an option to join multiple days, weeks, months, or even a year of Oz Lotto draws.
However, before you join any online service, make sure to review the following to avoid being scammed:
Recent Winners: A site that lists its winners or has a dedicated section that shows its past victors is likely to be a reliable service.
Customer Service: Inquire about anything using the company's Live Chat, Email, offline support ticket, or social networks. Gauge the quality of their answers, punctuality in responding, and your overall impression of the agent. A good response generally shows great experience, which can be taken as a sign of trustworthiness.
Gambling License: All lottery-ticketing services are registered businesses and upload a scanned copy of your physical ticket to prove they are legitimate. However, due to the pure digital nature of their facilities and being the game administrators themselves, betting operators are considered gambling companies and must be licensed in order to offer their games. Look for their permit number on their website or call their customer support to obtain this information. Generally, companies regulated in Australia, Curacao, Malta, and the UK are strongly reliable betting operators. These countries have the most stringent and active gambling regulators on the planet.
Online Reviews and Forums: Other users on the Internet might have a bone to pick with your service provider, and they usually voice their opinions in online lotto playing communities. Review and tips websites, such as this one, have a list of operators for real tickets or bets that you can consider reputable.
Can Canadians Join Oz Lotto?
Canadian laws do not restrict online gambling and lottery participation. Therefore, they can use any type of service to participate in Oz Lotto. Canadians are very lucky because they can win the biggest prizes and not pay a single cent in local taxes.
How to Buy Oz Lotto Tickets from Canada
Canadians only need a reliable Internet connection and a device to use the Internet, such as a smartphone or computer. Once they find a useful web service, they only need to sign up and deposit money to purchase entries. Once they have found the Oz Lotto in the list of games on the site, Canadian players can input their lucky numbers in the digital equivalents of actual tickets, consider a subscription not to miss any draws, and wait for Tuesday's draw!
Oz Lotto - Biggest Jackpot Winners
She Thought it Was a Prank: Even if you place your tickets in Oz Lotto hoping to become a millionaire after each Tuesday draw, you would probably think twice about believing a phone call telling you that you are set for life fiscally. However, in 2012, an elderly mother who remained anonymous said "are you serious?" several times to Tatts Group agents who phoned her and said she just won AUD $28 million that Wednesday morning in November. The woman was officially one of the four entries that won the appallingly high AUD $112 million jackpot at that time.
As an elderly mother, her pension now has the equivalent of ten corporate Chief Executive Officers', and she used her money to help her children, grandchildren, friends, and other family members.
The One-Ticket Syndicate: In December 2013, a group of women used their spare change to purchase a ticket for Oz Lotto during their lunch period. They came forward the following Wednesday after learning that they just won AUD $70 million, the highest jackpot a single entry ever won. No one would know where the winners spent their money because they refused media attention. However, the ladies have retired from their work, purchased a new property and a car, and journeyed to different continents all in the same month!
She Kept on Screaming: Female winners clearly dominate Oz Lotto. A woman from Brisbane won AUD $16.7 million along with two other tickets that split the total AUD $50 million jackpot in July 2017. She kept on screaming for several minutes when Tatts Group agents told her that she's a multi-millionaire. The first thing she did was tell her husband and share the winnings with their family.
Taxes
Australians and foreigners with entries to the Oz Lotto will not pay any taxes to the local revenue service in case of any victories. The Australian government does not consider lottery victories as income tax. However, jackpots are tremendous, corporate-level amounts. Bulging bank accounts will face higher interest fees and receive deductions depending on the financial institution managing the account.
Consult your local tax laws to know if foreign lottery winnings are considered as income to know the deductions you might receive if you win anything from Oz Lotto.
Lotteries Similar to Oz Lotto
EuroMillions: The premier transnational lottery of Europe can pay a handsome €190 million (AUD $284.26 million) to any winning entry, a far cry from Oz Lotto's AUD $112 million grand prize record. The two share similar mechanics, such as the two bonus digits known as "Lucky Stars" in EuroMillions and needing seven figures to win its Division 1 amount.
EuroJackpot: Technically the mirror image of EuroMillions for the remaining non-member countries of the lottery, it can potentially pay €90 million (AUD $135 million) to a lucky winner. It also has two bonus digits called "Euroballs" and requires seven numbers to take home the top-tier prize.
Conclusion
Oz Lotto might not pay out the biggest prizes, but it gives players better chances of winning with odds of 1 in 45 million to combine seven numbers. The game is even generous enough to provide two numbers for its seventh digit for just a AUD $1.31 ticket.
Oz Lotto's odds are small compared to those you will face in EuroMillions and US Powerball to win a top-tier prize, which is 1 in 252 million and 1 in 292 million respectively.
In a nutshell, if you are looking for a lottery that guarantees a fun time, gives you an adequate chance to win its jackpot, and is relatively cheaper than other lotteries, then Oz Lotto is definitely for you.