We regret to inform you that lottery betting on the 49’s has been suspended. The operator behind the 49’s lotto announced the following today (23/03/20):

We are sorry but the 49’s products are suspended until further notice. We hope our staff and customers stay safe and we will be back as soon as it’s safe to operate - 49s.co.uk, 23/03/20

These are incredibly uncertain times, and firstly we’d like to say that we hope all visitors to our site stay safe and healthy.

At the time of writing (21/03/2020), this is the first day since UK retail bookmakers (including Betfred, Willian Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power) have had to close their doors.

Although Betfred are currently equal best odds on the Irish Lottery for 3 balls they’ve decided to up the ante once again - from March 9th until April 4th they are boosting their Irish Lotto 3 balls odds to either 750/1 or 800/1 depending on which day you bet.

Betting on 3 balls on the Irish Lotto is one of the most popular lotto bets given it’s large returns and long history on the high street bookmakers across the UK and Ireland. Currently, you can bet on the Irish Lotto at six different major UK and Irish bookmakers. All six bookmakers set their own odds, despite the probability of winning obviously being exactly the same. This means it can pay to keep track of the best bookmaker to use. This is where CompareTheLotto.com comes in.

We all know the theory behind lottery syndicates - you and a group of mates play the lottery together and agree to divide any winnings by the number of people in the syndicate - simple and effective. According to the UK National Lottery 1 in 6 lottery wins are through syndicates.

These days to save you the hassle of organising your own syndicate agreement and chasing your mates for money, companies in the UK such as Lotto Social and Wshful let you join syndicates online. These companies claim to offer you the chance to “increase your chances of winning” on lotteries such as the Euromillions, UK National Lottery and Irish Lotto...

The answer is Yes and No... don’t worry we’ll explain! No you can’t win the official US Powerball Lotto buying directly from the UK (unless someone or a company buys a ticket on your behalf in the USA) BUT YES you can win the equivalent directly from the UK online. (See Ways to Play)

The basics are exactly the same for UK and US citizens - you pay a small amount to win an exceptionally large amount. So, what is the difference? Let’s simply compare the options for someone who is based in the USA and someone who is based in the UK:

Love Irish Lotto... and football? Well Betfred have the perfect offer for you tonight (Wednesday 03/12/2019).

Liverpool are reigning supreme this season and if they continue their winning run tonight, they might not be the only winners.

Remember, remember what happens in November... the 49’s Lotto teatime draw shifts to the winter slot of 16:49.

First the bad news:

You have one hour less time to get your bets placed for the 49’s teatime draws each day.

Over five years ago CompareTheLotto.com was launched with our easy to use odds comparison tables - helping you get the best value for money by comparing all of the UK bookmakers in one easy format. We highlighted the best odds and the best offers...

The massive payout was the happy result of a number of successful bets on the 49’s lunchtime lotto draw on Tuesday 13th August.

The story of the winner has an international flavour as Kuala Lumpur-born winner Edwin Chiew, son of a Chinese father and Malaysian mother, set off for the UK a quarter of a century ago to work in a kitchen...

Picking lottery numbers can be tricky. Some people use birthdays, some have lucky numbers and some just use the lucky dip. But we’ve spoken to two lotto betting lovers who have their own special techniques they use... So, say hello to the Lotto ‘Guru’ and the Lotto ‘Geek’! Every week they’re going to help us pick out numbers on the Irish Lotto and see if they can find a winner...

Did you know that Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for the lottery industry - including the Irish and 49's Lotto?

But why is this? In the below article, we’ll explore exactly why so many people are betting on lottery during the festive period...

Guinness World Records have confirmed that the €90 million (£79 million) prize awarded by Lottoland to a lucky German player is the biggest largest online gambling pay-out in history.

Some believe this will see a surge of business for Lottoland with previously sceptical customers getting official reassurance on the Lottoland payout model...

A 56-year-old grandad from Hyde, Paul Walker, has won £150,000 from a £1 stake when betting on the Irish Lotto at Betfred - in the very same week he found out he was being made redundant.

But it wasn’t instant joy for Paul when the draw was made – as he forgot he had made the bet and didn’t discover it until four days later...

If you hadn't heard yet, we're sorry to the bearer of bad news... the price of the official Irish lottery is set to rise in September 2018.

We explore below whether Irish lotto lovers have any options to avoid the hike, through alternative companies like Bet365, Betfred & Lottoland.

This price jump will make it the second time that the Canadian owned operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), has increased prices since they took over in the Lotto privatisation in 2015...

Friday night... a 25 cent bet... 5 numbers... and the rest as they say is history! The lucky customer beat the bookie and the 33,000/1 odds to kick off their weekend in style.

We can reveal that the customer had selected 3, 16, 25 and 44 and was delighted to discover the results that these hot numbers had delivered a massive profit. The County Monaghan customer was one of a growing worldwide base discovering the huge excitement of Lottery betting.

BoyleSports (at time of writing) offer incredible EuroMillions betting odds. As we explained in our recent article, BoyleSports offered a 65% better payout than the UK EuroMillions Hotpicks official offering for 4 balls.

If you've been watching UK television, you've probably noticed that the marketing brains behind EuroMillions HotPicks have launched a massive campaign to promote this new game with the slogan 'Get more than you expected'.

Comparethelotto.com compares this new Hotpicks format with betting on the outcome using a bookmaker. Which fared better? Read on..

At ComparetheLotto we highly rate the Lotto betting experience at Bet365. Now we've got another reason to love them... we were now able to bet on the Irish Daily Millions lottery.

Even better, the odds/payout that were available at the time of writing this article (remember odds are subject to change) are absolutely fantastic.

Now you have the reassurance that if you miss out by just one number on a 4 ball bet on any lottery, Betfred will return your stake as a free bet up to £10!

We've all been there… the excitement as your chosen balls roll in… then the frustration when one lets you down. It probably feels like the Lotto betting equivalent of your team missing a penalty in the 90th minute for your team to win the Champions League!

This Lotto line insurance offer means that any-time you match 3 balls from your chosen 4, Betfred will credit your stake as a free bet to have another go.

We all know the lottery is simply down to statistics and probability, right? Well that is definitely true, but what is also a fact is that certain numbers appear to defy the statistical probabilities and be drawn more than others.

In a recent article in the Daily Mail, these numbers were referred to as the ‘luckiest' numbers. They quoted research conducted by Jackpot, analysing a year of more than 1,500 draws from 15 international lotteries including Irish Lotto, EuroMillions, UK Lotto and US Powerball....

You probably know that at Bet365, you can choose your favourite numbers and simply bet that they'll be selected in your preferred lotto draw. If you're not aware of this, take a look at our lotto betting guide.

Many people are unaware though, that Bet 365 also offer other ways to make every lotto draw even more exciting. These are called Lotto Special bets or markets.

For a limited time, Betfred are giving Lotto betting customers an additional perk above their world beating Lotto odds.

Each week, U.K. Customers can simply bet £1 or more on the specific Lottery and win holiday vouchers to whisk you off around the world.

As common now on the U.K. high street as Marks and Sparks or a Spar, Betfred has clearly risen ahead of its retail competitors (William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power) in at least one area... lottery betting.

The main reason... incredible odds and value for money, particularly for the Irish Lotto and more and more people are now using them online.

Lottoland are continuing to disrupt the lottery world by taking on the established industry. Their latest shake up involves the launch of their own online Lotto product; WorldMillions.

One of the reasons we love lotto betting at ComparetheLotto is the flexibility it offers. A great example of that is betting on the EuroMillions Lotto draw with BoyleSports Lotto. They take flexibility to the next level with minimum stakes starting a just 1p! We believe that really is a recession busting, lotto leveller. It allows everyone to get involved with the excitement of the lottery at a budget that suits them.

It is a hugely popular past time in the UK with more and more people enjoying a fixed odds lotto bet. However there are some rumours circulating that the UK government may be about to stop the fun. UK betting companies have already been stopped from taking bets on the National Lottery and EuroMillions draws...

Lottoland have been slapped on the wrist and had a radio ad banned by the ASA for implying customers were buying lottery tickets and not betting. The game changing lotto betting operator has become a massive growth success story and takes bets on lotteries around the world...

Results Time... unlike in school days, it’s the most eagerly anticipated time of the week. Excitement, hope and trepidation… could this finally be the week you tell your boss where to stick it when you scoop a life changing tax free wedge of cash?

Big, bold, brash and trying to take over from the establishment in a country... nope we're not talking about Donald Trump's presidential bid.

We're referring to the launch of Lottoland in Ireland, the home of one of the most popular lotteries; the Greek Lotto... Of course we mean the Irish Lotto, just checking you're paying attention...

Comparethelotto.com have created an infographic to help you with the tough decision - which lotto should I play? There's more than twenty international lotteries to play out there and they all have different positives - some have bigger jackpots, some have a higher chance of winning. With this easy to use infographic we help you choose the perfect lotto for you.

You can't get too much of a great thing... That seems to be the thinking from the good people at the Irish National Lottery and their recent decision to launch another Daily Millions draw.

Irish lotto lovers used to have to bide their time from Wednesday until Saturday for the next draw with the main Irish Lotto.

You love lotto betting, you want to get the best deal... but you're always unbelievably busy so you don't have time to spend trawling through the nitty gritty... Does that sound like you?

Whether it's changing stinky nappies, writing boring reports for work or keeping up to date with requests on your Tinder profile (lucky you)... there's just not enough hours in the day....

You've probably heard the saying - you can't get too much of a good thing. Well that is the main principle behind the 49's Lotto. It is a great option for people who love lotto betting but might not want to wait until Wednesday or Saturday for the Irish Lotto draw for example... or they might want a cheeky little lunchtime bet. Let's face it - I'd imagine there aren't many things sweeter than going on your lunch break at work having just won £150,000 from a £1 bet... Probably a fair excuse to upgrade your 6 inch to a foot long - and you'd better be buying for the whole office.

It's the 3 letter word that everyone seems to be constantly talking about these days... No - not that one, behave. It's the app word and at Compare the Lotto we want to tell you Lottery lovers about a Lotto betting app from Betfred Lotto that could change your life (well, sort of).

Firstly, just in case you didn't know (we had to look it up ourselves for the correct definition) - a mobile app is simply defined as a software application for use on smartphones and tablets.

Camelot - what is your game?

You may have switched on your television to watch the Saturday night UK Lotto draw and thought the ball drawing machine Lancelot or Merlin had malfunctioned. Where have these extra 10 balls come from, you might have asked?

Well following on from the Irish Lotto changes, Camelot have tried something similar to the UK Lotto with the biggest changes in its 21 year history.

We break it down to the Good, the Bad and the Amusing...

There is a new lottery operator in town running the Irish Lotto draw - their name is PLI (Premier Lotteries Ireland) and they've brought about some pretty big changes from September 3rd 2015. PLI are promoting these changes under the tagline of 'Bigger Better Draws'....

Paddy Power are the kings of social media marketing and viral stunts - however there is method to their madness and they mostly back up the nutty nonsense with a strong user experience and offering in Sports and E-Gaming.

They've grabbed headlines and caused havoc for a whole array of stunts:

• Oscar Time: money back if Oscar Pistorius walked
• Rainbow Laces: raising the issue of homophobia in football
• Celebrities wearing green Y-fronts

You don't have to buy a ticket for the lottery these days. Now you can also bet on the lottery, staking as little or as much as you want. You don't even have to pick six numbers.

Various online bookmakers, such as Betfred, bet365 and Paddy Power all offer a host of lottery markets on their websites. But why is it better to bet on the lottery, rather than buy a good old fashioned ticket? Well, here are four of the most popular reasons why many other people have torn up their tickets for the last time...

That money you spent having a bet on the Irish Lotto... hoping.
The lottery machine span. Balls fell. Your heart raced.
That moment has arrived. You never thought it would happen. But tonight it has.
That £1 investment.
That wise £1 investment.
You check your Irish Lottery results and your lucky number has come in.
BOOM! £6 profit (good job you found the best price)!
So what could you do with your £6 after correctly predicting one number on this week's lotto? Well... here are our top eight recommendations to make the most of your new found wealth.

What is Daily Million, Ireland’s other lottery?

Basically, it is, as its name suggests, a lottery draw that takes place every day, with a €1 million prize always up for grabs. It differs from the Irish Lotto though, as it offers fixed prizes, but not rollovers. A big perk of the Daily Million is that it costs a mere €1 to play.

Ever wondered why the Irish Lottery is so popular?

Well, mostly it's because it's better value than the UK Lotto, with two lines costing €3, and gives you a 42% higher chance of winning the main prize, which is always worth in excess of €2 million. You can also play the Irish Lotto from anywhere in the UK.

Basically, why wouldn't you play the Irish Lotto instead of the UK Lotto?

The lottery isn't what it used to be.

You used to pick your numbers, buy a ticket and then cross your fingers on a Saturday night… usually followed by ripping up your ticket and declaring it a waste of money.

But things have changed. There are so many more ways to play the lottery now – and to get much better value when doing so. The odds have never been better for players.

So, how do you know the best way to get better value? That's where CompareTheLotto.com comes in. We're an independent, unbiased website that enhances your lotto experience – and below are the five main reasons why....