Here’s the Reason You Can’t Bet on Irish Lotto at Betfair (But Here’s Where You Can)

Note: *The following article is purely for fun. It is based on individual opinions and does not constitute advice. The drawing of lottery numbers is entirely random. Please always gamble responsibly. #Ad. Find out more on our How Our Site Works page.

Betfair has revolutionised the gambling industry since the company was launched shortly after the turn of the millennium.

Indeed, when it comes to sports betting, you’re unlikely to find better odds anywhere else.

Why?

Because Betfair isn’t your typical bookmaker, it is actually a betting exchange website.

What is a Betting Exchange?

Instead of traders setting odds that customers can choose to bet on (i.e. bookmaker v player), Betfair instead allows the customers to effectively offer their own odds and bet against other customers anonymously (i.e. player v player). This works by players on the site choosing whether they want to bet on an outcome or "lay" it (i.e. bet against it, with the risk of having to pay out if it wins).

Betfair was actually the first sports betting exchange market anywhere in the world and although many other websites have tried to replicate their success, Betfair remain the biggest betting exchange by some distance.

It’s pretty cool stuff. So why can’t you get Betfair Irish Lotto odds?

Why Doesn’t Betfair Irish Lotto Betting Exist?

Well, the simple reason why Betfair lotto games don’t exist is because lotteries are based on fixed odds betting markets. They don’t have variable odds like most sports markets. Therefore, there would be no value in players setting their own lottery odds.

With that said, Betfair has expanded into casino, bingo and poker markets in recent years, so it is possible that they could offer a separate “Betfair Lotto” product at some point in the future...

Where Can I Bet on Irish Lotto?

If you want to bet on the Irish Lotto from the UK, you can do so with fixed-odds Irish Lotto markets that are available at several large bookmakers.

Betting on the Irish Lotto is a little bit different from buying a ticket for a draw in Ireland. The main difference being that you aren’t actually entering the official draw, but instead you are betting on the outcome with a particular bookmaker, who will then pay out your winnings directly if your predictions are right.

By betting on Irish Lotto, you can also customise your bets much more. For example, at Betfred, you can actually choose on how many numbers you want to bet on. That means you can pick between one and five numbers, with different odds available depending on how many numbers you pick. So, for example, betting on just one particular number appearing would give you odds of 6/1* at Betfred, while betting on five exact numbers appearing will give you massive odds of 150,000/1*.

Another major difference is that you can also choose how much you want to bet on the Irish Lotto. So, you could choose to place a £0.10 stake, £1 stake or even a £10 stake. The great benefit of this is that it enables you to control how much you can potentially win!