Irish Lotto Launch Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 - How Does It Compare?

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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.

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The official Irish Lotto have launched a new lottery game called Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 - available in Ireland Only.

Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 isn’t actually a new Lottery draw, it’s a new way to play an existing draw. Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 is based on the results of the Irish Lotto main draw, Irish Lotto Plus 1 and Irish Lotto Plus 2 draws - these take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 7.55pm Dublin time. Obviously, one of the nice things about this is that you only need to check one set of Irish Lotto Results or watch one live draw (shown live on RTÉ - if you live in Ireland).

The game is very similar to the way bettors currently bet on the Irish Lotto at bookmakers (e.g. Betfred, Betfred) - rather than selecting six numbers you only select the number of balls you want to play. For example, you can pick and play just 3 numbers. In fact, you can play 1, 2, 3 4 or 5 numbers - hence the name.

Smaller Stakes, Smaller Wins, Better Odds

Each play is €1 - again, very similar to the way bookmakers target smaller stakes with smaller wins but much higher chance of winning than the main draw jackpot. It seems as though the Irish Lotto would like users to play Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 in addition to their usual main draw entry.

Confusing Probabilities

Something that confuses a lot of Lottery players/bettors is the difference between games where you select the number of balls you want to bet on and traditional lottery draws. For example:

Obviously, the prizes are massively different, however, it’s important to remember the odds are massively different too. In Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 you have to match all balls. Whereas in the Irish Lotto you only have to match three out of six balls. In other words, it’s much easier to get three balls on the Irish Lotto than Lotto 5-4-3-2-1.

How Does Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 Compare To Betting at Bookmakers?

The mechanics of Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 are remarkably similar to betting on the Irish Lotto at bookmakers, for example, you could Pick 1 Ball on Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 to win €6 or Bet €1 on 1 Ball at Betfred to Win €6 - which is better? Well, here at CompareTheLotto.com we love breaking these things down into easy-to-understand comparisons:

1. Excitement

Both methods give equal excitement to participating in the Lotto in our opinion. We believe betting on the lotto is ridiculously exciting, but you should always keep it fun. Please always bet or play responsibly.

Winner: Both

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2. Good Cause Contribution

This is an important difference – bookmakers don't have the good cause contribution like the lottery operator, allowing them to offer better winnings. Read our guide explaining why this is. If good cause contributions are important to you, pick the official lottery operator.

Winner: Lotto 5-4-3-2-1

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3. Bet Online & App

Both options offer the ability to bet online and through dedicated mobile apps.

Winner: Both

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4. Choose Your Stake

It costs €1 to play Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 but when betting with bookmakers, you can choose your stake. You can bet as little as 50 pence with Betfred making it an incredibly flexible option to suit all budgets.

Winner: Betting on Irish Lotto

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5. Players Outside Ireland

The Irish lottery website states that Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 players must be physically located in Ireland. However, the online bookmakers cater to many countries. For example, betting on the Irish Lotto is particularly popular from the UK and South Africa.

Winner: Betting on Irish Lotto

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6. Potential New Customer Offer

Some betting companies offer new customers attractive lotto welcome offers. A great example at the time of writing is Betfred, who are offering new customers *. There are no special offers for Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 that we can see.

Winner: Betting on Irish Lotto

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7. Best Payouts on up to 4 numbers

Below we have done a comparison on the winnings for 1-4 balls for Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 v Betting on Irish Lotto (Betfred) based on €1 ticket or €1 bet stake* It's also worth remembering that in addition to below payouts, when you bet and win you also get your original stake back. The comparison is clear as seen in the table below – you can get a whopping €25,000 extra or 20% more for 5 correct balls when betting compared to playing Lotto 5-4-3-2-1.

Winner: Betting on Irish Lotto

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So there you have it, both options offer positives and negatives and some users will prefer the official operator and some their usual bookmaker. Let us know in the comments what you think of the new Lotto 5-4-3-2-1 game.