Lotto Glossary

Annuity V.S. Cash Prize

This applies to both USA Power Lotto and USA Mega Lotto. If you win the Division 1 prize in USA Power Lotto or USA Mega Lotto, you can choose between the annuity option or cash option for the payout.

The annuity option is paid out as 30 installments; one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5% bigger than the previous one.

The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum payment. If you choose to take the lump-sum cash option the Lottery Operator pays only the amount that it would invest in the 30 year annuity plan and that amount will be less than the jackpot that was advertised.

The advertised jackpot amount is the estimated pre-tax annuity amount.

Bonus Number or Supplementary Number

A bonus number or supplementary number is drawn after the main winning numbers. In most of the games, 1 or 2 bonus numbers or supplementary numbers are drawn immediately after the main winning numbers are drawn. These numbers are used to determine prizes in some of the divisions. If one or more of your selected numbers match the drawn bonus numbers or supplementary numbers, your chance of winning a prize increases.

Charity (The Lottery Office Charitable and Community Benefits Fund)

Upon receipt by The Lottery Office of each ticket purchase price, a percentage is paid to The Lottery Office Charitable and Community Benefits Fund. The objective of this charitable fund is to contribute to various charities and community groups in each state where we have purchasing players. See our charity page for more information.

Commission

The Lottery Office does not charge any commission fees on winnings.

Division

There are several levels of prizes in a lottery game. Each level is called a 'division.' The first division is the highest division. Check the 'How to Play' tab for each lottery to see how many numbers you have to match to win each division. Some overseas lotteries refer to divisions as 'Prize Categories'.

Eurojackpot

Eurojackpot is a European transnational lottery and was set up to rival its European Counterpart 'EuroMillions'. For every European Jackpot ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching Eurojackpot ticket.

EuroMillions

EuroMillions is a European transnational lottery. It holds the record of biggest jackpot in Europe. It runs Superdraws 2 - 3 times a year. For every European Millions ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching EuroMillions ticket.

Favourites

If you use the same set of numbers regularly, adding them to your 'favourites' allows you to add them to your cart in one easy click every time you play. To set up a 'favourite', simply click on the green heart icon once you finish selecting your numbers.

Game

A game is a set of numbers you play. Players can play one game at a time or multiple games at once. 1 game may also be referred to as 1 line or 1 play.

ID verification

To comply with the Australian Federal Government Anti-Money Laundering legislation and as part of our approved responsible gambling program we are required to undertake identity checks on all players within 45 days of them registering with The Lottery Office and/or before a player can withdraw any winnings.

We use a recognised and approved third-party ID verification provider for this service. Where manual verification of your identity is necessary, we require 1 Government issued form of identification. E.g. driver's license, passport, 18+ card.

Instant Win Prize

The Instant Win Prize is available with the Italian Super Jackpot. Each ticket is automatically assigned 4 numbers. If all 4 numbers match numbers you are playing in in any of the main games on that ticket(excluding SuperStar numbers), you receive an Instant Win prize of approx. $40 AUD.

Ireland’s ‘Lotto’

Ireland’s national lottery. Started by An Post in 1986 this lottery is drawn twice weekly and makes ordinary people millionaires. For every Irish Lotto ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching ticket in Irelands ‘Lotto’.

Jackpot

Lottery Jackpot refers to the top prize formed by accumulation of un-won prizes. It happens when there is no winner for the Division 1 prize and the prize is rolled over to the following draw. The Division 1 prize then increases and becomes a 'Jackpot.'

Joker

The ‘Joker’ is an optional game that can be played alongside Spain’s La Primitiva. Selecting this option will randomly assign a 7 digit number to you to be used in a raffle with seven fixed prize categories.

La Primitiva

La Primitiva is Spain’s national lottery. One of the world’s oldest lotteries it has remained hugely popular for over 200 years. For every La Primitiva ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching La Primitiva ticket in Spain.

Lottery Draw

Lottery Draw is the event where the winning numbers are selected from the pool(s) randomly by machines or people.

Lottery Scam

A lottery scam is a type of advance-fee fraud which begins with an unexpected email notification, phone call, or mailing explaining that "You have won!" a large sum of money in a lottery.

The Lottery Office is not a scam. We are licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Government of Australia. We do not ask you for an advanced fee when you win and a major function of our Government regulator is to ensure full payment of prize winnings.

Lotto betting

The Lottery Office does not offer bets on the outcome of overseas lottery draws. We purchase real tickets in real lotteries.

Lotto System

Lotto systems allow you to select more or less lottery numbers than you would normally be able to when playing a standard lottery game. This increases your chances of winning a prize compared to a standard game.

Main numbers & secondary numbers

Some lotteries have two sets of numbers. The main numbers are drawn first and the supplementary or bonus number/s are drawn second.

See also: Bonus number or Supplementary number.

Matched Lottery Office Ticket

When a player places an order with us, he/she is purchasing games in our own Government approved lotteries e.g. USA Power Lotto. After receiving an order, we then purchase a matching ticket in the overseas lottery e.g. US Powerball and issue the player with a Lottery Office ticket.

We refer to the overseas lottery ticket as the 'matched' ticket because it matches in all details the players Lottery Office ticket.

Mega Millions

MegaMillions is an American multi-state lottery game. It currently holds one of the biggest jackpot records in the world. For every USA Mega Lotto ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching Mega Millions ticket.

Multi-Draw

Rather than play once, you have the option to play the same set of numbers for multiple draws in a row. This allows you to "set and forget". Currently we offer pre-paid Multi-Draws.

Multiplier

When a player selects this option, all non-jackpot prizes will be multiplied by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times for the USA Power Lotto based on the multiplier number drawn and multiplied by 2, 3, 4, 5 times for the USA Mega Lotto.

Odds

Odds indicate how likely you are to win. For example, 1:50, or 1 in 50, means for every 50 entries, there is likely to be 1 winner of any prize. The lower the odds, the more likely you are to win.

Pool

Pool refers to the range of numbers that players can select from. E.g. choosing 6 numbers out of 45 numbers - the pool size is 45 balls ranging from 1-45.

Powerball

Powerball is an American multi-state lottery with a starting jackpot of over $50 Million. Draws take place three times a week. For every USA Power Lotto ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching Powerball ticket. The 'Powerball' lottery referred to on this website is the US version of Powerball, not the Australian version of Powerball which is run by Tabcorp.

The Lottery Office has no relationship or affiliation with Tabcorp.

Prize

Lottery Prize is the award or prize given. There are 2 kinds of prizes, fixed prize and pari-mutuel. Fixed prize means there is a designated amount for the prize. Pari-mutuel means the prize will vary depending on entry sales and number of winners.

Quick Play

Choosing Quick Play will randomly generate the chosen number of games and add them straight to the cart for a quick and easy purchase.

Real ticket

When you purchase one of our lotteries, we purchase a matching ticket in an overseas lottery. Once we have confirmed the purchase of the matching ticket, we then issue you with a Lottery Office ticket. By buying a matching ticket in the overseas lottery, The Lottery Office can guarantee all winnings will be paid out.

Reintegro Number

An additional number drawn in the Spain’s La Primitiva. Matching this number to the ball drawn from a second pool of 0-9 will win you a refund of approximately $1.62 AUD (€1).

Results

The numbers drawn from the overseas Lottery operator's draw. These will be displayed on the site.

Superdraw

From time to time, extra funds are added to the Division 1 prize to make the game even more exciting. The European Millions has a Superdraw a few times a year that usually has a first division in excess of $200 Million AUD.

SuperEnalotto

SuperEnalotto is Italy’s national lottery and with no jackpot or rollover caps it is well-known for its huge jackpots. For every Italian Super Jackpot ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching SuperEnalotto ticket in Italy.

Syndicates

When you enter into a syndicate, you buy a share, and all other syndicate players do the same. All the money is combined to purchase large quantities of lottery tickets, increasing your chances of winning. Please see the T & C’s for further explanation of TLO Syndicate Play.

Tattslotto (The Lott, thelott.com)

Tattslotto operating under Tatts Group Limited and also known as the Lott, is a licensed operator of lotteries in Australia. The Lottery Office has no relationship or affiliation with Tatts Group Limited or the Lott (thelott.com).

Tax (USA)

There are Federal and State US taxes payable on larger US lottery winnings and they will apply to winners in both the USA Power Lotto and the USA Mega Lotto. The Federal Tax rate due as a non-resident winner is 30% on payouts above $600 USD. The State tax rates can vary slightly as they are set locally. The state in which we purchase our matched US lottery tickets taxes 8% on winnings of $1500 USD and above. All US taxes will be deducted from the prize amounts before you receive them.

Tax (Australia)

Players do not need to pay tax on winnings within Australia.

Tax (New Zealand)

Winnings may be subject to New Zealand tax laws and players within New Zealand need to seek their own tax advice on winnings.

Tax (Italy)

There is a 20% tax applicable on winnings over €500. We pay you the exact same value as the prize we collect after the Italian tax is deducted.

Tax (Spain)

There is a 20% tax applicable on winnings over €40,000. We pay you the exact same value as the prize we collect after the Spanish tax is deducted.

UK’s ‘Lotto’

UK’s national lottery began in 1994 and is drawn twice weekly. For every UK Lotto ticket purchased on our site, we purchase a matching in the UK’s ’Lotto’.

Winning Numbers

Winning numbers are the numbers drawn in each lottery draw.