Lotteries have been popular among people of different backgrounds, preferences, social statuses, and likings for a long time now. The lottery draw, names, forms, and details may vary between different countries, states, regions, or cities, and they have also significantly changed over time, but the core idea is always the same: all lotteries are about luck. This is probably what people love most about them: the thrill.
Whether you’re a beginner researching the topic, a player who is not entirely convinced about the safety of the lottery draws, or one who simply wants to learn something more about their favorite game, you have come to the right place.
The Lottery Draw History
If you are interested in the past numbers, you can easily check the lottery draw history on your chosen lottery websites.
However, note that your ticket may have already expired, so even if you find out that you have matched some numbers, you may not be eligible for a prize anymore.
The National Lottery allows you to see only the last 180 days of drawings because that’s how long their tickets are valid. You can see the draw details of a chosen day there, including the jackpot, ball numbers, bonus balls, prize breakdown, and more.
Other lotteries may enable you to see all the draw details, even years back, but as we have already mentioned, you may not be able to do anything with this information.
How Do Numbers Get Drawn and Why Is It Safe?
Lotteries are all about luck and randomness. The drawing system doesn’t use any patterns, so it is not possible to predict the next winning numbers.
The biggest advantage of most lotteries is that they still use the old-time machines instead of computerized systems that could easily be hacked.
The most popular lottery machine is the Gravity Pick Machine, which is widely used by some of the world’s biggest games, e.g., MegaMillions, Euromillions, the National Lottery of the UK, or Powerball. It’s all mechanical – the machine stirs the balls, and two paddles make sure that they are fairly mixed.
These traditional drawings are still transmitted in the television or online, so with so many viewers, it is even more difficult to potentially tamper with the mechanism.
Additionally, many different lotteries (e.g., the Ontario Lottery) have their lottery balls regularly tested to be absolutely sure that they are all of the same size and weight, which makes them equally likely to be drawn.
When Is the Lottery Draw?
The time and the form of the lottery draw depend on your chosen game and your location.
For example, if you live in the UK and have chosen to enter the Lotto game through the National Lottery, you can watch the drawing at 8pm on Wednesdays and 7.45pm on Saturdays (local time). You can also check the results via the National Lottery official app or on the official website.
Thunderball drawings usually take place half an hour before the Lotto drawings, plus on Fridays.
Generally, only the biggest lotteries in the world have their official drawings transmitted on the television or online; most smaller games will require you to check it yourself, whether on the web or at your retailer’s. The majority also offers an application that you can download on your device to comfortably manage your numbers, results, and potential winnings.
What to Do When You Win and Where to Collect Your Prize?
If you have entered any lottery, whether through the National Lottery or another, and you are the lucky winner, you have several options to get hold of your winnings.
When Can You Collect Your Prize?
In general, in the case of the National Lottery games, the exact timing doesn’t matter as long as you claim your prize within 180 days after the day of the draw (sometimes you may get additional 7 days).
However, there are some lotteries that set their own rules, so make sure to read them on their official website. For example, in the case of Instant Win Game, you need to claim your prize within 180 days after the day you have bought your game, while with Scratchcard, 180 days are counted from the closing moment of the game.
What’s interesting, the Irish National Lottery has set the deadline to 90 days since the day of the draw.
If you play Powerball, you will need to consult with your state’s, region’s, or another area of jurisdiction’s individual rules, as they may vary, especially that, in this case, the size of your prize may also affect the expiry date of your ticket. Normally, your ticket should have the information printed.
From something completely different, the Ontario Lottery allows you to claim prizes within 12 months since the day of the draw.
Where Can You Collect Your Prize?
With all lotteries, how and where you collect your winnings will depend on how much you have won, and how you have entered the game.
The National Lottery of the United Kingdom has one of the most complex processes of claiming the prizes. It’s different for online and in-store players. Then, if you have entered the game online, it will depend on whether you have paid by direct debit, Pingit, or another method. The ways to get your money also vary according to the won amount. For example, if you have played online and have won less than £500, it can be easily transferred to your National Lottery Account; in case of any bigger money, there will be a need for a confirmation of the third party and another way of transfer.
On the other hand, the Ontario Lottery allows you to claim your prize at your retailer’s if it’s $999.90 or less. If you have been lucky enough to win more, you will need to visit the Prize Centre.
Collecting Prizes during the Coronavirus Pandemic
However, there have been some changes introduced due to the COVID-19 outbreak. They concern not only in-person meetings but can also influence the response time of the lottery and lottery draw, as more and more people decide to claim their prizes by post.
Final Thoughts
While playing any kind of lottery may seem pretty straightforward, the rules surrounding the winning process are not so simple. So, as soon as you realize that you indeed have the golden ticket, make sure to do your research about your specific lottery, its deadlines, and requirements. If you feel like the amount of information is simply too much, you can contact the lottery’s customer service to have it all outlined. You don’t want to lose your prize because of bureaucracy, right?
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