Are Lottery Messenger Services Trusted and Legal?

Lottery messenger services are a safe and legal way to enjoy the fun of playing for huge jackpots in the most popular international draw games. Most lotteries will stipulate that tickets must be purchased within the country or jurisdiction in which the game is based, and there are a number of ways in which lottery messenger services comply with these rules to stay entirely legal whilst still offering you the chance to win one big prizes.

Lottery Courier Services

When playing through a lottery courier company, the tickets are bought by an agent within the country in which the draw takes place, so as to adhere to the rules of the game. They are purchased on your behalf, and you pay for the service rather than the ticket itself, which is entirely legal.

These companies are not subject to mandatory regulation like betting websites because they are just providing a ticket purchasing service. However, reputable firms like theLotter.com will always display details of the contract between the site and the player in their terms and conditions, as you would expect from any company offering a legitimate service online.

Using this method of entering lotteries, you can also be sure that you are helping to contribute to the prize pool and any good causes supported by the game in its jurisdiction thanks to the tickets bought on your behalf.

The Insurance Model

Lottery messenger services that insure themselves against your win rather than actually buying the physical ticket, such as EuroMillions.com, are also completely legitimate. The player is actually betting on the outcome of the lottery as opposed to actively participating in the draw through an agent, while the company takes out lottery insurance against a potential win.

These firms are classed as offering gaming services, therefore they require licences and must adhere to strict regulations in order to operate legally. Check for a company's licence details before signing up.

Regulation

Various other governments, such as those of the Isle of Man and Malta, also offer stringent regulation and firm guidelines for the industry to ensure that businesses are legitimately financed, closely monitored and safe and secure for players. Many operators of the insurance model have chosen to obtain licences in either location.

The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has been a trusted governing body for decades, having been among the first to bring in legislation to regulate gambling firms and provide online customers with statutory protection. Malta's Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) is another respected organisation as companies must demonstrate that they meet stringent requirements, including financial fitness and player protection, in order to qualify for a licence. Over 400 licences have so far been issued by the LGA, making it one of the world's leading authorities.

Like the Isle of Man and Malta, Gibraltar has a favourable tax system which has proved attractive, and its status as a white-listed jurisdiction tells players that a company regulated there is expected to adhere to a robust code of conduct. The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) has been in operation since 2005 and became an incorporated entity in 2013.

Syndicates

Many sites, like Syndicate.co.uk offer players the opportunity to join lottery syndicates, where they can join together with other site users to buy a number of tickets and share any resulting prizes. This gives you better odds of winning, thanks to an increased number of lines played on your behalf in a given draw.

In this instance, the lottery messenger service acts as the syndicate’s manager, bringing the players together, organising which numbers will be played and buying the tickets on the group’s behalf. Once again, this is completely legal, with official lottery operators across the world actively encouraging ticket holders to join forces and create lottery groups.

Online Security

Whichever method you use to play lotteries from around the world, you want to know that your payments, winnings and personal details are completely safe and secure. Legitimate lottery messenger services will always clearly outline their security policies so you can relax and enjoy playing the games on offer.

Examples of how lottery messenger services are striving to offer you peace of mind include TheLotter.com encrypting all pages under GeoTrust 128 SSL bit security to ensure that traffic between the player's browser and the website is entirely secure.