| theLotter | |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Lottery ticket services |
| Hq Location City: | Birkirkara |
| Hq Location Country: | Malta |
TheLotter is a worldwide online lottery ticket purchasing service. TheLotter agents physically purchase official lottery tickets on their customers' behalf. The tickets are scanned and uploaded to the customer's account before the draw. TheLotter offers customers from all over the world an opportunity to play more than 50 of the most popular draws including the US Powerball, Mega Millions, EuroMillions, SuperEnalotto, EuroJackpot, and the Australian Powerball.
Founded in 2002, TheLotter is recognized as one of the pioneering lottery messenger services. It has facilitated over $100 million in prize distributions to more than 7 million winners worldwide, highlighting its significant role in the global lottery landscape.[1]
In December 2015, the story of an Iraqi man who won $6.4 million in the Oregon Megabucks lottery after purchasing his tickets at TheLotter was widely reported around the world. The win was controversial for a number of reasons. The Oregon Lottery launched an investigation into whether international lottery ticket sales were legal. Chuck Baumann, spokesman for the Oregon Lottery, said there were no restrictions on foreigners winning prizes in the lottery or buying tickets through an online agent.[2] According to Jack Roberts, director of the Oregon Lottery, the winner had done nothing wrong and most importantly, had all six winning numbers on his ticket.[3] The Oregon Lottery made an exception on the winner’s behalf in lieu of potential risks to his family in Iraq and allowed him to remain anonymous.[4]
In July 2017, Aura D. from Panama won a $30 million Florida Lotto jackpot after purchasing her ticket at TheLotter.[5]
TheLotter currently has licenses from national supervisory bodies for lotteries in Malta,[6] Sweden,[7] Australia and the Isle of Man. In addition, TheLotter launched their services in the US, at Texas,[8] Minnesota and Oregon.
TheLotter doesn’t sell tickets in a number of countries due to regulations. As of 2024 these countries are:[9]
Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Israel, Iran, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Switzerland, Syria, Türkiye, Venezuela, Yemen.
TheLotter is operated by Lotto Direct Limited, a company registered in Malta (registration number: C77583) having its registered office at Vision Exchange Building, Level 1, Triq it-Territorials, Zone 1, Central Business District, CBD 1070, Birkirkara.