Online Lotteries: Definition, Types, Representatives in Ukraine

A discussion about gambling business legalization in Ukraine has been lasting for years, but lotteries have been always beyond debates because of several reasons. The first one is the strong political lottery lobby at the parliament level. The second one is the legislative ban on gambling business that does not refer the organization and holding of lotteries to games of chance.

The majority of lotteries are conducted in the online mode in the global practice. According the study by Juniper Research, online lottery market revenues will grow up to $76 billion by 2022.

The market is evolving, introducing new kinds of online lotteries. The article describes available drawings as well as their pros and cons.

Online lottery concept and its difference
from land-based analogues

A lottery is an organized gambling game where benefits and losses depend on the random choice or the number specified on a lottery ticket. Some funds deposited by players go to lottery organizers, while others are given to the state as taxes.

One of the main differences between online and offline lotteries is that the online environment allows users to play any games without leaving home, office, football stadium, or local pub. It is a serious competitive advantage within the modern pace of living.

There are national and private lotteries. Private enterprises frequently serve as third parties: users still buy tickets in official state lotteries, but they also can take part in a wider range of national and international games.

Types of online lotteries

The most popular types of online lotteries are instant, draw-based, and sports ones, as well as drawings and quizzes.

Instant online lotteries

The core distinct feature is time: players can find out the results is several seconds. Besides, players do not have to fill in number combinations or select figures. However, some players treat the absence of choosing numbers as a disadvantage. Winnings in instant lotteries are usually small, ranging from $1 to $50.

Draw-based lotteries

To participate in draw-based lotteries, players select figures independently based on their forecasts or intuition. Therefore, users are offered a huge variety of games: for example, 5 of 36, 6 of 45, 7 of 49. Such lotteries feature great prizes.

Online sports lotteries

Sports lotteries or sports betting mean bets on sports events in real time. The sports betting market embraces different sports: you can place bets on the outcomes of football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, and car racing.

Prize drawings, contests, and quizzes

Online drawings can be referred to lotteries due to the similar principle of winner determination. Different companies most typically organize lottery drawings to boost brand recognition and increase the amount of users.

Advantages of drawings include the high frequency of holding. Another significant aspect is the fact that users keep the purchased goods, which can be used after the contest ends.

At the same time, it can be a disadvantage: a product received as a gift can be useless. This kind of lotteries can be tendentious, because the winner is not defined randomly but according to the biggest amount of goods bought.

Ukraine’s leading lottery operators

Key online lottery market players in Ukraine are Super Loto, Keno by the Ukrainian National Lottery, and Loto-Zabava by M.S.L. LLC.

Ukrainian National Lottery

Ukrainian National Lottery (UNL) is a Ukrainian company specializing in national and online lottery services founded in 1997.

Since its establishment till 2001, UNL has carried out a lottery called National Lottery 6 of 39. In 2001, the Ukrainian National Lottery introduced two new games: Keno and Super Loto. The company was acquired by UK businessman Michael John Foggo in 2018. UNL has an international strategic partner – US-based IGT Corporation. It is the world’s lottery leader and a member of the World Lottery Association (WLA).

The company is a partner and a sponsor of the range of charity cultural and social projects. In 2017, it partnered with Tabletochki International Charity Fund, Kyiv Regional Blood Center, and Global Office NGO aimed at fostering integration of Ukraine into global community. Moreover, UNL supports children's homes in many Ukrainian cities.

M.S.L.

M.S.L. is a Ukrainian company developing and promoting Ukrainian state lotteries. It was founded in 1998 based on Molodsportloto government lottery operator.

The company provides such lotteries as Loto-Zabava, Sportliga, and Megalot. The enterprise has a license No. 446755 by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.

The lottery activity allows the company to back various social projects. In 2018, M.S.L. supported filmmakers along with Molodist Film Festival by initiating the contest ‘Youth Is a Win-Win Lottery’ in Shoot & Play format. Operator’s Megalot government lottery was a general partner and a sponsor of the First International Forum of Eastern and Central Europe – Via Carpatia.