Service Guide
This guide
The following information is provided for guidance only.
If you wish to play Draw-Based Games either Interactively or by Direct Debit, or to play Interactive Instant Win Games, the legal relations between ourselves and you are contained within the Interactive Account Terms and Conditions, the Rules for Draw-Based Games Played Interactively, the Rules and any Game Specific Rules for Interactive Instant Win Games, the Game Procedures applicable to the game that you choose to play and the Privacy Policy.
Site navigation
To make it easier to navigate your way around the website, we strongly recommend that you use the navigation buttons within the website which have been designed and tested. If you use the back/forward buttons in your browser, they may not take you to where you want to go.
When can I play?
The interactive system is normally available to:
- Play Interactive Instant Win Games - from 8am until 2am the following day.
- Play Draw-Based Games from 8am until the game closes for the draw. To find out full details of when the games are available to play, visit our Important Information page. You must have purchased your ticket by 7.30pm on the day of the relevant draw to take part.
- Set up a Direct Debit from 8am until the relevant game closes for the draw.
Our system is not available to players from 2am until 8am due to it being closed for maintenance purposes.
You must have successfully signed up under our registration process before you can participate in National Lottery games.
To play the try versions of our Interactive Instant Win Games you will need to register, but you will not need to enter your debit card details.
How do I sign up?
In order to successfully play online on the web, via your mobile phone, or to set up a Direct Debit, you have to provide us with certain pieces of information, so that we can authenticate your identity and entitlement to play.
Under our licence to operate The National Lottery we are obliged to take every effort to ensure that no under 16 year-olds can purchase tickets or claim prizes - it is for these reasons that we ask for this information and pass it on to others, such as an authentication agency. The information is only used to authenticate your identity online and will not be used for credit-checking purposes. If you agree, your information may be used by the Company and other selected business partners to provide you with marketing information that we believe will be of interest to you.
The minimum information that needs to be provided to successfully register is:
- Your full name, gender and residential address in the UK or the Isle of Man.
- Date of birth.
- Security details, such as your mother's maiden name, which will be used to identify you if you contact us.
- A current email address.
During the registration process we may provide you with an authentication code for the purposes of verifying information you have provided to us on registration (for example your mobile telephone number or email address). In order to complete registration, you may be required to provide this authentication code back to the Company.
You will be asked to choose a username and password when you register. If you forget your password, you can click the 'Forgot username or password' link at the top of the pages across the site. Players aged between 16-19 years will be asked to provide additional details for authentication.
If you wish to play Draw-Based Games by text using your mobile phone, you can visit the 'Play by Text' screens to add your mobile details.
If we are unable to authenticate your identity using the databases available to us, you will be given the option to register manually by returning the relevant forms and documentation to the Company.
To complete registration you will need to accept our Interactive Account Terms and Conditions. If you do not accept them, you will not be able to access the games.
If you wish to play Interactive Instant Win Games or Draw-Based Games Played Interactively, you must supply a valid debit card number and expiry date. If you wish to start playing by Direct Debit immediately, you will be asked to supply a valid debit card and expiry date. Debit cards linked to joint accounts may be used.
You do not need to enter your debit card details if you only want to play the try versions of the Interactive Instant Win Games. Remember, you are only allowed to open one National Lottery Account.
How secure is the service?
Once you have successfully registered with us, you will be able to transfer funds, using your debit card, from your bank account. We will take steps, in line with industry best practice, to ensure that all your personal and confidential information will remain secure.
You will know if you are in a secure part of the website by the small gold padlock that appears in the lower right-hand side of your browser.
When using your mobile phone to play the available games, you should ensure that your phone is kept secure at all times, to prevent someone playing fraudulently using your Account.
Management of Accounts
Any transfers you make will not incur any charges. However, there is a minimum transfer amount of £5, or such other amount as may be agreed with the Commission from time to time, and a standard maximum weekly limit of £350, that we will allow you to transfer into your National Lottery Account. Details are on the "add / remove funds" National Lottery website page. For Syndicate Managers, who run larger syndicates, there is the option to select a maximum weekly limit of £1,000.
Your balance may exceed £350 if you win prizes and credit them to your Account, but you will then be prevented from transferring additional funds from your bank account into your Account. For Syndicate Managers who have selected the maximum weekly limit of £1,000, their balance may exceed £1,000 if they win prizes and credit them to their Account. However, they will be prevented from transferring additional funds from their bank account into their Account.
A player will not receive or be entitled to interest on any unutilised funds or on any prizes. Interest on any balance held in your Account is added to the proceeds from the lottery given to the Good Causes.
If your debit card is due to expire, you will be notified when you sign in to your Account, so that you can update your debit card details. If you do not update your debit card details before your card expires, we will return your Account balance to your bank account.
If you lose your debit card, we suggest you first contact your own bank to cancel your debit card. When you have your new debit card details, amend your Account by going to 'My Account' and clicking on 'Add/Change debit card'. Please note that you may be prompted and required to contact the Interactive Contact Centre on 0845 278 8000 when adding/changing your debit card details. Please note that you can usually only change your debit card if you have a zero balance on your Account. If you have an outstanding balance, you will need to contact the Interactive Contact Centre on 0845 278 8000.
Personal settings
There are a number of ways that you can personalise your settings on the system via the 'My Account' screens including:
Self imposed limits on play
You may wish to manage your own play habits by imposing a limit so that your spending does not exceed a certain level when playing a particular Interactive Instant Win Game, or all Interactive Instant Win Games. To access this function, click on the 'Change Play Settings' link on the 'My Account' Page. If you lower your play limits these changes will take effect immediately.
If you subsequently choose to increase your play limits, the change will not be effective until the following operational day on the system.
There is, in any event, a standard maximum number of Interactive Instant Win Games you can play and this is set at 75 per day. There is also a maximum limit set for playing the try versions of the Interactive Instant Win Games and this is also set at 75 per day. For Syndicate Managers who have opted for the maximum weekly wallet limit of £1,000, they will have a maximum limit of 10 Interactive Instant Win Games that they can buy each day. However, they will still be able to play up to a maximum of 75 try versions of the Interactive Instant Win Games each day.
If you wish, you can also use the 'Change Play Settings' facility to limit the amount of money spent using your mobile phone, either as a daily or a weekly amount.
Game exclusion
Similar to imposing limits on your play, you can also choose to exclude yourself from playing a particular Interactive Instant Win Game, if you feel this is necessary. If you choose to do this then you will be unable to try or buy that particular Interactive Instant Win Game. You can choose to exclude yourself from all Interactive Instant Win Games. If you do this you will be unable to try or buy any Interactive Instant Win Games.
If you remove your exclusion from a particular game, the change will not be effective until the following operational day.
You can also exclude yourself from playing ALL games (including draw-based games such as Lotto). If you choose this option you will not be able to play any games for a minimum period of 6 months and will then need to call the Interactive Contact Centre to have this restriction removed.
You can permanently exclude yourself from playing ALL games (all Draw-Based Games and all Interactive Instant Win Games) by calling the Interactive Contact Centre. Once this takes effect, you will not be able to play any National Lottery games online again.
Account settings
You can change your Account settings, such as opting in or out of marketing emails, receiving free text alerts, and revealing instant win game outcomes automatically. To access these settings, click on the 'My Details' link on the 'My Account' Page. Any changes you make will be confirmed back to you.
The option to 'Reveal Instant Win Game Outcome Automatically' has been developed to assist players using sight-impaired Internet browsers. It allows them to purchase a game and bypass the Flash movie of the game, going directly to the outcome.
If you have previously registered via Sky Interactive TV, your username and password can also be used on the website. Please note, the facility to register via Sky is no longer available after 26th September 2009.
What if my computer crashes mid-way through playing an Interactive Instant Win Game?
If you lose your connection to the Internet, all you need to do is log on to the website again and you will be automatically returned to the game you were playing prior to losing your connection. The system will notify you if there is an un-played Interactive Instant Win Game waiting to be completed. You do not need to complete playing this game immediately, but our system will prevent you playing a new game until the old one is completed. In the event that you purchase an Interactive Instant Win Game but do not complete it, it may be played out automatically by the system at any time but no earlier than 7 days after purchase and no later than 60 days after purchase on behalf of the player. When an Interactive Instant Win Game closes, any games that you have purchased but not yet played will be played out automatically by the system.
An Interactive Instant Win Game is considered complete when its outcome status shows either £0.00 where no prize has been won or the prize amount where a prize has been won. The outcome status is displayed when the Player goes to the View Transactions area of the My Account section and selects the Play Number for the Interactive Instant Win Game.
What happens if my computer crashes mid-way through purchasing Draw-Based Games tickets?
If you lose your connection to the Internet and you had not selected the Buy option on the Confirm Tickets page, then your tickets will not have been purchased. If you had selected the BUY option before you lost your connection, you will need to access the View Transaction page in My Account to see if the ticket had been purchased and entered into the draw.
Our privacy policy
Our Privacy Policy describes the way in which information about you is collected and used.
The Company is committed to protecting your privacy and has a strict Privacy Policy. The Company will take steps to ensure that your personal information is stored securely. It will only be used for the purposes set out in the Privacy Policy, unless you agree otherwise.
In common with other web-based offerings, The National Lottery uses temporary in-memory 'cookies' to track usage of the website, enabling quicker access when you re-visit pages subsequently. If you wish, you can set your browser to bar 'cookies' but this will prevent you from operating our website effectively.
The full Privacy Policy and details of how we use 'cookies' can be viewed using the website navigation at the bottom of each screen.
How do the Interactive Instant Win Games work?
The outcome of each game (including the try version of the game) is predetermined at the point of purchase (or in the case of the try version when the 'try game' link has been selected), prior to your playing the game.
We use a random number generator to determine each win or lose outcome - the algorithms used in our software are an industry standard and have been independently checked and audited. The outcome of the game is determined by the prize payout probabilities of the game, in association with the randomiser. As with all other National Lottery games, Interactive Instant Win Games are games of chance; no skill is required to win.
How do I check if I've won?
With Interactive Instant Win Games the system will notify you on-screen whenever you win and the value of that win.
Having purchased a ticket in a Draw-Based Game, you will be notified following the draw, if your ticket has won a prize, when you next access the site. If you play using your mobile phone, we will send you a text message to advise you when you win.
The details of any win will also be shown on the 'My Instant Win Games - Games Played' and 'My Banking - View Transactions' areas within 'My Account' on the website.
How and where do I get my winnings?
For all Interactive prizes, other than Direct Debit:
- Prizes up to, and including, £500 will be automatically credited to your Account on our system.
- Upon login, you will be prompted to transfer any prizes over £500 and up to £5,000 to your debit card so that the monies can be credited to your bank account.
- For prizes of more than £5,000, you will need to contact the Interactive Contact Centre on 0845 278 8000 initially to validate your claim. They will then take you through the claim process.
- If you win a prize of more than £50,000 you will need to speak to the Interactive Contact Centre on 0845 278 8000 to validate your claim and we will arrange to process your prize claim in person.
- If you win a non-cash prize, you will need to contact the Interactive Contact Centre on 0845 278 8000 who will take you through the claim process.
For Direct Debit prizes:
- Prizes of less than £5,000 will normally be credited to the bank or building society account from which your Direct Debit is paid.
- For prizes of £5,000 up to and including £50,000 a cheque will be automatically posted to you.
- If you win a prize of more than £50,000 you will need to speak to the Interactive Contact Centre on 0845 278 8000 to validate your claim and we will arrange to process your prize claim in person.
All Prizes:
All prizes must be claimed by 11pm on the 180th day following the date of the relevant draw, or after the relevant Interactive Instant Win Game was purchased.
Any unclaimed prizes (up to £5,000) will be credited to your Account 60 days after purchase of the relevant Interactive Instant Win Game or 60 days following the relevant draw. Prizes of more than £5,000 will go to the Good Causes, if unclaimed (excluding play by Direct Debit).
It should be noted that when claiming a prize, a screen-print of a winning play will not be accepted as any proof of entitlement.
You will need to complete of a Prize Claim Form for any Interactive prize over £5,000, and any Direct Debit prize over £50,000. You may need to complete a Prize Claim Form for lower prizes. Prize Claim Forms are available from the Interactive Contact Centre.
Are my winnings tax free?
Normally winnings are not subject to tax.
Where does the money raised go?
Around 28% of National Lottery sales is expected to go to the Good Causes for the period up to March 2012.
The Good Causes contribution arising from the sale of Instant Win Games and Dream Number will go to the OLDF. The Good Causes contribution arising from the sale of all other games played online will go to the NLDF. The Good Causes that receive funding include: Arts; Sports; Heritage and the Big Lottery Fund. A central database of grants awarded by National Lottery distributors can be found on the DCMS website by clicking on the following link, www.lottery.culture.gov.uk. Searches can be made by region, date or project name.
What if I need more information?
If you need more information on any topic, please call 0845 278 8000. The Interactive Contact Centre is open between 8am and 11pm, 7 days a week, 364 days a year (excluding Christmas Day).
For information on playing by Direct Debit, and how to set one up, download our free Guide to Playing by Direct Debit.
Please play responsibly...
We are keen that you play The National Lottery responsibly. With this in mind, having consulted with a number of industry experts, we have developed the system in such a way that allows you to manage your own game-play habits by accessing the 'Change Play Settings' page on the website using the 'My Account' page once you have completed registration.
If you are concerned about playing too much, please call GamCare on 0845 600 0133.
Contact us
Call the Interactive Contact Centre on 0845 278 8000* or alternatively e-mail us at help@national-lottery.co.uk.
* Evening and weekend calls cost 6p plus up to 2p per minute from a BT Calling Plan. Mobile and other providers' charges may vary. This is information is correct as at October 2008.
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