‘Responsible gaming is at the heart of our business’

Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland, tells Times of Malta all about the world-leading online betting provider and why it’s different to other operators.

Who is Lottoland?

Lottoland is the world-leading online lotto betting provider that launched in 2013. As of today, Lottoland employs over 300 people, has over 12 million customers and is active in 15 markets across four continents. Our mission is to deliver innovative, superior and versatile jackpot products to our customers globally.

Lottoland’s innovative offering and its outstanding track record has been recognised by the leading institutions and received the following awards in a short time frame.

• 2019, 2018, 2017 − EGR Gaming Awards: Lottery Operator of the Year;

• 2019, 2018 EGR − B2B Gaming Awards: Lottery Supplier of the Year;

• 2019, 2018 − iGB Affiliate Awards: Lottery Affiliate Program of the Year;

• 2017, IGA Awards: Lottery Operator of the Year.

In addition to the above, Lottoland is also included in the Financial Times 1,000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies list, and was ranked number 18 in the EGR Power 50 in 2019.

What licences do you have?

Lottoland is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority, the government of Gibraltar, the UK Gambling Commission, the Republic of Ireland National Excise Licence Office, the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli in Italy, and the Northern Territory’s Racing Commission in Australia, and has more recently received licences from the Swedish Gambling Authority and the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board in South Africa. 

How does it work?

Lottoland’s USP is an established and proven risk management structure which allows it to offer any size of jackpot for any type of game. Lottoland is one of the few companies in the gaming sector to have established its own insurance company – Fortuna Insurance PCC Ltd, which is licensed by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in Gibraltar.

Ultimately, this means that each bet is insured. Lottoland pays all smaller wins directly from the sales, while the larger wins are covered by the insurance policies we have in place.

The insurance-based business model enables Lottoland to offer our players the ability to win huge jackpots, offered by official lottery operators, from all over the world.

Have you had any big winners?

One of our largest winners was Christina, a cleaner from Berlin, who scooped the EuroJackpot top prize of €90 million. This win was confirmed by the Guinness World Records as the largest online gambling pay-out. To date, Lottoland players have won more than €2.8 billion globally, with more than €310 million winnings stemming from lottery games alone.

At Lottoland we are in the business of making dreams come true, we are always thrilled to be able to completely change the lives of our players and pride ourselves on paying out even the biggest wins within record times. We look forward to making some new Maltese millionaires soon!

Lottoland employs over 300 people, has over 12 million customers and is active in 15 markets across four continents.

Why are you different?

Lottoland is currently the only truly international online lotto operator with a full range of lottery products, including lotto betting, sportsbook, casino, scratchcards and instant lotteries.

A cleaner scooped the EuroJackpot top prize of €90m

To date, we offer bets on over 30+ lotteries, including EuroMillions, Eurojackpot, US Powerball and US Megamillions. We have over 50 instant win titles and over 300 exciting games, featuring everything from classic card and table action such as Blackjack and roulette, world-renowned slots like Starburst, Book of the Dead and Gonzo’s Quest through to scratchcards with physical prizes.

We also recently launched our own sportsbook with our Malta-based Sportsbook partner ‒ Altenar. Our Sportsbook is live and taking bets across multiple territories now, with plans to further extend to many more.

Adding a sportsbook to our portfolio means that we can now provide a one-stop shop for lottery betting, gaming and sports for our customers – putting them at the heart of what we do.

We are consistently innovating and improving our offer to ensure our customers have not only got a great deal of choice but a great user experience in a safe and secure environment.

At Lottoland we also understand the importance of value – our customers want to know that they are getting more ‘bang for their buck’ by betting with us.

We almost always offer the most competitive pricing in the market – for example, here in Malta we have fixed the cost of EuroMillions at €3 – this is half the price of some of our competitors. On top of this – we run exclusive offers for new customers.

In Malta, customers can buy one to get two free – this is a low price to get started and we are seeing lots of interest from locals to use this offer to take part in the Official €130 Million EuroMillions Superdraw on Friday, September 25. It means new customers in Malta can make three different bets on a EuroMillions Superdraw event for only €3.

What do you do to ensure player protection? How are you a responsible operator?

Responsible gaming is at the heart of our business and we go beyond the rules and regulations that govern us.

We have the utmost respect for experienced regulators such as the MGA and are committed to reviewing and enhancing player protection to ensure we are all operating in the safest environments possible for our players – this includes stricter controls and an increased focus on affordability.

Why Malta?

Malta is an extremely important hub for iGaming and one that we are very excited to be part of.

Last year we secured two MGA online gaming licences, which allows us to serve both gaming operators and customers with our insurance technology and gaming products.

We respect and welcome the robust regulatory framework that the MGA has put in place and we are excited to be part of this booming market.

Disclaimer: Lottoland.mt is operated by European Lotto and Betting Limited and is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, licence number MGA/B2C/609/2018. Gambling can be harmful if not controlled. Please play responsibly. 18+ For help visit rgf.org.mt.