How Many Types of Lottery Games Are There?
The question is pretty straightforward, but how many types of lottery games actually are there? Lottery games have been around for centuries. Over the course of this period lottery games have evolved, changed, adapted to the needs of the players. Lottery providers put in a lot of effort to stand out from the competition by offering new and unique games.
This task is a lot more difficult than you can imagine. I tried to be the next “inventor”, but after an hour of deep thinking I quit. So let’s take a look at the current types of lottery games. There are a few features that make them unique like the frequency, the prizes and the game rules.
The Most Common Type of Lottery – The Lotto
The most common type of a lottery game is the lotto. The whole lottery idea started with this. Randomly drawn numbers form the winning combination. Usually there’s a machine that does the drawing, but in some cases in the past people actually picked the balls. Of course, they were blindfolded during this process. Today the regulations are rather harsh on the lottery providers since the control really is necessary. In order to win the first and most desired prize players must guess 6 numbers out of a number range which usually involves 40 to 55 numbers. The bigger the number range the bigger the prizes.
Usually there are 2 draws per week; however, there are some lottos with only one weekly draw. When somebody mentions the word “lottery” this is the game they are thinking about. To a person who doesn’t play the lotto this is as far as it goes. They identify the lotto as the one and only lottery game. Nevertheless, if they start digging deeper they are always surprised.
The Lottos with Higher Win Frequency – The Little Lottos
Due to the smaller number ranges and the shorter valid combinations the probability of winning is way higher than if you’d play a common lotto. However, you should expect little lottos not to be as generous as the common lottos in terms of the overall return. Nonetheless, they are more exciting as prizes come quite often.
The rule of thumb here is that the maximum numbers a player can select is usually 5 and the win conditions start with as little as 3 sometimes even 2 numbers. If you were to recommend the lottery games to a non-lottery player show them one of these. They’ll enjoy in them the most, as most likely they’re going to win with a ticket or two. Furthermore, there are more weekly picks. Some little lottos have up to 6 or even 7 weekly draws.
The cost of one ticket varies, depending on the lottery provider itself. Of course, those which cost more bring bigger prizes, but the excitement is still the same. After all, personally, I don’t play the lottery solely for the money. Sure, it always feels good when I win, but I’m also into lottery because of the adrenaline rush, the state of excitement. It gets me up in the morning.
Passionate Lottery Players’ Favorite – The Dailies
Now this category lies between the previous two. That’s the best short description I can give you. Lottery providers realized that one or two draws per week are simply not enough. They heard the wishes of their trusted players and eventually they became reality.
Some lottery providers have tailored special lottos with several draws per day. Their players can play the lottery the whole day. Enjoy in what they want the most. However, this type of lottery games requires more skill. Since there are so many draws on a weekly even daily basis, you’ll need an appropriately bigger budget. The most common types of dailies include Pick 3 and Pick 4 where players are required to pick a number between 000 and 999 and 0000 and 9999 respectively.
Intrastate Multimillion Jackpot Lotteries – Multistate Lotteries
The higher the jackpot the more attractive the lottery game is. Since some markets are simply not big enough to accumulate high revenues, certain states join forces to form and provide high rewarding lotteries. These fall in the category of lottos, but due to their distinctive features they deserve their own description. By far the most popular multistate lotteries can be found in the US and in the EU. If you have no idea what multistate lottery to pick, I recommend you Powerball and Mega Millions.
Instant Lottery Games- Scratch off Cards and Instant Lottery
Lo and behold, the fastest, the easiest to learn to play a type of lottery are definitely scratch cards. You can find them in every lottery outlet, usually placed by the counter. All you need to do is scratch off the fields and see if you’re the lucky winner. Now they’re all pretty much the same, but with different names and themes. Scratch-offs or scratch cards are commonly referred to as instant games or instant lottery.
All of these games are games of chance, but lottos and dailies do require some skill and preparation if you like to increase your odds of winning. On the other hand scratch cards, although rewarding they don’t ask for any previous experience or skill. The most you can do is to research a bit on the return to the player. The more cards you buy, the higher your chances of winning are.
