BillionLotto.co.ug

BillionLotto.co.ug Review

Looking at lotteries internationally, how much does the amount of the jackpot get you to jump on the bandwagon. We were looking at Uganda’s Billion Lotto game this last week and one of the things that were weird is that there was nowhere on their home page that said what the actual jackpot is. Part of that makes sense as the jackpot is a percentage of the prize pool which is generated from ticket sales but you’d think they’d get a fix on a guesstimate. Let’s look deeper.

The Game at BillionLotto.co.ug

Billion Lotto is a lottery game played twice a week (Wednesday & Saturday) where players choose six numbers between 1 and 49. There isn’t any bonus ball. Ticket lines cost UGX 1,000 (that’s Ugandan shillings) which is about the equivalent of around 27 US cents. Players can play 1 to 924 tickets for each draw. Multiple draws are available up to 10. Oh – and you can play through your mobile telephone. There are four prize tiers and all tiers that do not win roll over into the jackpot for the next draw.

Billion Lotto and Winning

The most important thing to be aware of is that you have ninety (90) days to claim your winnings. If you’ve bought your winning ticket through ‘mobile money’ then payment will be made straight into your phone. Tickets purchased through retail stores up to UGX 200,000 can be claimed there. Anything over, UGX 750,000, contact their National Lottery office. The jackpot starts at 1 billion Ugandan Shillings, the equivalent of around USD 273,000. Okay, compared to some of the international mega jackpots this is not a lot, but for Ugandans, we’re talking serious money. Though many sites say there is tax taken, BillionLotto.co.ug says there is none.

Who Can Play at BillionLotto?

Who can play might be the billion-dollar question. There is no information on their site on who can play and more importantly for the internationals, who can’t play. We finally heard back from the Customer Service and this game can only be played in Uganda. They do say that to claim your winnings, you need to produce either your national ID card or passport. That sorta suggests that anyone can play, but you need to actually be in the country.

Ask Your Questions

Though the terms and conditions plus FAQ do answer a lot of questions, you still might want some info. BillionLotto.co.ug offers an internal toll-free number, email, and snail-mail address for customer service. They are open Monday to Sunday from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. Nice to see they don’t take a day off from answering questions. This is an official lottery run by the Ugandan government.

Bless a Child Foundation

Currently, Uganda’s Billion Lotto supports the “Bless a Child Foundation” though there isn’t any specific information on the ratio of how much of the ticket sales go to them. Bless a Child Foundation supports children with cancer with better treatment services. The nice idea thought it would have more credibility if they published the amount or percentage that went to the kids. There is a lovely picture on their site of a Ten Million Shillings check that was presented to them from Billion Lotto in December 2015. I guess every little bit does make a difference!

The Bottom Line at BillionLotto.co.ug

This definitely isn’t one of those mega lotteries like US Powerball or EuroMillions that is going to draw the attention of the world. At the same time for Ugandans, it would be a life-changing win to hit the jackpot. I do like it’s a 1 to 49 draw game without a bonus ball. This means pretty good odds compared to some of the other games around the world.

Pros:

Good Odds

Government Run Lottery

Twice a Week

Cons:

Average Jackpot

What is the Jackpot?

Tax

This looks like it is a cute little lottery that probably gets a lot of attention in Uganda but not around the rest of the world. It could get up there in a solid winning jackpot though it would be nice to know how much that actually is.