MegaWin.com

Megawin Review

Worldwide lottery subscription service megawin.com claims they have now gone green based on the fact their cart and payment system not only saves you time but has eliminated the need for confirmation letters by mail. They say that their office use of copy paper and toner has been ‘cut’ by 80%. So where’s my actual ticket?

The Basics at Megawin

Part of the issue is Megawin claims to be the oldest out-of-state lotto ticket service that has been around since 1980. Based in Florida, they are actually owned by International Marketing Inc. Originally, they would take paper orders and send people their tickets by mail. They have moved into the modern era of online and email lottery ticket ordering launching their new site in May 2012 – or is it October 2012? Both dates are quoted on their site.

Megawin.com and How It Works

Players have a minimum amount of US $20 that they have to invest to play here. Most of the lottery draws require a combination that adds up to this. US Powerball requires a minimum investment of $30. So for US Powerball, a player does some sort of combination of tickets and draws ie ten ticket lines for one draw or one ticket line for ten draws. Of course, you can play more lines if you want.

Games at Megawin.com

Megawin.com offers players US Florida Lotto, New Fantasy 5 and Mega Money, Texas Lotto, California SuperLotto, New York Lotto, US Powerball and Mega Millions, plus German and Eurojackpot Lotto.

How Do I Get My Winnings?

Players who win under US $600 will have their winnings credited directly to your account. For winnings over US $600, IMI (aka Megawin) will forward your ‘validated winning ticket’ and an official lottery claim form to you. Players have to complete the claim form and submit both back to IMI. They say it takes four to six weeks to receive your check directly from the lottery commission less the applicable taxes. Okay, this does infer that they do not take any commission or fees for the processing, but they do not state this anywhere.

Megawin.com and Taxes

For the Florida state lotteries, that means they take both federal and state taxes. Ditto for Texas, New York, US Powerball & Mega Millions. California does not take state tax but does take federal tax. The German and Eurojackpot lotteries are tax-free.

Customer Service

Checking out Megawin’s FAQ, it’s a wonder these guys are still in business. They, themselves say, “We are still building-up our FAQ database.” Come on folks – you’ve been around since October 2012. This is really weak! They offer a telephone number, email address, online contact form, and snail-mail address for questions, but warn that it can take up to 24 hours for a response. I’m surprised they haven’t set up a live chat, but then again, given the lack of information on their FAQ maybe this is not so much a surprise.

Megawin Complaints

Someone out there figures that Megawin has credibility as their name has been used in the ole ‘processing fees’ scam. People have received checks and deposited them in their accounts forwarding one of their own checks to the company to cover the processing fees. Of course, the check bounces, and the people are out of the money they sent. Half the postings involve people who were scammed and half people who were smart enough to figure out the scam and report it to the police. Megawin, itself, doesn’t appear to have any complaints.

The Bottom Line

This does look like a fairly legit site. It’s fairly clean though missing a heap of information that most savvy players would expect to find. The whole concept that your jackpot win is processed by mail does seem a little strange to me though I guess they probably would notify of a mega jackpot and you’d claim it in person.

Pros:

Been Around Since 1980

No Fees or Commissions

No Complaints

Cons:

The limited FAQ and Terms & Conditions

4 to 6 weeks to get your winnings

Given that these guys have been in operation with their ‘new’ site since 2012, Megawin.com does look like a bunch of amateurs. There are a lot of great online lottery providers out there and I’ll stick with one of them.