Betfred Irish Lotto Game Explained

Among the global lotteries that Betfred allows people to gamble on is the Irish lottery, but how does this work, what odds are on offer and how much does it cost to play Betfred's Irish lotto?

Irish lotto Betfred explained
Written by Steven Hubbard
Verified by BettingLounge team
Last updated 31/10/2024
Table of Contents

Lottery Betting Explained

Lottery betting is growing in popularity at a rapid rate, with many of the top UK betting sites now offering this option alongside other products like bingo, poker and scratch cards.

Betfred is one of these bookmakers, with the betting brand having been handed the Lotto Operator of the Year prize by the respected industry website Compare the Lotto as a result of its successful and unique lottery games such as Betfred's 49s,  Nifty Fifty and Betfred's Spanish lottery game.

For those who are unfamiliar with lottery betting, it does not work in the same way as placing money on the actual lottery. Instead, punters bet on the outcome of the lottery with fixed odds set by the betting sites, aiming to get as many numbers as possible. Punters are not in the running for the jackpot, in other words, but the payout can still be decent.

What is Betfred's Irish Lottery Game?

The Irish Lottery has been around for more than 25 years, but it is only relatively recently that bookmakers like Betfred allowed their customers to bet on the draws on the Internet.

Held every Wednesday and Saturday, the Irish lottery has grown into one of the most popular to bet on with UK bookmakers such as Betfred. While the Irish lottery has a guaranteed minimum jackpot of £1.7 million, betting on the draws at a site such as Betfred means that odds and payouts for the wagers have been fixed.

Irish lotto Betfred

When playing Betfred's Irish lottery game, it is not quite as simple as selecting a set of numbers and hoping that they will come up when the draw is made. This is always at 8 pm on both Wednesday and Sunday and is broadcast live on television in Ireland on the RTE network.

Punters are actually betting on the outcome of the draw, rather than buying a ticket to the lottery. It might not sound like there is a big difference, but it is important to make the distinction. Playing Betfred's Irish lottery game does not mean that the Irish lotto jackpot is available to be won.

In Betfred's Irish lottery game, there are 47 numbers to pick from with six balls being drawn as well as an extra bonus ball - but how do you play it? Read on for more.

How To Play Betfred's Irish Lottery Game

In the Irish lotto, there is a minimum of two lines for each purchase, with tickets costing a couple of euros each, but this is not the case at Betfred.

One of the first things players have to decide is whether they want to use a six-ball draw or a seven-ball draw for Betfred's Irish lottery game. In the Irish lotto, six balls are drawn as well as an extra bonus ball, so there are seven in all.

Choosing between the six-ball or the seven-ball draw affects the odds and payouts in the game. Of course, playing the seven-ball draw provides more chances to win, but the impact of this is that the potential winnings on Betfred's Irish lottery game are cut compared to the six-ball draw.

There are numbers between 1 and 47 in play, so Betfred customers can pick any combination of these for their bet on the Irish lotto. Anyone who does not want to pick their numbers themselves can make the most of a Lucky Dip option which will do the job for them.

With a variety of bet types available, such as a Lucky 15 or a Lucky 31 bet, for example, players can pick up to eight numbers on each line.

Betfred offers the option to place the same bet on their chosen set of numbers for multiple draws and weeks at once but it is possible to play a single line on one draw if that is what a player wants to do in the game.

There is a further complication with the option to also play Lotto Plus 1 and 2 games for an extra fee, but most people will simply opt to play on the main draw of the Irish lotto. At least £0.05 must be staked on each line, while there is a minimum total stake of £0.50 for each bet.

There is also the option to try out special bets, such as gambling on whether the bonus ball will be odd or even. With a price of 66/1 available on all the balls in a draw being even, this could be a popular special bet for those who opt to try out the Betfred Irish lottery game.

Naturally, as with all betting, the more players put as the stake, the more that they can win. But what you can win on Betfred's Irish lottery game depends on the odds and the payouts that are up for grabs.

What You Can Win on Betfred's Irish Lottery Game

Odds and payouts are the same for Betfred's Irish lottery game as they are for all of the various global lotteries that are available on the site. This means those trying their luck on the Irish lotto for the first time, who have played other lottery games at Betfred, will likely be familiar with the odds.

Betfred has different odds and payouts on its lottery game depending on whether players have opted for the six-ball draw or the seven-ball draw. In most global lotteries, six balls come up as part of the standard draw, then there is a bonus ball to take the total number up to seven.

Check out the below table to see how much you could win on Betfred's Irish lottery game. All payouts have been calculated to a £1 stake size:

Numbers Selected 6 Ball Draw Win 7 Ball Draw Win
1 £6 £5
2 £60 £45
3 £700 £400
4 £8,500 £4,500
5 £150,000 £50,000

How To Find Results of Betfred's Irish Lottery Game

There are a few good ways to find Betfred's Irish lottery game results for those who have opted to have a bet on one of the two weekly days.

The latest Betfred Irish Lottery results are always published on the Irish Lotto Twitter feed. Additionally, the results can also be found on the Betfred website, or on the Irish Lotto website.

Those who play the Irish lottery game at Betfred could also find out the results simply by logging into their account and seeing if the balance has been updated with any winnings.

Betfred's Irish Lottery Game FAQs

Learning how to play the Irish lottery at Betfred is quick and easy, so even those who have no experience in playing lottery games at UK bookmakers can get up and running quickly. Players pick up to eight numbers and then decide which option they want to play on, either the six-ball draw or the seven-ball draw, which includes the drawing of the bonus ball. There are a lot of bet types to pick from and a minimum stake of £0.05 is in play for each line, while players have to stake at least £0.50 in total in order for the bet to be processed. Players can save their favourite numbers to make it easy to use them again and again, while bets on multiple draws for a number of weeks can also be placed at the same time as well.

There are 47 numbers in the Irish lotto, so this is how many numbers players have to pick from. It also means that the Irish lotto is considered a good value option for online lottery betting due to the fact a lot of the alternatives have more balls in the draw. With slightly fewer balls to play with, it means the chances of picking the winners is higher.

Betfred customers who are considering playing the Irish lotto on this UK bookmaker website need to know when the draws take place. Each Wednesday and Sunday, the lottery is held, with the draw always taking place at 8pm. This means that Betfred's Irish lottery game results will be available shortly after this time. However, the deadline for playing a draw in Betfred's Irish lottery game is 15 minutes before the draw actually takes place, so bets must be placed by 7.45pm at the latest on the day.

Irish lotto tickets cost a minimum of four euros as people have to buy two lines and they cost a couple of euros each, but this is not the case when betting on the draws online at Betfred. Instead, the minimum stake for each line that is placed is just £0.05, though players have to make sure their total bet is at least £0.50 for the bet to be processed by this bookmaker. A maximum win of £1 million is up for grabs in a single day on Betfred's Irish lotto game.

As you can see in the table above, you will win £700 if you get three numbers right after six numbers have been drawn, whereas that number decreases to £400 if a seventh ball - also known as the bonus ball - is drawn.

Steven Hubbard
Steven Hubbard
Last updated: 31/10/2024
[email protected]

Steven is an experienced iGaming content writer who has been working in the industry since 2018. He is passionate about sports betting and enjoys writing about all aspects of the industry, including bookmaker reviews, betting tips and strategies, and news and analysis. If you have any questions about online gambling in the UK, please don't hesitate to contact him.