Betfred Irish Lotto Game Explained

Betfred's Irish Lottery Game Guide

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?

For the answers to all of these questions and much more, check out our complete guide to Betfred's Irish lottery game - read on for all the details about this exciting betting option.

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 such company, 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.

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 via 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.

Lotto began in March 1988 and the highest jackpot that has ever been won on the lottery stands at €18.9 million, which was won by a lucky player in June 2008.

Premier Lotteries Ireland now operates the Irish lottery after the Irish government agreed to sell the licence for 20 years for €405 million, which helped to finance building a new hospital.

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.

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 8pm on both Wednesday and Sunday and is broadcast live on television in Ireland on the RTE network.

Players 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 our step-by-step guide.

How To Play Betfred's Irish Lottery Game

Learning how to play Betfred's Irish lottery game is simple, but those who are not used to betting on a lottery outcome at a UK bookmaker might be unsure about how to get started.

The process of how to play Betfred's Irish lottery game is designed to be familiar to those who have played the lottery before.

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 on in a 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, so let's take a look at those in the next part of our complete guide.

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 for those who have an account with this UK bookmaker.

This means players 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 way that the odds work.

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.

Payouts are better on the six-ball draw but the chances of winning are increased when players decide that they want to play on a seven-ball draw instead.

Starting with the six-ball draw, getting one number is paid out at odds of 6/1 and this is pushed up to 60/1 when players are fortunate enough to match two numbers on the lotto draw.

Three numbers have odds of 700/1, so this is where the big money starts to become available. On Betfred's Irish lottery game, four numbers on a six-ball draw are paid out odds of 8,500/1.

Players on Betfred's Irish lottery game will be hoping for five numbers, however, as this pays out at a very generous price of 150,000/1 - making the draw's payouts some of the best around.

Those who opt to play the seven-ball draw have a higher chance of matching numbers, so the payouts on Betfred's Irish lottery game are slightly reduced as a result of this.

A single number on Betfred's Irish lottery game is 5/1 on the seven-ball draw and this goes up to 45/1 when a pair of chosen numbers come up in the draw.

Those who can get three numbers matched get odds of 375/1 and the price for four numbers being matched on the seven-ball draw on the Irish lotto at Betfred is up to 4,500/1.

Anyone whose luck is in and gets five numbers on the seven-ball draw will be paid out their winnings at a price of 50,000/1, so there is definitely a lot of money up for grabs here.

The maximum amount of money that can be won on any lottery game in a single day at Betfred is £1 million and this includes when syndicates band together to play on multiple lines in a draw.

Keep in mind that Betfred has some special offers including a generous welcome bonus for its lotteries, including the Irish Lotto, which could tempt new users to sign up and play on the site.

How To Find Betfred's Irish Lottery Game Results

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.

Other sides such as Compare The Lotto also publish Irish lottery game results for their readers.

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.

Another good way to find out the Irish lottery game results could be to tune into the draws live.

They are televised twice-weekly at 8pm in Ireland and are available to be watched live via either satellite or through the alternative option of internet streaming.