The Lottery Office Questions & Answers

Hi Tracey, Thank you for your question. Please note that USA Mega site is an affiliate website and not the official Mega Millions lottery website. We are aware that they have used one of our tickets as an example of a "fake" lottery ticket. The Lottery Office have worked directly with the official lottery USA Mega Millions to ensure we comply with the rules and regulations of the overseas lottery.

The Lottery Office is an Australian-owned and operated company, fully licensed by the Northern Territory Government. When a customer purchases one of our government-licensed lotteries, we purchase a matching ticket in the corresponding overseas lottery draw using the same numbers.

If the matching overseas ticket wins, we collect the prize and pay our customer the exact same amount we received. We are not a courier service. Instead, we securely store a copy of the matching overseas ticket in the relevant jurisdiction to ensure compliance with local lottery regulations.

The Lottery Office ticket you receive entitles you—under government supervision—to the full prize amount collected by us. If you have any questions feel free to contact our local customer support at support@lotteryoffice.com.au we're always happy to answer your questions.

Hi Margaret! Thank you for your question. We are pleased that our local customer support team could assist you directly via our contact us options. We are not a scam and we are 100% Australian owned and operated and licensed by the Northern Territory Government.

Prizes up to $10,000 AUD will be promptly credited to your Lottery Office account upon draw confirmation. For winnings surpassing $10,000 AUD, we adhere to Anti-Money Laundering regulations, necessitating identity verification. Following this, your prize will be securely and conveniently transferred via electronic bank transfer.

If you wish to withdraw your winnings to your nominated bank account, you can easily initiate the process through your 'My Account' section. Alternatively, winnings will be automatically applied for future purchases. There is a minimum of $5.00 to withdraw funds.

We will always attempt to call you in the event of a large win, we recommend you keep your contact details up to date within your Lottery Office account.

Hi Margaret! Thank you for your question. We are pleased that our local customer support team could assist you directly via our contact us options. We are not a scam and we are 100% Australian owned and operated and licensed by the Northern Territory Government.

Prizes up to $10,000 AUD will be promptly credited to your Lottery Office account upon draw confirmation. For winnings surpassing $10,000 AUD, we adhere to Anti-Money Laundering regulations, necessitating identity verification. Following this, your prize will be securely and conveniently transferred via electronic bank transfer.

If you wish to withdraw your winnings to your nominated bank account, you can easily initiate the process through your 'My Account' section. Alternatively, winnings will be automatically applied for future purchases. There is a minimum of $5.00 to withdraw funds.

We will always attempt to call you in the event of a large win, we recommend you keep your contact details up to date within your Lottery Office account.

Hi blessedcosmeticsau! Our Government Licence is protection for all players. The Northern Territory Government Regulator has a live audit program to verify that we are buying and matching the tickets in Foreign Lotteries as required. It also verifies matching prize payments on tickets. Under our Licence Agreement, they have the power to complete the process of a payout, should it be required for any reason.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us anytime at support@lotteryoffice.com.au.

I disagree, I have had long conversations with them, especially regarding what USA state they purchase USA lottery tickets on behalf of Australians punters. Each USA state has a different tax rate on your winning hence you want to buy your ticket in the lowest one. Unfortunately other state laws restrict the ability to buy a ticket. Hence “The Lottery Office” isn’t able to buy in the lowest tax state.

I think they are just middle men, buying lottery tickets on our behalf at an inflated price compared to if you lived in that country be it USA, UK or Europe. That’s how they make their return.

So not a scam

Paul

Hi Tiger w. We are certainly not a scam. The Lottery Office is an Australian owned and operated company licensed by the Northern Territory Government. When a customer purchases one of our Government licensed lotteries, we then purchase a matching ticket in the relevant matching overseas lottery draw using those same numbers. If the matching ticket wins, we collect the prize and we pay our customer the exact same amount we collected. You can see how it works here: external link 

But you send matching ticket of own company ticket not usa originally purchased ticket

That is correct. When you place an order with us, you are purchasing games in our own Government approved lotteries e.g. USA Power Lotto. After receiving your order, we then purchase a matching ticket in the overseas lottery e.g. US Powerball. We own and play this ticket, collect any prize money and pay your matching ticket the exact value of the prize that we collect. Once we have safely secured the matching ticket, we issue you with a Lottery Office ticket. These tickets can be viewed under in the My Draws section under 'My Account' in the main menu. We refer to the overseas lottery ticket as the 'matched' ticket because it matches in all details to your Lottery Office ticket. Here is a link to How it works: external link 

Why don't you show customers an image of the actual ticket purchased overseas? The ticket you allow users to view cannot be used to claim the lottery prize in the country it was drawn. There is no evidence you.buy the marching ticket.

Some countries permit tickets to be taken out of the country in which they are purchased and some don't. This may include scanned images of the tickets. To ensure consistency and avoid breaking any rules we do not take any tickets out of a country where we buy them. You do get a real 'Lottery Office' ticket that entitles you to collect from us the exact same amount that we collect in winnings from the matched overseas lottery draw. In regard to USA lotteries. The US State Lottery from whom we purchase our matching tickets have allocated specific ticketing machines that only service our ticket orders. By this means that State Lottery know which tickets have been purchased by The Lottery Office. We store them safely and securely, but even in the unlikely event that any tickets were destroyed or stolen, we are the only ones who can collect any prizes on those tickets because the State Lottery know that we are the owners.

Our Government Licence is protection for all players. The Northern Territory Government Regulator has a live audit program to verify that we are buying and matching the tickets in Foreign Lotteries as required. It also verifies matching prize payments on tickets. Under our Licence Agreement, they have the power to complete the process of a payout, should it be required for any reason.

In answer to your Q tiger, I dont think the Lottery Office is a scam, just hugely misleading in its advertising, as you would only receive about 1/3rd of the advertised amount if you win the US lotto and want it paid as a lump sum. A fact they refuse to make clear upfront in their comms, preferring to bury it deep within their website.

It is the perfect vehicle for misleading advertising as no one ever wins and even if they did, who would complain about winning a huge amount, even if it was only 1/3rd of what they led you to believe you would win? But they know they will sell more tickets if they dangle $100M in front of you than $33M

Hi Ant We appreciate your feedback. In response to your concerns, The Lottery Office is not a scam and accurately advertises the correct jackpot amounts as they are announced for the respective international lotteries. It’s important to note that taxes and optional payout methods, such as a lump sum, affect the final amount received, which is standard practice for lotteries worldwide.

We do not intend to mislead; this information is available on our website, and we strive to ensure transparency in our communications. If you have any further questions, we’re happy to clarify.

If you dont intend to mislead and if it is important to note that taxes and optional payout methods such as a lump sum "affect" the final amount received, why do you not make the significance of this reduction clear up front with the same prominence with which you advertise the $1 Billion jackpots? Surely a reduction of this size qualifies as material to the claim you make?

In your very grey and very small Ts and Cs 5 pages down at the bottom of the landing page, you include reference to rounding! before you even mention taxes and lump sum, and even then, you use ambiguous terms like "lesser" amount in reference to the lump sum payout fee (50% reduction). And yes the significance of these 2 are on your website somewhere, but good luck to anyone trying to find them.

I would challenge you to send out a survey to a random set of people, ask them to go through the process of buying a ticket, and then ask them whether they are aware of the above.

Hi Ant, This information is available to all our customers in the game rules. Each lottery has a dedicated game rules page on our website. Additionally, we provide tax information in our FAQ section and through blog posts, ensuring it's accessible for everyone. We appreciate your suggestions and feedback.

And when you refer above to "optional payout methods, such as a lump sum", what are the other options? You have said that you purchase an annual payout amount for 30 years, so this is not an option, it's the product you have paid for. Therefore there is only one payout option, being as a lump sum (an option that comes at a cost of 50%). So what are the other options?

In my mind this choice of phrasing portrays a lump sum as something that would be a fringe consideration for most people as opposed to what most people would assume would be included in the product they have purchased. You see what I mean about misleading...?

Hi Wayne! Thank you for your question, Prizes of $10,000 Aud or less are automatically credited to the winner's Lottery Office account. For wins exceeding $10,000 Aud, the payment will be made through a bank transfer after the winner completes identification procedures to comply with anti-money laundering regulations. You do not have to prove hardship to claim a prize in its entirety. We pay our winners exactly the amount that we collect from the matching overseas ticket once identification procedures have been met.

Please do not hesitate to contact our local customer support team anytime, as we are not affiliated with Product Review. You can email us at support@lotteryoffice.com.au.

Thank you, The Lottery Office!

The Lottery Office is legitimate by verification from the NT Government of Australia Wayne Google search "The Lottery Office" on the NT government website

Yobbo. That is not the question...

Thank you Lottery Office. I believe I understand now. There was just a number of different responses that was confusing the issue for me.

No problem, please don't hesitate to contact our friendly, local, customer support team at support@lotteryoffice.com.au. We are happy to answer any questions you may have, 7 days a week.

@dtwmstewart, If you have any doubts about the Integrity of The Lottery Office, the best option for you is to immediately cancel your account.

No cut for them.

Your winnings are pass straight through.

I don't have any doubts. I was just seeking clarification.

Hi @dtwmstewart, thank you for getting in touch. We do not take any cut/commission from winnings. We pay our customer the exact same amount that we collect from the overseas lottery for any prize that is won. Please feel free to contact us any time with any further queries at support@lotteryoffice.com.au and thank you for supporting our Australian owned business.

Hi Pete Thank you for your question. The Lottery Office do not take a percentage of winnings from any prize. We collect the winnings from the matching ticket and pay the winner exactly the amount that is collected.

If you have any questions regarding a specific lottery or the rules of our lotteries, please contact us at support@lotteryoffice.com.au and we'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Thanks! The Lottery Office

Just wanted to clarify if u were playing for American mega millions and if you would win any large prize say 1 millions minus tax 50-70% Would the remaining win be in American conversion rate?? As it is now $1.49 to Australian dollar?? Regards Ryan

Hi Ryan When you purchase a ticket in one of our government licensed lotteries, such as The USA Mega Lotto, we then buy a matching ticket in the corresponding overseas lottery, e.g Mega Millions. We own and play this ticket, collect any prize money, and pay you the exact value of the prize we receive from the matching ticket. This amount is converted to AUD at the prevailing exchange rate. The USA jackpot prizes shown on our website and app are originally quoted as annuity amounts and have been converted to AUD. Please note that the displayed amounts may fluctuate slightly due to ongoing exchange rate adjustments.

Thanks The Lottery Office Support Team!

Hi Adrienne, We appreciate your feedback, and we would like to take this opportunity to provide clarification on your questions. The inclusion of a portion of the cost as a contribution to charity is a deliberate choice made by The Lottery Office as part of our commitment to social responsibility and giving back to the community. Portions contributed are deducted from our profits and are not fees that are additional to the customer. While it may not be a requirement imposed by our regulator or overseas lotteries, we have chosen to incorporate this element to support charitable causes in which we truly believe helps our community.

Our ticket price covers the cost of purchasing the matching ticket in the overseas draw, all our operating costs, a percentage to Australian charities and community groups and some profit. As we are 100% Australian owned and operated, the process of purchasing tickets from the overseas lotteries, storing those tickets securely within the country, claiming all winnings from those tickets and transferring those funds back to Australia is a very costly process, in addition to the significant costs we incur in Australia to operate safely under a Government licence. Our prices are as low as we can afford them to be given the significant costs we incur throughout the entire process and are within industry standard for comparable services. Regarding your comparison with purchasing shampoo or other lottery services from a local newsagent, it's important to note that different products and services have varying pricing structures and associated costs.

In regard to our address, we are an online business, which means we primarily operate through our digital platform. We also have measures in place to ensure the security and privacy of our customers and employees, as we conduct our lotteries within this location.

We will continue to expand and enhance our services and we will consider providing a phone number for our customer support team when it becomes a necessary channel. We often call customers at their request and a 'call back' request form will shortly be available on our contact us page: external link 

We are committed to improving our communication channels to better serve our customers. If you have any further questions about The Lottery Office, our friendly customer support team are available to assist you 7 days a week. We are not affiliated with Product Review.

Many Thanks The Lottery Office!

Hi Jayne! Thank you for your question. All prizes featured on our website and app have been converted to Australian dollars (AUD) using xe.com exchange rate calculations. In the event of a Jackpot win, we ensure that the customer is paid the exact amount collected from the matching ticket. For instance, in your example, if a Jackpot prize of USD$375 million was won in the United States, it would be converted to $559 Million AUD based on the current exchange rate. It is important to note that USA Jackpots are subject to USA taxes which would be deducted at the source.

Please feel free to reach out to our local customer support team support@lotteryoffice.com.au with any further questions as we are not affiliated with Product Review.

Thanks, The Lottery Office

Hi Lotteryoffice, I think you really need to clarify something about US lotteries that is not the case with other countries' lotteries. In the US, a very large lottery jackpot win is provided as an annuity by default, rather than as a cash payout of the same value. So if the winner or winners decide to claim the jackpot prize as upfront cash, the value of the win is going to be half or a similar proportion of the advertised jackpot. In the recent US powerball jackpot win, the advertised jackpot was actually US$1.08 billion. It looks like the winner in California decided to take the win as upfront cash, which ended up being US$558 million. If the winner had wanted to take the prize as a 20 year annuity, the value of the prize would amount to US$1.08 billion. What this means is that many Australian unfamiliar with the US lottery system will think they actually won US$1.08 billion upfront, which is actually not quite the case. One other thing you mentioned about US lottery wins being subject to tax. Both federal and state taxes are payable, and the rate payable can be quite high. Large wins will attract the highest federal tax rate of 37%. Add to that California highest tax rate of 13%, the winner ends up with only 50% of the jackpot cash value, or US$279 million, out of a $1.08 billion win. Of course, much smaller wins attract a lower rate of tax. Of course many US states have much lower state income taxes than California, but this is still something that Australians may not be aware of. Recently, the Australian media was in a frenzy about a crow's nest man missing out on a billion dollars !! This is not true and just the media sensationalising things. If the Sydney man had indeed gotten all 5 numbers and the powerball, he would have won US$558 million as cash. Even if the Lotteryoffice associate had bought the ticket in Delaware where there is no state income tax, the Sydney man would still have had to pay the federal tax rate of 37%, yielding him US$351.5 million, or A$513 million, far far short of the $1 billion the AUstralian media was carrying on about.

Hi Adrienne! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us again. We appreciate your thoughts and would like to clarify some points regarding USA lottery jackpots and taxes to ensure a better understanding for our Australian and New Zealand customers.

It is important to note that all this information is readily available on our website in the games rules section as we can appreciate that international lotteries have different rules.

You are correct that in the US, a lottery jackpot win is often provided as an annuity option by default, where the prize is paid out in instalments over 30 years. However, winners do have the choice to claim the jackpot as a cash payout of the same value. While this option does result in a lower immediate payout because it is a cash prize, it offers the advantage of receiving the entire sum upfront, which some winners prefer.

Regarding the taxation of US lottery wins, we'd like to provide accurate information to our customers. The federal tax rate on lottery winnings for a non-resident winner is 30%. In addition to federal taxes, the state in which The Lottery Office purchases its matching lottery tickets is subject to 8% tax, totaling 38%. The cash deduction amount can vary considering factors such as inflation and interest rates. This can range from 28% to 50%.

Lastly the hype that is associated with these MASSIVE international lotteries for example A $1 billion or higher jackpot represents a truly life-changing amount of money. Even with taxes considered, the remaining sum can still be substantial enough to fulfill dreams, pay off debts, secure a comfortable future, and positively impact the lives of the winners and their families. Jackpots of this magnitude are relatively rare, making them unique and special events in the world of lotteries. The chance to participate in a historic draw and potentially become one of the biggest lottery winners in history is an exciting prospect for many Australians.

Hi thatimahe1! Thank you for your question. The Lottery office is not affiliated with LottoGo in any way. The Lottery Office is 100% Australian owned and operated company & has been licensed by the Northern Territory Government since 2003 to sell lotteries globally.

When a customer purchases a ticket in one of our government licensed lotteries, E.g. USA Power Lotto, we then purchase a matching ticket using those same numbers in the relevant matching overseas draw, E.g. the Powerball conducted in the US. If the matching ticket wins, we collect the prize and we pay our customer the exact same amount we collected. Jackpot amounts are converted daily from the foreign currency amount to AUD using the latest published exchange rates from xe.com for your convenience, which may have created the appearance of difference, the Jackpot will always convert to the same amount as the overseas lottery. You can read more about how you can play some of the world’s biggest jackpots securely here: external link  or contact us anytime support@lotteryoffice.com.au.

Hi Curious George! Thank you for your question regarding our service. I would like to correct some of the statements you have made. There is no third party involved in handling the tickets we have purchased. The Lottery Office have registered and own a subsidiary company in the United States where we purchase our matching US lottery tickets. We store them safely and securely in our own location and collect any winnings that they incur. We pay the customer with our own winning ticket exactly the amount that is collected for the matching foreign ticket. We have been operating this licensed lottery model under Northern Territory Government supervision for almost 20 years. The Lottery Office ticket that you receive upon purchase of any of our lotteries is a real ticket in a lottery that has been specifically authorised to be operated by the Northern Territory Government. It entitles you to the full value of all winnings that are collected from the matching foreign lottery ticket that we purchased. The US State Lottery from whom we purchase our matching tickets have allocated specific ticketing machines that only service our ticket orders. By this means that State Lottery know which tickets have been purchased by The Lottery Office. As stated, we store them safely and securely, but even in the unlikely event that any tickets were destroyed or stolen, we are the only ones who can collect any prizes on those tickets because the State Lottery know that we are the owners. Our Government Licence is protection for all players. The Northern Territory Government Regulator has a live audit program to verify that we are buying and matching the tickets in Foreign Lotteries as required. It also verifies matching prize payments on tickets. Under our Licence Agreement, they have the power to complete the process of a payout, should it be required for any reason.

Best of Luck!

Hi Matt, The Lottery Office is an Australian owned and operated company licensed by the Northern Territory Government. When a customer purchases a ticket in one of our Government licensed lotteries, E.g. USA Power Lotto, we then purchase a matching ticket using those same numbers in the relevant matching overseas draw, E.g. the Powerball conducted in the US. If the matching ticket wins, we collect the prize and we pay our customer the exact same amount we collected.

We can only provide our PO Box address. For security reasons we do not provide a street address.

Our head office is based in Darwin and the address is PO Box 37668, Winnellie, NT 0821.

Thank you, Cate

Doesn't answer the question. Who purchases the USA tickets for you. Who keeps hold of the USA ticket, not your so called Aussie one?

You have to be in the USA to purchase there ticket. So how do you do that when in NT Australia.

Hi Matt, We are fully authorised by a US State lottery to purchase tickets in both the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries. We have dedicated lottery terminals that only process our tickets and this is done by our US team. We have a very secure, Government approved and audited process for purchasing and storing matching tickets.

I would like to reassure you that we have been licensed by the Northern Territory Government since 2003 to sell lotteries globally, and a function of our regulator is to ensure all tickets are purchased,

Thank you, Cate The Lottery Office Support Team

Hi Pokemon G, we offer the option to guarantee the secondary pool number for our USA Power Lotto (Guaranteed Power Number) Normally when you play the USA Power Lotto, you select 5 numbers and a Power Number. But with the Guaranteed Power Number feature, you don’t need to select a Power Number. The pool for the Power Number is 1-26 and this system game covers all possible Power Numbers. This single System game is the equivalent to 26 standard games (one for each possible Power Number). This means you now have 26 chances of winning a prize, as opposed to just one, as is the case with a standard game. Each standard game costs AUD$7. The cost of the 26 equivalent standard games is therefore $182 which is reflected in the price. You can find more information on our lottery systems here: external link 

Thank you, Cate The Lottery Office Team

Ok right I understand in usd it would be 52 usd for 26 games about 90 aud after conversion so your profits and cost of doing business is around a $100 Aud or $5 a ticket. Which is ok. I must admit I do wonder if I pulled the 3 billion jackpot you'd be still in Australia the next day lol im old enough to remember Christopher Skase in Majorca. Lol

Hi Hungh, We have been licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Government since 2003 to sell lotteries globally. A function of our regulator is to ensure that all tickets are purchased and all winnings are paid. We would absolutely love one of our customers to win a $500M prize! If you have any further queries, please direct them to our official support channel support@lotteryoffice.com.au

Hi Anna, when you place an order with us, you are purchasing games in our own Government approved lotteries e.g., USA Power Lotto. After receiving your order, we then purchase a matching ticket in the overseas lottery e.g., US Powerball.

There are no Australian taxes to be paid on any winnings from our lotteries. Some overseas lotteries do have taxes payable within those countries. For example, a federal tax of 30% is applicable within the United States for jackpot wins in the US Powerball and US Mega Millions lotteries. A US state tax of 8% is also payable on wins over $1500 USD. These taxes will be deducted from any prize amount before you receive it.

All the jackpot figures show on our website are already converted into Australian dollars for your convenience.

Thanks, Cate - The Lottery Office Team