One of the ‘big guns’ in the online lottery syndicate world, Big Fat Lottos provide a range of syndicate options to suit UK players.

There are groups for our old favourite the UK Lotto, and the hugely popular EuroMillions (with Millionaires Raffle of course). But in line with their name they also offer groups for SuperEnalotto from Italy which has huge rollover jackpots, and all the big monthly draws from Spain.

And yes, their Spanish draws do include the insane once a year ‘Chistmas El Gordo’ draw. The one with the prize fund counted in BILLIONS not just mere millions!

The Syndicate Options

So we have a UK Lotto syndicate, EuroMillions syndicate, Spanish monthly draws, and Italian SuperEnalotto.

They also recently added Jackpot PowerPlay which is kind of a blend of the others, and is designed for those that prefer playing in lots of big draws instead of maximising chances in less draws.

BFL UK Lotto Syndicate

This one plays twice a week, in the Wednesday and Saturday UK Lotto draw. Each group shares 44 tickets every draw, giving 44 times the chance of winning. And making 88 tickets per week, for a cost of £5 per week.

The groups are made up of 49 people each. So if you took a typical jackpot to be around £5 Million, that would be £100,000 each. If that’s not enough, then maybe cross your fingers on a big £20 Million rollover week, or choose EuroMillions instead .

BFL EuroMillions Syndicate

The EuroMillions syndicates play both weekly draws (Tuesday/Friday), with groups sharing 55 tickets each draw, so 110 tickets per week.

Group sizes are bigger though at 110 people, and the weekly cost is higher at £7.50 – because EuroMillions costs twice as much to play as UK Lotto at £2. But you are of course getting 55 chances every draw to win the Millionaire Raffle too.

BFL Spanish Superdraws Syndicate

Spanish Superdraws works a bit differently as it only plays one draw per month. But what draws it plays! Most of us in the UK have heard of the Christmas El Gordo which typically has a prize fund of over €2 Billion, with tens of thousands of prizes paid out.

But Spain actually runs similar draws every month. Not as big, but the January El Nino draw is still huge (€840 Million). And even the rest only get as small as €80+ Million.

The cost is £20 per month, with groups buying 10 tickets per draw and sharing prizes between 35 people. Tickets for these draws cost €20 each in Spain.

BFL SuperEnalotto Syndicate

This mega-draw is a very big deal in Italy, but not at all well known in the UK. (I’ll happily admit, I’d never heard of it before!).

The odds are terrible but the Italians love it because it rolls over so much and creates vast jackpots. It’s hit €177 Million before!

SuperEnalotto groups play 3 times a week buying 85 tickets every draw, and sharing winnings between 85 players. The cost is £6 per week.

I personally prefer EuroMillions as the prizes are frequently as big, and the odds better.

BFL Jackpot PowerPlay Syndicate

As I mentioned above, this is a blend of some of the other games. You play 2 EuroMillions draws (plus Millionaire Raffle), 2 UK Lotto draws and 3 SuperEnalotto draws every week. And you share 30 tickets in every draw played.

It costs £5 per week, and groups are formed of 135 players. You get less tickets per game with this option of course – because the idea here is to cover more games for the same money.

Joining / Payment Options

Joining online is secure and pretty easy. Just tick the boxes for which groups you’d like to play, then how often you want pay (from weekly to yearly).

Big Fat Lottos accept all the usual debit and credit cards. And also offer Moneybookers (aka ‘Skrill’) if you use that.

It’s all very easy, but there’s also a prominent phone number you can call too if you need any help. Which is nice.

How About My Winnings?

All Big Fat Lottos members have an online wallet for their winnings. The small wins can build up until you’re ready to withdraw them.

Obviously the big wins you can grab as soon as you like

There are no charges for withdrawing winnings. And you can easily request a withdrawal online at any time. This can be credited directly to your bank account (works great!), or can be paid by Cheque or Moneybookers.

Any Bad Points?

The prices could be cheaper, but I suppose you are getting a real company managing entries and winnings for you. And that doesn’t come cheaply.

I’d also like to see some options for games like the Irish Lotto or the UK Lotto Plus 5 – but I guess those games don’t really fit the Big Fat label as they’re just not that fat!

Why Play With Big Fat Lottos?

Big Fat Lotteries have made it all pretty easy. They are a professional company who you can talk to on the phone.

My personally favourites for maximising your chances are the UK Lotto and EuroMillions syndicates. It’s also hard to resist at least the Christmas El Gordo too, just as a total punt.

But if you prefer lots of games, then take a look at the Jackpot PowerPlay groups.

Love My Lotto is  a professionally run syndicate based in the UK.

They play more than just the UK Lotto. They also play the EuroMillions, the Premium Bonds, Millionaires Raffle and  their own £1 Million Daily Draw game.

And they cover all of these big prize games from just £10 per month.

The Syndicate Groups

Love My Lotto have taken a novel approach to organising their syndicates. You don’t choose which games to play, as all memberships play all games.

Instead you choose what level to play at – Bronze, Silver or Gold. Each level gives more entries into each game and therefore better chances of winning, with Gold being the best.

Group sizes are set at 21 members which is fine.

How Much To Play?

Bronze membership costs a very accessible £10 per month. With Silver at £18 per month, and Gold at £36 per month.

What you get for your money is probably best summarised as overall entries:-

• Bronze – 25 Draws (50 Chances)
• Silver – 33 Draws (100 Chances)
• Gold – 45 Draws (200 Chances)

The LoveMyLotto website breaks everything down into entries into each game. I would actually like to see more entries for your money, so Love My Lotto does lose some points here on value.

Payment options are very good though. You can join online right now using the usual card payments, and be playing right away.

What About Winnings?

Your winnings are automatically credited to your online account. And you can then request withdrawal at any time you like.

The online members area generally is well designed and gives you access to all the usual things you need. At the moment they are just putting the finishing touches to the Winnings area, but you still receive emails when your group wins so this is not a problem.

Should I Join?

This is a professional syndicate backed by some well respected business names. The simple to understand packages are a neat way to play, as they spread the excitement of winning over numerous days every week.

As a professional syndicate the costs are higher of course – they have to pay wages and office costs – but I’d like to see them add some more draws and keep the pricing the same to improve the value for money. The new Lotto Plus 5 would be a great addition.

It’s not a good start for Lottery Magic UK. The web site is quite broken, with missing graphics and other problems.

It looks unmaintained, except the page on horse racing tips gives a clue that someone has been there as recently as September 2009. (No I’m not sure why they are there either).

The Syndicates

If it’s still running they provide a Saturday Syndicate in the UK Lotto, and possibly play EuroMillions too.

What Does It Cost?

It costs £10 for the UK Lotto Saturday game to play for 13 weeks.Unfortunately whlst this may sound cheap, it’s not clear what you actually get for £10. It doesn’t say how many tickets are bought or how many people play in a group. So charges on playing are not clear. There are no charges on winnings however except a £1 admin fee on paying out.

Should I Join This One?

No. If it is still running it isn’t well looked after. And what you get for your money is just not explained.

The eLottery Syndicates have a solid track record. They have a long history of reliable and professional service, and always pay winnings on time.

You can manage everything about your account online. You can email the support team and get fast responses. And yes, you can even call them on the phone and they answer!

The Syndicates

My personal favourite are the UK Lotto groups, but eLottery do also provide groups for the very popular EuroMillions, as well as the big Spanish monthly draws (which are less known in the UK but bring Spain to it’s knees with excitement).

The UK Lotto groups give you a share in 88 tickets per week, split between 44 tickets in the Wednesday night draw and another 44 in the Saturday night draw.

Why 44 tickets?

It means they can allocate each group a unique set of 5 numbers which they combine with every possible 6th number (that’s 44 total). Which means if your group matches those 5 numbers you actually win the jackpot. You would also get multiple other prizes too, but it’s the fact you’re getting 44 tickets per draw that really matters.

What Does It Cost?

It’s a straightforward £5 per week, which covers both Wednesday and Saturday draws. No hidden costs. You can choose how long to play for from as little as 1 week. And can pay using various methods including all the popular debit/credit cards, by cheque and other ways.

I subscribe on a 4 week cycle using my debit card, which works well for me.

The groups are made up of 49 members each – which does mean you get a good size wodge of cash if your group hits the big prize. But it does mean this syndicate costs more than some of the others, although you can see where this money is being spent as there is a whole team of staff with proper offices running and managing everything.

Should I Join This One?

If you want a solid and reliable UK Lotto syndicate, then yes! It does cost a little more than some of the others, but in my opinion it’s worth it for the reassurance of a professional company managing my tickets.

Play By Syndicate has clearly been inspired by eLottery Syndicate. The cost, syndicate structure and the way numbers are picked is exactly the same. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that as it’s a decent formula.

What gives me some discomfort with this one though is the lack of transparency. There is a contact form on the site, but no phone number or address. There is no name or any information at all about who runs it. If you dig into the Privacy policy you find mention of a company called ’132 Ltd’ – but again no details. There is also no visible information about the groups running, previous draws or winnings. Not encouraging.

The Syndicates

The groups play the Wednesday and Saturday UK Lotto game, sharing 44 entries in each.

Just like the eLottery Syndicate, the 44 entries are arranged to ensure a guarantee that 1 ball will be matched every draw. So if you match your groups main 5 numbers, you’re guaranteed the 6th and hit the jackpot. It’s a simple idea but makes checking your results very easy.

What Does It Cost?

The cost to play is £5 per week, and you can choose to pay for between 1 and 10 weeks when joining. You can join online and pay using Google Checkout, which is a secure efficient payment system – particularly if you already have an account with the big G.

The cost however is quite high, and there is no apparent infrastructure here to justify it.

Should I Join This One?

I have to advise caution and say no to this one. It has only been running a few months, but the lack of transparency is a big red flag. I don’t mind that they copied the eLottery system, but charging the same price without apparently providing any of the facilities does seem to offer poor value for money.

Lotto 28 is a good syndicate. It is…

The problem is that it is an amateur syndicate run by one person.

No disrespect to David who runs it, as he does a sterling job.

And some people may actually prefer an amateur syndicate. But this is the big debate. Personally I’ll always favour a professional company taking my money and managing my entries. It’s certainly not the only factor but when everything else is right, a company like Love My Lotto gives me a much better feel good factor – even if it does cost me a little more.

The Syndicates

Lotto 28 plays the UK Lotto Saturday night draw. The clue is in the name as each syndicate group is made up of 28 people.

This is too small really, but is partly made up for by the way David splits out the winnings.

Each player picks their own set of numbers. If the numbers you chose win, then you get 50% of the prize. Another 45% of the prize is shared between the other 27 members in your group. The remaining 5% is shared between the members of all the other groups.

That does mean you get a small share in the winnings of all the other groups. So if another group hit the jackpot and you didn’t, you could afford to drown your sorrows on their good fortune.

What Does It Cost?

The basic cost is just £4.33 per month to join one group. You can join multiple groups if you want to (so two groups is £8.66 etc).

Payment options are limited and you can’t just join online unfortunately. You can pay by standing order or cheque. Standing order is probably easiest once you’ve set things up with your bank, and posted the signed agreement form to Lotto 28.

Should I Join This One?

Maybe. The chap who runs it has proven keen and reliable. Hopefully things will stay that way. But illness or boredom  is always a risk with amateur syndicates. If you want very low budget, this is a good option. But personally I think it’s worth paying more a bit more infrastructure and the reassurance that offers.

Catchalotto suffers the problem of being fairly new. There just aren’t enough members to fill a syndicate group. That unfortunately means your chances of winning aren’t much better. This may change in time, but makes it very hard to recommend them right now.

The other big problem I have with this one is called ‘Lottorino’. This is the software the syndicate owner has created to analyse past results and eliminate results they consider less likely to be drawn… which is of course entirely silly and without any sensible foundation whatsoever! No lottery result is any more or less likely than any other. To claim otherwise is simply wrong.

The Syndicates

Catchalotto has groups for the UK Lotto on Wednesday and Saturday. The maximum size of the groups is 30 people which is quite small, but as mentioned above these are not even half filling at the moment which is a problem.

You can pick your own lottery numbers for each group you enter, and winnings are shared equally between all members of that group.

What Does It Cost?

Playing in the syndicate groups costs just £1 per week, i.e. you fund the ticket you buy, with no extra charges. But you do pay an admin fee of £1 every time you add money to your account and a £2 admin fee to withdraw winnings. Which is certainly reasonable.

You can join online which is good, and add from £1 to £20 to your account each time you want to fund it. Unfortunately the only payment option available is Paypal (which is a concern as I’m not sure anything lottery related is allowed under their terms and conditions).

Should I Join This One?

Right now – no. In 6 months time, maybe. The prediction software is silly but it doesn’t harm your chances (although I do not like this kind of misinformation being perpetuated about playing the lottery). The Paypal thing could be an issue – Paypal freeze accounts when they find things they don’t like. But the key problem is the groups sizes, in particular because they aren’t filling so you don’t even get the potential winnings boost you could right now.