Free Sky Lotto Offers £250K Cash Prize

Published On 7th April 2020

Free to play games continue to become an important part of a gambling brand's arsenal. Over the last year we've seen more and more bookies jump on to the bandwagon. Paddy Power introduced Hit The Spot, Grosvenor Goals returned for another season and Betway launched three different games based on football, racing and even online gaming with 4 To Frag.

Leading this motley crew of prediction games has always been Skybet. In fact they've been streets ahead of the competition thanks to their weekly Soccer Six game, Fantasy Football and Fantasy 6-A-Side. Most free to play games tend to be aimed at the football market, but Sky are now hoping to expand interest in their online gambling offering. They've just launched a new free to play game - Sky Lotto.

The Sky Lottery Not A Lottery

Despite it's name, Sky Lotto is not a lottery. It is in fact a free prize draw that gives you the chance to win prizes based on lotto numbers. Essentially you're betting on the outcome of Sky's own lotto draw. Yes we're pretty confused by that too. The top prize for the free game is £250,000 but by wagering 50p and boosting yout ticket to Lotto Super Boost the top prize increases to £1million.

The free lotto prize draw takes place every Friday at 8pm. Entries must be in before 7.45pm. To make your entry visit SkyLotto.co.uk and login using your Sky Bet, Sky Bingo, Sky Vegas or Sky Casino account. Once you've logged in you just need to choose your six numbers. A random pick option is available. We suggest using this as the mechanic for entering your numbers is quite poor. You can choose the same number six times for example!!

Super Boost

If you wish to Super Boost your entry then it's merely a case of ticking a box and having 50p deducted from your Sky Bet account. Submit your entry and you're in it to win it. At 8pm on Friday six numbers plus a bonus ball will be drawn. If you match at least 2 balls, including 1 ball plus the bonus ball, then you win a prize. However in order to win the big money you're going to need a lot of luck on your side.

To win a cash prize you'll need to match at least 4 main numbers. Prizes below that are all paid in scratchcards. For example 2 main balls or 1 main ball plus the bonus gives you a 10p scratchcard. This will let you play a Bronze Scratchcard game - worth 10p - and this has a top prize of £5000. All prizes need to be claimed so you must login to check if you're a winner. The bigger prizes on offer are as follows:

  • £1million - 6 main numbers (boosted)
  • £250,000 - 6 main numbers (free play)
  • £5000 - 5 main numbers plus bonus
  • £1000 - 5 main numbers
  • £25 - 4 main numbers plus bonus
  • £10 - 4 main numbers

Chances Of Winning

Your chances of winning are akin to the odds of winning The National Lottery. In other words don't get your hopes up and expect to become a Sky Lotto millionaire. Another point to note is that only one prize is boosted. This makes us wonder whether the 50p boosted play is actually worth it? Ok you could win a million if the planets align, but in reality you're just giving Sky 50p a week and not getting extra rewards for other potential wins.

That said there's one important thing to note with the boosted draw. If there's more than one £250,000 winner of the free entry part of the game then they share the pot. However, if more than one player matches 6 main numbers and all have boosted their entries then each receives £1million. Winners of the £1 million will also qualify for an equal share of the £250,000 free to play competition prize!

The Verdict

This is an exciting development in respect to free to play games on gambling sites. Free lottos, prize draws, or whatever you wish to call them can attract a lot of interest. Whether that interest can be converted to people wanting to place bets, hit the bingo or spin slots remains to be seen. If it's successful then it's pretty certain that other sites like William Hill, Ladbrokes, Betway and Betfred may follow suit.

However, free games such as these can quickly become stale. The odds of winning are quite remote and the smaller prizes aren't that exciting either. A 50p a week bet to boost your entry isn't unreasonably expensive, but there's no reward beyond that big prize. The game also has no tangibility. Soccer Six links to the football results and Pick 7 to horse racing. They add to the events! Sky Lotto doesn't offer the same kind of experience and that may become a problem once the intial excitement has waned.


William Hill
Play Safe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets). Further terms apply. 18+. #AD

Unibet
Min Dep £10. Debit cards only. Opt in for bonus funds. Wagering, sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 50x. Sports bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Valid for 7 days. Geographical Restrictions and T&Cs Apply. 18+. #AD

Coral
New UK+IRE customers. PayPal and certain deposit and bet types excluded. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply. 18+. #AD

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