Big Australian win for Lottoland Limited

In Australia and online lottery firm Lottoland has reportedly prevailed in its appeal against a man who claimed to have won approximately $173.45 million courtesy of what he thought had been a successful pick on the United States’ multi-jurisdictional PowerBall game.

According to a Wednesday report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Gibraltar-headquartered operator has been active in Australia since 2016 and offers online punters in select international jurisdictions the ability to take part in some of the planet’s most rewarding lottery competitions for the chance to bank life-changing cash prizes that often exceed $100 million.

Player puzzlement:

The broadcaster reported that the disgruntled customer referred to only as ‘Mr O’ lodged his complaint with the Northern Territory Racing Commission earlier this year after Lottoland denied his alleged win by asserting that he had actually placed his wager on its own US Power title. The disappointed man also purportedly declared that the operator had engaged in ‘misleading and deceptive conduct’ by using logos for its in-house jackpot competitions that closely resemble those of the much more lucrative PowerBall game.

Successful stand:

However, Lottoland reportedly disputed the player’s allegations and additionally affirmed that it has not offered bets on international lotteries since federal rules prevented it from doing so last year. The firm purportedly moreover detailed that it regularly advises Australian players that its jackpot competitions are tied to the outcome of international financial markets before stating that it believes ‘Mr O’ had actually submitted his supposed winning PowerBall numbers after the official draw had been conducted in the United States.

Reportedly read a statement from Lottoland…

“A reasonable person could be led to believe ‘Mr O’ knew the winning Powerball numbers before placing his bet on US Power.”

Comparable criticism:

The broadcaster reported that this is the second time in the previous twelve months that Lottoland has been hit with such deceptive conduct allegations after it denied a win of just over $91.83 million claimed by a punter referred to as ‘Ms B’. In this instance the operator purportedly escaped punishment after successfully arguing that the player had actually placed her wager on its own Thu Jackpot title instead of the PowerBall game, which are unrelated except in that their draws take place on the same day of the week.

Confusion concern:

But the body that represents domestic lottery firms in Australia reportedly pronounced that the two recent cases have raised some serious questions as to whether Lottoland is relying on the confusion of its players in order to make money. Ben Kearney, Chief Executive Officer for the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association, purportedly proclaimed that operator’s name may often create the misperception that it offers traditional lotteries that involve the drawing of numbers at random.

Reportedly read a statement from Kearney…

“These examples show us that consumers are being potentially confused by these products, thinking that they’ve bought something that they haven’t. If you’ve got ‘lotto’ in your name and you’re not a lottery, and a lottery is very clear and concise what a lottery is, [then] I’d say that it potentially confuses people.”