INFORMATION

 

Below are answers to some of the most commonly  asked questions.
 If you can't find the information you are looking for here, please click here write to us. 

Contents

How does IsraLotto work?
What do I receive for subscribing?
How do I cancel my subscription?

What are Bonus entries?
What is the Members Club?
How are the prices determined?
Do the prize amounts jackpot?

How do I receive my winnings?
What taxes are due on winnings?
What are the odds of winning?
How do I check my winnings?

Is IsraLotto secure?
Is my privacy protected?

How to select the winning number.

How does IsraLotto work?

IsraLotto sells subscriptions to Mifal Hapayis ( Israel's National Lotto ) online. This enables everyone all over the world to participate in the Lotto. We deliver your Lotto entries to an authorized agent of Mifal Hapayis.

IsraLotto gives you Double the standard Mifal HaPais first prize

To play IsraLotto, you select your numbers; 6 numbers between 1 and 37. In addition you choose a chazak number from 1 to 7. The Chazak number is known as the Powerball in other national lotteries. (Chazak in Hebrew means strong)

We enter your numbers into the draw. 
Draws are generally held on Tuesday & Saturday nights. 
The entries are prepared on Sunday nights.  The cutoff for number changes is 
   Sunday 7p.m. Jerusalem time (12 noon New York time)
Periodically there are extra draws. These are usually held on the first Thursday of each month.

Each draw six numbers and an Chazak number are selected. Prizes are awarded based on the matches between your numbers and the selected numbers. 

To win the jackpot prize you need to match all 7 numbers drawn (6 lotto numbers plus the chazak). Prizes are awarded for matches on 3 out of 6 numbers and up. Matching on the chazak increases the prize level.
Prize Numbers matched Chazak match
First  All 6 numbers Yes
Second All 6 numbers No
Third 5 numbers Yes
Fourth 5 numbers No
Fifth 4 numbers Yes
Sixth 4 numbers No
Seventh 3 numbers Yes
Eighth 3 numbers No


The First prize amount starts at NIS 8,000,000 (IsraLotto gives you Double the standard Mifal HaPais first prize) Each draw that there is no first prize awarded the prize increases.
From May 2010 there is a maximum jackpot of Nis 56 Million. Thereafter the lower order prizes are increased by 50% until the jackpot of Nis 56 million is won.

IsraLotto runs a Members Club. In addition to your own numbers, you share in the club winnings.

The price of an IsraLotto subscription is Nis89.99 ($24) per month. 
(There are also options for 2 or 4 numbers)
Draws are generally held on Tuesday & Saturday nights. So there are 8 or 9 draws each month. Occasionally there is an extra draw. Usually an extra draw takes place on the first Thursday of each month. When an extra draw is introduced the subscription renewal is advanced by 3 days to partially cover the additional entry.

As a default the system offers a two-number subscription for Nis179.98 ($48).

Your subscription is automatically renewed until you cancel it. You may cancel your subscription at any time. There is no need to provide any reason.

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What do I receive for subscribing

  1. An entry in all draws for a month. (IsraLotto gives you Double the standard Mifal HaPais first prize)
  2. A share in the Members Club
  3. Email updates and results

Draws are generally held on Tuesday & Saturday nights. When there are Jewish holydays the draw is postponed for a day. Occasionally an extra draw is added.
Your entries are prepared on Sunday nights.  The cutoff for number changes is 
   Sunday 7p.m. Jerusalem time (12 noon New York time) 
Number changes are made via the 'My Account' page.

We act on your behalf and deliver your numbers to an authorised agent of the Israeli National Lotto – Mifal HaPayis.   Generally subscriptions commence with the next draw after the subscription date. Your subscription is automatically renewed until you cancel it.

IsraLotto takes all reasonable care. But in the event of a subscriber suffering a loss due to our error or omission, IsraLotto’s liability is limited to the subscription for that month.

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How do I cancel my subscription?

You may cancel your subscription at any time. There is no need to provide any reason. We sincerely hope your decision to cancel is not prompted by any action or omission on our part. Please let us know if there are areas where we should make improvements or changes.

You cancel your IsraLotto subscription by sending us an email. A subscription may be cancelled up until the day of the next scheduled payment.

It is not a standard procedure for IsraLotto to cancel a client's subscription unless the email request is sent from the address we have on file. As you can well appreciate, were we to allow other addresses we would open ourselves to a host of problems. However if you have a problem canceling via your email address please email us the reason for not using your regular address. We will endeavor to accommodate your request.

We hope you let us know what prompts your decision, because feedback is invaluable in improving IsraLotto.


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What are Bonus entries?

Bonus entries are currently in abeyance
Small winnings are used to cover your  subscription payments.

Winnings less than $199 are credited to your account and used to fund your subscription. (We prefer to pay out winnings over $199).


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What is the IsraLotto Members Club?

Each draw IsraLotto buys 2 tickets for the Members Club. 
(Lotto No: 5,7,9,17,24,32 + 5 & 14,15,18,21,23,25 + 8)
 
Winnings from these tickets in the first three prize categories pay members subscriptions. 
If the amount won is between 10 & 50 thousand shekel, each member is credited with one entry.  For larger amounts each member receives an entry per Nis 50,000 or part thereof up to a maximum of one hundred additional entries.

Example: 
Winnings Additional entries each member receives
Nis 105,000 Three (3)
Nis 5,000,000   One hundred (100)


( Prize & Members Club distributions are made after tax, bank fees & transfer charges, and 1.85% admin fee) 


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How are the prices determined?

IsraLotto charges Nis 89.88 ($24) for a monthly subscription. (IsraLotto gives you Double the standard Mifal HaPais first prize)
 
Prices are calculated in NIS (New Israeli Shekel). You pay in US Dollars. As the exchange rate varies there are exchange rate gains or losses. The Mifal HaPayis price in NIS can also increase. 

In the event of a large exchange rate variation or price change, IsraLotto will notify you of a change in subscription price or period. 

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Do the prize amounts jackpot?

They certainly do! 

Jackpot rules. 

IsraLotto gives you Double the standard Mifal HaPais first prize. On IsraLotto the first prize amount starts at NIS 8,000,000 Each draw that there is no first prize awarded the prize increases. 
The second prize starts at Nis 500,000 and increases by Nis 500,000 when there is no winner.

From May 2010 there is a maximum jackpot of Nis 56 Million. Thereafter the lower order prizes are increased by 50% until the jackpot of Nis 56 million is won.

Mifal HaPayis determines the amount of the jackpotting.
  (* Prize & Members Club distributions are net of tax, bank fees & transfer charges and 1.85% admin fee) 

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What are the odds of winning?

The odds of winning the first prize are around 1 in 18 million and of winning any prize 1 in 25

Your odds of winning are substantially increased by your participation in the IsraLotto Members Club. 

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How do I check my winnings?

The Results page on IsraLotto draws results directly from the Hebrew website of Mifal HaPayis.  You can check the winning  numbers for the current draw as well as history going back years.

In addition, IsraLotto monitors your numbers and notifies all winners via e-mail. We also send the results via e-mail to our subscribers.

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Is IsraLotto secure?

Mifal HaPayis is monitored and audited by the Israeli government. 

In addition, IsraLotto has an ombudsman to guard subscribers rights. Our ombudsman is a lawyer in public practice in Jerusalem and a native English speaker.

The ombudsman has access to all our records to ensure that your rights are protected. This ensures transparency in our operations. In the event of any disputes the ombudsman can mediate. 

Furthermore, the sales agent of Israel National Lotto has a register of the names and email addresses of all IsraLotto subscribers. 

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Is my privacy protected?

Privacy. We will not sell, loan or make available, your personal details or address (including email address).
IsraLotto takes all reasonable care. But in the event of a subscriber suffering a loss due to our error or omission, IsraLotto’s liability is limited to the subscription for that month.
Prevention of "money laundering"
There are rigorous checks required before large prizes can be paid out. Full disclosure of the beneficiary's identity needs to be made to the Israeli authorities when a large prize is won. This provision also applies to non-Israelis.

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How do I receive my winnings?

Winners get 100%* of their prizes and a share of the Members Club.

Amounts in excess of $199 are paid out at the start of the following month.   

Your prize money is paid per your instructions via wire transfer or check – 
or in cash in Israel.
Prevention of "money laundering"
There are rigorous checks required before large prizes can be paid out. Full disclosure of the beneficiary's identity needs to be made to the Israeli authorities when a large prize is won. This provision also applies to non-Israelis.

Where winnings are less than $199 they are credited to your account. They are utilized to cover subscription payments.  

* There are Israeli taxes on larger winnings. There is an administrative fee of 1.85% on payouts. (Minimum admin fee  $15) There are also bank charges.

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What taxes are due on winnings?

Since July 1, '03 there is a tax on Lotto prizes. (The following is worked on the tax rate of Jan 1 2009)
The good news; prizes under NIS 54,960 are tax exempt. 

Winning a prizes over NIS 54,960 (about $13,500) is good news, but there are taxes to be paid. 
Prizes over NIS 109,920 are subject to 25% tax. 
Between 54,960 and 109,920 the tax is calculated as 25% of twice the amount the prize exceeds 54,960.

For example on a prize of 90,000 the amount the prize exceeds 54,960 is 35,040.
So the tax is 25% of 70,080 (i.e. 2 x 35,040) which works out to a tax of NIS 17,520

Say the first prize on a Tuesday is NIS 5,000,000. After 25% tax the winner will be left with NIS 3,750,000 or around $935,000. Still something to dream about ;-0

Prevention of "money laundering"
There are rigorous checks required before large prizes can be paid out. Full disclosure of the beneficiary's identity needs to be made to the Israeli authorities when a large prize is won. This provision also applies to non-Israelis.


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How to select the winning number.

We haven't a clue. But to assist you we provide the following information: 

Share the dream 
Enjoy the fantasy of winning the Lotto. In your minds eye you picture yourself having won. That’s the fun and excitement in playing Lotto.

A magnificent dream. 
But with IsraLotto there is much more. You are a partner in the dream of building up Israel, the ancient yet modern Jewish homeland. As soon as you’ve taken a subscription you are a winner: a partner in this noble enterprise. 

“It’s not the number that wins the Lotto” 
The story goes that a chassid who regularly took a certain number in the Lotto had a dream. In this dream a new number was emphasized. So, in the next draw he entered this new number. The original number won!  Downhearted, he went to his Rebbi. 
The Rebbi explained:  “In G-d’s plan, it’s the person that wins the Lotto, not the number.”


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