Postcode Lottery Exposed — Is It Worth Your Postcode and Pound?
Postcode Lottery Review
You’re probably wondering why a lottery has a “postcode” in its name.
Well, it’s exactly what it says! Postcode Lottery runs lotteries that are based on your postcode.
It’s sold as a monthly subscription though you can purchase more than one.
It’s run by “People’s Postcode Lottery” which manages society lotteries on behalf of charitable bodies. They support good causes (their words, not mine) all over Britain.
Anyway, let’s all take a step back and see what exactly Postcode Lottery is about.
🤔 What do people think of 24Lottos?
How Does Postcode Lottery Work?
Players participate in the People’s Postcode Lottery through a subscription model.
By registering with their postcode and paying a monthly fee of £12, members are automatically entered into numerous draws. This subscription ensures that you are included in every draw, with no need to purchase individual tickets for each game.
Prizes are awarded daily, with each day of the week bringing new opportunities to win. From Monday to Friday, players have a chance to win £1,000 each day. The excitement peaks over the weekend: Saturdays offer the chance to win a share of £1 million, and on Sundays, each winning player in a postcode can take home £30,000.
Additionally, every month features a massive draw where players in a postcode sector share a prize pot of £3.2 million or more, with the amount being divided equally among tickets in the winning postcode and postcode sector.
Participation is straightforward—your ticket is your postcode, and only those postcodes that are actively playing are entered into the draws. If your postcode is drawn, every participating household in that postcode wins, fostering a sense of community among neighbors.
Importantly, there is no contract involved, allowing players to opt in or out as they wish.
Who Can Play?
Anyone who has a British postcode is eligible to play.
It’s easy for UK residents to sign up on the lottery’s official website. Direct Debit, Debit Card and PayPal are accepted for purchasing subscriptions.
How to Sign Up for Postcode Lottery
You can sign up by using their website or by calling their customer service on their toll-free number.
When you sign up, you should receive a confirmation email containing important information about your subscription(s).
If you do not receive any email from them, check your spam folder, and if it is still not in there, call their customer service.
What Happens when You Win a Prize?
When you win a prize with the People’s Postcode Lottery, you will be notified through various channels depending on the type and size of your prize.
Notifications come via email, SMS message, letter, or phone call.
Significant prizes, such as the Street Prize, the weekly £1 Million prize, or the monthly Postcode Millions, will prompt a more personal contact, typically through a phone call or a letter.
For discussions about prize wins over the phone, winners must answer two security questions to confirm their identity.
Importantly, at no point will sensitive bank information, such as bank account PINs, be requested over the phone. This policy helps protect both the integrity of the transaction and the privacy of the winners.
How to Claim Get Postcode Lottery Winnings
When you win with the People’s Postcode Lottery, the process for claiming your prize money is straightforward and efficient.
For players who pay by Direct Debit or those who signed up using other payment methods but have already registered their bank account details, the prize money is transferred directly to their bank accounts within 28 days of winning.
If a winner has not registered their bank details, they can easily do so by calling the provided freephone number, 0808 109 8765. The customer service team is available to help arrange the payment of winnings, guaranteeing that all winners have access to their funds promptly and securely.
Postcode Lottery’s Website
The website is pretty simple and straightforward to navigate around.
The major sections that an intending player (or just a random person) may need information about are at the top of the website and on every web page. Overall, it has a simple layout anyone can understand.
Customer Service at PostCodeLottery.co.uk
Postcode Lottery has its telephone number all over its site. You can ring them or complete a form asking them to call you back at a specific time. People can also sign up for regular emails for Postcode Lottery news, updates, and results.
Changing Address on Postcode Lottery
Considering the fact that this lottery is based on postcodes, you may want to know what happens if you change your location and still want to participate in the lottery. All you have to do is call their customer service or send them an email, and provide the following information:
- Your full name
- Your date of birth (as a security check)
- Your previous address
- Your full new postal address – please note, that we need you to tell us your complete new address
- Your new playing postcode
- Your up-to-date phone numbers and email address
They’ll reach out to you with information on how soon you can start playing.
So, Where Does the Profit Go?
The People’s Postcode Lottery has made a significant impact through its dedication to supporting charitable causes.
Players of the lottery have collectively raised over £1.3 billion for various good causes to date, showcasing the powerful role that community-focused gambling can play in philanthropy.
The lottery operates under the management of 20 Postcode Trusts, each contributing to a range of charities. The beneficiaries of these trusts are diverse, covering sectors such as education, environmental conservation, health, and community development.
Why You Should Register With Postcode Lottery
Pros:
Simple Sign-up Process: Joining the lottery is straightforward, with an easy registration process available on the website or via a toll-free customer service call
Community Impact: A substantial portion of the proceeds goes to charitable causes, with over £1.3 billion raised for various good causes, making each ticket a contribution to community development and support
Frequent Prizes: The lottery offers daily, weekly, and monthly prizes, increasing the chances of winning. Significant prizes include daily wins of £1,000, weekly shares of £1 million, and a monthly prize pot of £3.2 million or more
No Numbers to Pick: The lottery uses postcodes as entries, removing the need to pick numbers and making the game simpler and unique
Multiple Payment Options: Players can pay via Direct Debit, Debit Card, and PayPal, providing flexibility in payment methods
Effective Customer Support: The customer service is responsive and helpful, with multiple contact options available for assistance and queries
Why You Should Not Register With Postcode Lottery
Cons:
Geographic Limitation: Only those with a UK residence can register and play, limiting participation to those within the United Kingdom
Lack of a Mobile App: There is no dedicated mobile application, which might inconvenience players who prefer accessing services via their smartphones
Not Designed for Huge Jackpots: While the lottery provides frequent payouts, it’s not structured to offer large jackpots like some other national lotteries, which might be a drawback for those looking to win big
Is Postcode Lottery Legit?
In case you’re wondering, “is Postcode lottery a con?” It isn’t.
However, this is not a lottery that is going to make you a millionaire but it will provide some fun and it’s kind of cool that one doesn’t have to try to figure out what their lucky numbers could be.
It’s a little lottery that the average person can play and be happy about, especially knowing that they are supporting charities.
But, the bottom line is you must have a UK address to play!
Also, you may want to check out the complaints about the lottery before giving it a try. The experiences of others are quite informative and it’s up to you to interpret the information.
We Want to Hear From You: Share Your Experience!
Are you a player of the People’s Postcode Lottery? We would love to hear about your experience!
Sharing your reviews and stories can help others understand the impact of their participation, not just in terms of winning potential but also in contributing to the wide array of good causes supported by the lottery.
Whether it’s about the excitement of the draws, the ease of participating, or the joy of contributing to charity, your feedback is invaluable.
Please take a moment to share your thoughts with us and help build a community of informed and engaged players.
Your insights could inspire someone else to start playing and contributing to these worthy causes.
Boris
You can see from their accounts that the split of income is approx 30% for the charities, 40% for prizes and 30% for expenses. Difficult to tell what is included in expenses and who it is paid to – no doubt the staff are paid well. If you want to give money to charity give it directly as you then know where the money is going and 100% plus tax aid of 20% (if you are a uk tax payer) go to the charity you choose.
Verdi Lowe
Details of Directors of Postcode Lottery Company Cash & directorships.
Most directors appear to be Dutch, Not British.
Summary of accounts December 2019 show Cash of +£25,000,000 in last submitted accounts.
Payouts to charities seem small.
Camelot National Lottery owned by A Canadian Teachers Pension Fund seems perverse in holding 2,3,4 £Billions in Cash!
Camelot winning odds have become insanely long, but making Tons of Cash for Foreign Owners.
Had Camelot “Wins “ of £2.70..means a win of 20 p! After return of Stake money!
Had Camelot “Wins “ of £2.30..means a LOSS! Not a Win at all! Not even return of stake
A well run National Lottery focused on truly boosting Punters winnings & Half of all bettors money given to many dubious, dodgy, do-goody agencies, eg.£Billions to Arts, Asylum seekers & countless others.
Totally unfair on the Camelot punters.
Big lucrative Gravy Train for Rich organisers.
We’re just Mugs!
CM
I worked for a charity that was helped by them, so got to know them a bit. Found them brilliant to work with. Most funders ask charities for lots in return, but People’s Postcode Lottery want the charities to thank players only, and they want the charities to use the funds to make the biggest difference to their work.
The government prevents them from being able to offer higher prizes or larger prize funds because they’re regulated under charity lotteries (“society lotteries”) law. Camelot is regulated as the National Lottery which has separate law, and is protected in its unique position to help it do as much good as possible for the UK.
GEH
After watching the recent advert with the likes of George Clooney and many others (those lot won’t do it for free) and the fact that I have played for numerous amount of years and won the odd £10. I have now cancelled. I have played for over seven years so my subscription fee has helped many out. We all got an advent calendar that is pure trash and not fit for purpose. I wish the lottery well with its causes but more and more people are playing and the prize fund hasn’t been increased to reflect this. What the lottery cannot get into their thick heads that people play to win money whilst helping charities yet the cash funds have remained the same, even with the regular daily draws of £30k throughout the year the figures don’t add up especially when this lottery spends over £140m on advertisements. People who have played for years should be winning the larger cash prizes but its only new players who seems to be winning. I also wish this lottery stops telling people what to say “We only play to give to charities” which is a lie, you play to win cash or you would just give directly ta a charity and win zero pounds
As the UK Government wants only the National Lottery to be able to offer truly life-changing prizes, legislation prevents Postcode Lottery, and indeed charities, from offering really high prize amounts. This is to protect the National Lottery for its national role.
The People’s Postcode Lottery is regulated as a “society lottery”. The maximum draw they can have is for £4m and maximum prize can be £400k (10% of the draw). In reality, draws need to be a bit below £4m as it’s illegal for them to go even £1 over or they could lose their licence.
32% of the draw goes directly to charities, which is just amazing (the prize draw calendar on their site shows what charities benefit). It all sounds too good to be true but as someone who worked for a charity who benefits, I can confirm they are genuinely amazing and the easiest funder by a mile to work with. And we got the 32% funds within a week of the draw every time.
They like ongoing relationships with charities to deliver long-term improvement so that the Postcode Lottery money from players is used sustainably – they are truly exceptional and a hugely responsible, most unusual funder. And they ask charities to thank the players, not the organisation, so they’re a very modest bunch.
The Clooney Foundation gets funding from the Postcode Lottery (as published on their site and per press releases), so I am sure George was delighted to do that video free! 🙂
Every draw is independently witnessed. The Gambling Commission audits them regularly (and they’re absolute sticklers). They’re a very responsible organisation who are genuinely there “for people and planet”.
I agree that it’s complicated understanding the draws and prizes and think they could do more to make that easier to understand. Their latest ad helped, I thought. But remember that because of the legislation, they effectively have a brake on growth.
Final note is this is unfortunately a GB-only lottery, as there’s separate legislation in Northern Ireland and the Postcode Lottery operates under a GB licence, so aren’t UK-wide.
Kenny
Won a few £10 sweeteners then nothing, Notice 90% of £30k winners live in a postcode with only 1 or 2 players so they don’t have at pay out a fortune. Also daily £1000 winners always have groups from same area every day