An online site called Lotto Spring illegally is targeting Australian bettors with promises of “seven ways to win” based on global lotteries outcomes.
Consumer watchdog site WA ScamNet reports an Australian woman contacted it to report unauthorized deductions from her Lotto Spring account. The woman said she could not resolve the problem, because Lotto Spring’s operator is located in the British Virgin Islands and Curacao.
Unlike traditional lotteries, Lotto Spring allows bettors to wager on the outcomes of various lotteries, such as the EuroMillions, without buying a lottery ticket.
Lotto Spring also gives participants a refund or partial reimbursement of the entry fees they pay each month, or free tickets for referring others to the site. Those who refer at least four others to the site also are offered a share of winnings of the people they referred.
WA ScamNET claims Lotto Spring runs a scheme in which bettors are not given the same protections they would have if they bet on licensed Australian lotteries. Tax implications also arise when laying a winning wager on a foreign lottery.
Australia’s interim Commissioner for Protection WA David Hillyard said Lotto Spring is not licensed to operate in Australia, and illegally marketed its service on Facebook and in at least one Australian newspaper.
