Syndicates
There's strength in numbers
More players, more chances, more special moments
Playing National Lottery games with a syndicate is a great way to share the thrill of playing the nation’s favourite games. There’s something very special about celebrating a win with friends, family or work colleagues.
Ready to play? Choose a game for your syndicate:
Setting up a syndicate is easy peasy
Build your dream team
Playing as a group can be a lot more fun than playing alone and celebrating a win with others can be so much more rewarding – especially when it’s a big jackpot! But first things first – get some friends, family or work colleagues together and get the ball rolling.
Top tips for building your team
- Recruit your dream team – syndicates can be made up of friends, family or even work colleagues. In fact, two thirds of current syndicates are work based*, with syndicate managers starting them up to inject some fun and social interaction into the workplace.
- Agree how it will work – there are no set ways of how to play within a syndicate but agreeing guidelines upfront will provide peace of mind for your team.
- Stay connected – social media is a great way to keep in touch with your team in between draws. You can send your syndicate team payment reminders, confirmation of draw entries and of course those exciting win alerts!
*Syndicates research 2017.
Agree how the syndicate will work
Before you play, get organised
Setting up a syndicate agreement from the very start will provide ease and peace of mind for both the syndicate manager and the other members. As all payments are taken from, and all prizes are paid only to, the syndicate manager, it is important that everyone knows and are in agreement with how regularly payments are paid and how the prizes will be distributed to the syndicate members.
Here are a few things to consider before starting your syndicate:
- Agree who the manager is
- Which games, draws, how many lines will be played?
- How and when will payments be made?
- What happens if someone misses a payment?
- How and when will prizes be shared – or will they be reinvested?
- Will the group want publicity in the event of a big win?
- How will the group communicate a large win – and to who?
You may want to use our sample syndicate agreement as a starting point.
Registering with The National Lottery
If you're planning on playing online, the syndicate manager will need to register online and list themselves as the syndicate manager. If the syndicate manager already has a National Lottery account, they should use their existing account to play the syndicate's lines. They can update their status to syndicate manager within their account settings. Only one account per player is permitted, so if you have an account, you should not set up a new account for syndicate play.
Your syndicate agreement
Get everyone to sign a syndicate agreement and make sure everyone has a copy. If you win, it will make life a whole lot easier.
Start playing and having fun!
Ready to play? Choose your games
Your syndicate can play any National Lottery draw-based game – in other words:
The syndicate will not be limited to one game, giving you even more chances to win.
Ways to play
In-store – for those syndicate managers that prefer to have their pink tickets physically in their hands, playing a syndicate in-store is a great option. Syndicates can be played in any retail store that sells The National Lottery, the syndicate manager just needs to fill in a playslip(s) for the games and number of weeks the team wants to play. The retailer will then provide the syndicate manager with a printed pink ticket for the selected draws.
Online – syndicate managers that prefer to keep things digital can opt to purchase the syndicate’s games online. The manager will need to set up or use their own personal National Lottery account and register themselves as a syndicate manager. Playing online means that your syndicate will never have the worry of losing a ticket, your syndicate manager will be contacted by e-mail if you’ve had any wins. It is then the syndicate manager’s responsibility to distribute any winnings amongst the syndicate members.
Tips on payments
To ensure you receive regular payments from all members in your syndicate, why not agree a regular day on which payments are made? If all payments from the syndicate group are not received on time it can be frustrating for the team and cause disruption to the flow of play.
Sharing your winnings!
The fun part – claiming your prize
It’s important to remember that prizes are paid to the syndicate manager and not to the syndicate group members individually. The manager then shares the winnings with the rest of the syndicate or reinvests the wins into future play – it's all dependent on what is stated in your syndicate agreement. Whether you have bought your tickets in retail or online, click here to find out how to claim your prize.
Syndicate FAQs
1. What is a syndicate?
A syndicate is a group of people that play National Lottery tickets together. When the syndicate win prizes, the money is shared between the group, according to the syndicate agreement. The main benefit of a syndicate of course is that it enables the group to buy more lines and improve their potential to win a prize. Plus, it’s a lot of fun playing in a group.
2. What are the responsibilities of the syndicate manager?
A syndicate manager is responsible for ensuring payments are made, tickets are bought on time and syndicate members are kept informed of results. The manager is also responsible for distributing winnings amongst the members (as all payments will be made to them) and ensuring that all members are in agreement for how the prizes are paid out or if they are reinvested to future play.
3. Is there a maximum number of people allowed in a syndicate?
No. You can have as many people as you like – the more the merrier. Bear in mind though, while a large group increases your chances of winning, the pay-outs become smaller.
4. Do we have to set up a syndicate agreement?
It’s not essential, but it’s a good idea to set up an agreement beforehand. This will ensure the syndicate is run without disruptions and with everyone’s name on the agreement it helps to avoid any misunderstandings in the event of a win! It also helps to keep the syndicate running smoothly and gives all members peace of mind.
5. How can we purchase tickets?
That’s down to the syndicate manager’s preference of what works best for them. They can either buy in a shop or purchase online through a computer or mobile device. If they choose to buy online they will either need to play through their personal National Lottery account or set one up if they do not already have one.
6. I already have an account – can I set up a separate one for my syndicate?
No. All online players are only eligible for one online account so each syndicate manager that chooses to play online, must play the syndicate lines through their own personal account.
7. How can I be sure the tickets have been purchased?
If you play online, the tickets purchased will show in your syndicate manager’s online account. To confirm to the members of the group that they are in the draw, syndicate managers can always share screen shots with the group to confirm that they are in the draw(s). If you play in-store, it’s often useful for the syndicate manager to a take a photo of or photocopy the pink ticket(s) to share with the team – and of course keeping them in a safe place is hugely important.
8. How will syndicate prizes won be divided?
Whether the manager chooses to play online or in-store, all prizes will be paid in full to the syndicate manager of the group. It is then the responsibility of the syndicate manager to distribute the winnings in accordance with the syndicate agreement. It is important to have a syndicate agreement to provide group clarity of how prizes will be paid out and when or whether they will be reinvested for the group play. Full details on claiming prizes can be found here.
9. Do we need to officially state we are a syndicate?
If a syndicate is played online, the syndicate manager will need to register or update their account to state that they are a syndicate manager. For tickets bought in retail store, this is not required. However you play your syndicate, the best way to ensure your winnings are tax-free is to set up a syndicate agreement. It creates a formal document with names of players and should be signed by an independent witness. Having such an agreement in place helps prove to the tax man that payments made to syndicate players aren’t ‘gifts’.
