Frequently asked questions

LotoAsso is an online platform for associations that run fundraising lotteries. It brings together tools to prepare your cards, sell tickets online (e-ticketing), track sales, and run your draws—including LotoAsso Live for on-screen display. Players can create a free account to join lotos and follow events.

No. In the Official Journal of 20 January 2026, the Ministry of the Interior answered that “running the traditional lotteries defined in article L. 322-4 of the CSI online is not compliant with the law” (written question no. 2417). The official website service-public.gouv.fr says the same: a traditional loto “must be held in person” and “cannot be held online or remotely, in particular over the internet or by video conference”. Gambling is banned in principle (art. L. 320-1 of the Internal Security Code). The traditional loto is only allowed as an exception (art. L. 322-4), when all of these conditions are met: • organized by someone who is not a gambling operator, such as an association; • within a restricted circle; • for a cause allowed by law: social, cultural, sporting, educational, humanitarian, etc.; • stakes under €20; • prizes never in cash (non-refundable gift vouchers remain possible). When the law allows a game online, it says so expressly (sports betting, horse-race betting, poker). It does not do so for traditional lotos, and no text makes an exception for hybrid, partly remote formats. LotoAsso does not organize any loto and is not a gambling operator: its tools support a loto played in a hall, with players present. Full details and sources on our page about the rules for association lotos. Sources: https://lotoasso.com/en/reglementation-loto https://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q17/17-2417QE.htm https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F21565

Yes. The Free plan costs nothing, needs no credit card and has no time limit. Each calendar year it includes one active loto of your choice (prizes, cards, games and draws), the LotoAsso Live draw software, the LotoAsso Scan entrance app, the LotoAsso Play player app and a listing in the loto calendar. Need one more loto that year? The Loto Pass is a one-time payment of €14.90, with no subscription: it unlocks that loto and adds the Finances module, with no ads for you or your players. The Pro plan, a monthly or annual subscription with no commitment, makes all your lotos active, removes ads from the portal, lets you remove the LotoAsso branding from your cards and gives you priority support. See the Pricing page for details. For players, everything is free.

LotoAsso Live is LotoAsso's draw software, free and included in every plan. It installs on Windows 10 / 11 (Microsoft Store) and macOS; a web version works as a fallback on other computers. During the loto, it opens two screens: • the host's control screen: draw, game sequence, checking and recording wins; • the projection screen for the hall (TV or projector): latest numbers, board, prizes in play and sponsors. You can keep your ball cage and click each number as it comes out, or let Live draw at random. Every number is announced out loud and winning cards are detected automatically. Trial mode lets you rehearse the day before with your real loto, without sending anything to the portal or to players.

Yes, with the LotoAsso Live desktop app. You just need to have opened the loto once online on the loto computer (the day before, for example). After that, with no network: • the draw, the board and voice announcements work; • the projection screen works; • winning cards are still detected; • drawn numbers and wins are kept in memory, then sent to the portal automatically as soon as the connection is back. Only players following on LotoAsso Play stop receiving numbers during the outage. The web version of Live needs internet: for a hall with poor coverage, use the desktop app.

In the LotoAsso portal, Cards section: 1. Generate your cards in batches (batch number and quantity). 2. Customize them if you like: colors, font, association name and logo, title, footer. 3. Print them as a PDF, 2 or 3 cards per page. Each card has 15 numbers on 3 rows, its own number, a serial number and a QR code. That is what lets LotoAsso Live check a winning card instantly, and lets players add it to LotoAsso Play with a single scan. Before the loto, make sure the cards handed out have the “Sold” status: Live only detects those automatically.

Yes, in two ways: • add them to the portal as third-party cards: with the keyboard, by photographing them with a phone (Loto Pass or Pro plan) or from an Excel file. Once sold, LotoAsso Live detects and checks the winners automatically; • or keep your paper cards as they are: in LotoAsso Live, the host checks the card and records the win using the card's number. For players, LotoAsso Play works with any paper card: just take a photo or type in its numbers.

In the portal, each game is split into stages, each with its own prizes: • 1 line (quine): at least one complete row on the card; • 2 lines (double quine): at least two complete rows; • full house (carton plein): all 15 numbers on the card. A classic game runs 1 line, 2 lines, then full house, keeping the numbers already drawn; a game can also have a single stage. On the day, LotoAsso Live follows this program and the host moves to the next stage with one click. They can also start a free game to improvise.

With LotoAsso Play, the free player app. It opens in the phone's browser (lotoasso.com/play), with nothing to download and no account required. • The player scans the QR code shown in the hall, or types in the loto code. • They add their cards: scan the QR code of LotoAsso cards, take a photo (one card or a whole sheet) or type in the numbers. • Drawn numbers arrive live, cards are marked automatically and an alert tells them when one of them wins. Play does not replace calling out in the hall: to win, players still announce it out loud, as usual. For a loto run without LotoAsso Live, the “Start freely” mode lets players mark numbers by hand.

Check the LotoAsso loto calendar (lotoasso.com/agenda), free of charge. You can search by town, by department, on the map or in the calendar, and filter weekend lotos or those offering a bar, food, wheelchair access or parking. Each listing shows the venue, the date and, when the organizer has provided them, opening times, prizes and card prices. With a free player account, you can also create alerts so you never miss a new loto.

Listing in the LotoAsso calendar is free. • If you prepare your loto in the portal: on its dashboard, switch the “Loto calendar” card to “Published”. The “Share” button gives you the listing link and its QR code for posters and social media, and the card shows the number of views. • Otherwise, use “Propose a Loto” from the calendar (date, times, venue, on-site services, prizes, prices, flyer…). The listing appears after review. Your loto is already in the calendar? LotoAsso picks up lotos published on other calendars: from the listing, “Claim this listing” lets you manage it.

Yes, with e-ticketing. In the portal, turn it on in the loto's Ticketing section (Settings) and set the number of seats; the loto must be listed in the calendar. Participants register from the loto's calendar listing and receive a named PDF ticket with a QR code. On the day, volunteers at the entrance scan tickets with LotoAsso Scan, which opens on any phone: the result fills the screen (valid ticket, already scanned or unknown) and the ticket list shows who has arrived and who is still missing. Scan can also check that a card someone presents really belongs to your loto.

No. A traditional loto needs no prior authorization as long as it stays within article L.322-4 of the Internal Security Code: restricted circle, social, cultural, sporting, educational or humanitarian cause, stakes under €20 and never cash prizes (see the question on online lotos). A few steps still apply: • tell your insurer, to cover the event, volunteers and participants; • declare any music played to SACEM; • for a bar, apply to the town hall for a temporary drinks licence at least 15 days ahead (5 per year per association); • book the hall, often through the town hall. The guide “How to organize an association loto” covers each step.

Prizes must be in kind: never cash, although non-refundable vouchers are allowed. Household appliances, tech, gift hampers, vouchers from local shops, short breaks, show tickets… They can be bought by the association or donated by local sponsors in exchange for visibility. In LotoAsso, you enter prizes one by one or import them from Excel. During the loto, LotoAsso Live shows the prizes in play and your sponsors on screen. For ideas, see the Prize ideas page.

For a traditional loto, the law requires stakes under €20. Many associations offer sliding prices that encourage buying several cards, for example €3 per card and €10 for 4. To set your prices, start from your costs (prizes, hall, printing, insurance, SACEM) and the number of players you expect. LotoAsso's profitability simulator, free and with no sign-up, calculates your profit and the minimum number of players needed to cover your costs. Don't forget bar takings, which are often significant.

No. LotoAsso is just a set of digital tools designed to help the organizer manage and host their loto. LotoAsso never replaces the organizer or the host, but remains a digital support to make all the logistical steps easier.

Yes. One account is enough for several associations and several lotos: you switch from one association or loto to another in the portal. On the Free plan, you create one association and can join others with their invitation code. You can create as many lotos as you like, with one active loto per calendar year. To unlock another loto that year, buy it a Loto Pass (€14.90, one-time payment). The Pro plan lets you create several associations and makes all your lotos active.

Yes, it’s completely possible. With a single user account, you can easily switch between the organizer portal and the player portal, enabling a smooth experience for your participation and roles across different lotos.