The short answer is no. A wide range of payment methods can be used at Indian lottery sites, but paying by phone bill is currently not one of them. As far as our research goes, this payment method is actually not available at any lottery site at all but is most commonly found at certain online casinos.
However, let’s take a deeper look at this payment method and explain what it is, how it works and what the best alternatives to it are when buying tickets to international lotteries online from India.
Pay by Phone Bill – What Is It and Where Is It Used?
“Pay by phone bill” is exactly what it sounds like. When making a deposit to a lottery site, the deposited amount would add up as a charge on your monthly phone bill and be paid along with it.
However, if you don’t have a monthly subscription with your phone company, but are using a pre-paid balance, the amount would instead be instantly charged from that balance.
The option of paying by phone bill is made possible via companies such as Boku and Payforit. If offered at a lottery site, these names would be what you’re looking for in the cashier when paying for your tickets.
However, as mentioned, the method is not available at any lottery site as far as we know. Our findings tell us that Boku and Payforit are mostly supported at UK online casinos, commonly referred to as Paybyphone casino sites.
Using the payment method is simple. You enter your phone number at the cashier of the gambling site and receive a text message on your phone, to which you reply. That would be it. The payment would be made instantly.
Is It a Good Payment Method?
There are certain upsides with paying by phone bill, a high level of security being one. As only your mobile phone number would be used at the lottery site, no sensitive details would be shared.
However, in general, we do not recommend this method as there are better alternatives to use; especially for Indians that can pay securely with UPI. The main risk with paying by phone bill has to do with responsible gaming.
As you wouldn’t be instantly charged for your purchase, players who lack control could easily end up spending more money than they should. At the end of the month, when the phone bill is received, they could face a huge bill that they wouldn’t be able to afford to pay.
It’s a similar downside to that of credit cards that let you borrow money to pay by credit.
What Are the Best Indian Alternatives?
With paying by phone bill being a mobile payment solution, some of the best alternatives that Indian players can use at lottery sites include:
Most players prefer UPI as it is not only convenient but also highly secure. However, at certain lottery sites, you will be asked to go through a one-time verification process on your first UPI deposit. This would involve providing the lottery site with a photocopy of a driver’s license, PAN card, or Aadhaar card.
Such verification would not be necessary with MuchBetter. At many lottery sites, you could also pay for your tickets using Skrill, Neteller, or debit cards, which wouldn’t require such verification either. That being said, the verification process is completely secure, although a bit inconvenient.
