Last updated on: Apr 24, 2025
As one of the newer courier services, San Francisco, Calif.-based Mido (pronounced “my-doh”)Lotto has experienced growing pains. It drew (somewhat unfairly) criticism a few years ago as states pushed back against online lotto play in general. Since competitors are years, if not decades, ahead of Mido Lotto, it might be more fair to see how the brand develops before reviewing it. But with competition heating up in the lottery courier space - where you purchase a ticket online and a representative from an online lotto company buys the ticket on your behalf from a licensed retailer - it’s important for users to know how the main brands perform.
Mido Lotto at a glance
Mido Lotto, launched in 2020 and owned by Lottery Now, Inc., experienced tremendous growth in its first few years on the market. It offers secure lotto ticket sales in seven states. Its user interface is clean and friendly, and its user experience is fun and brightly colored. A cute, digitally-rendered white dog is Mido’s mascot (is his/her name Mido? It’s not clear). Uniquely, the site offers a free ticket to anyone who’s just starting out with Mid Lotto. There are a few great features and promotions, including a $30 referral bonus.
Immediately, seasoned online players will notice that Mido Lotto does things differently than other sites. You’re greeted by a homepage with instructions on how to play, a sparse FAQ option, a login button, and that’s about it. You don’t see state game offerings. Mido Lotto forces you to create a login, fund your account (which incurs a 20% fee), and disable your VPN before you see what games they have to offer and where. It immediately creates the perception of an opportunistic, brazen move in states where Mido Lotto is the only option. This feels like a misguided approach if the company’s goal is competing long-term with brands that let you play first and pay when you’re ready. Otherwise, Mido Lotto is a decent starting option for lotto players in California and Delaware, another state where no other major online lotto courier services are available.
Mido Lotto overview
Mido Lotto, like other courier services, faces an uphill battle in gaining state approval for its service. Just seven states are available right now. It’s an independent service that’s reliable, highly curated, and secure. Place your order online, and the company buys and securesthe physical ticket. You can see it in your account by using the appu at any time. While the service is safe and legal, it’s not easy to find information online about the company, parent company Lottery Now, Inc., or its certifications, history, wins, and other facts. This lack of transparency doesn’t serve it well as a company in an industry that’s under constant scrutiny. In short, Mido Lotto will get the job done (it’s legally required to do so), but if there are other options in your state, you’re better off choosing those until the company goes beyond the bare minimum.
Availability
Gameplay through Mido Lotto is currently available in seven states. Mido Lotto does not list its complete game offerings anywhere. To learn what games you can play, you must be located in the participating state with your VPN disabled, and you must make a deposit. You can also contact Mido Lotto’s offices.
These are the states Mido Lotto serves:
Location restrictions
Mido Lotto complies with state laws and is available in seven states.
- Mido Lotto requires users to disable their VPN so it can pinpoint if they’re in a state they service.
- If you are in a participating state, Mido Lotto will present you with game offerings for that state only.
- You will not be able to see the offerings in your state until you make a deposit.
- You will not receive a lot of messaging surrounding state restrictions, so do your research going in. For example, I tried to log on without disabling my VPN as a test, and the deposit page simply went blank instead of informing me of the issue. This is a common, frustrating occurrence on lotto courier sites whenever VPNs are involved.
How to use it
Mido Lotto is easy to use, but the process of setting up an account is different from other sites.
- Claim a free ticket.
- Players must deposit funds into their Mido Lotto wallet. You must have a verified email with PayPal, which is unfortunate for players who use other payment services.
- Choose games and order tickets that are available in your state.
- Verify yourself as older than 18 (21 in Arizona).
- Mido Lotto fulfills orders and acquires physical tickets through licensed retailers.
- The company will notify you at the time of daw.
- Winnings up to $600 are immediately deposited directly into your account. Winning tickets of more than $600 must be picked up in person at a claim center.
Key features
Friend referral
Earn $30 if you refer a friend to the service. That’s one of the highest cash referrals we’ve seen.
Pool with colleagues
Mido Lotto allows you to pool and create teams. You can chat with each other and manage payments and winnings. This is a really cool feature.
Multi-Draw function
You can bundle multiple games in a single transaction or use the Multi-Draw function in your cart to order up to 10 draws in advance.
Customer service
Unfortunately, Mido Lotto’s customer service is lacking. The FAQ page is sparse (other sites have hundreds of questions answered). If you contact its representatives via email, you must wait 1-2 business days for a response, which is inexcusable when other brands get back to you within minutes. It’s particularly egregious for a brand that has been accused in the past of not paying customers their winnings in a timely fashion. It took about 10 hours to receive an email response to a concern, but it appears an actual human wrote back to me. However, it took me much longer to receive an answer to my follow-up question.
How does Mido Lotto compare with the competition?
We love the free ticket for first-time users. This should be an industry standard. However, Mido Lotto is the only major competitor that makes users deposit their money before seeing what games are available and choosing numbers. Customer service can be slower depending on the time of day, but it does appear to be manned by humans. Company and gameplay information is a struggle to find on the website or anywhere on the internet. Even Mido Lotto’s own “News” section is woefully neglected. If these issues aren’t sorted out, users will no doubt opt for the competition instead, and it would be hard to blame them.
Site security
Physical tickets are kept in a secure location, and only your account will have access to it. Your personal information is protected and will not be sold.
Fees
Mido Lotto charges a 20% service fee on deposits with a $1 base fee. You can put in as much as you’d like and select ‘autofund’ to keep your account replenished. No fees or commissions are taken from winnings. After taxes, the winnings are yours.
History and wins
Mido Lotto was launchedin 2020 and is headquartered in San Francisco. Within a year, the service’s revenue grew by 500%. Various state lottery officials tried to suppress it including in Arizona and California - but Mido persisted.
Mido Lotto does not list its past winners on its, and did not respond to our request for details. It is the only major online lotto courier service that does not include this information on its basic pages.
Does Mido Lotto have an app?
Mido Lotto’s app is available on the App Store, and it functions very well. For Android, it’s available for download on android.midolotto.com. It’s not in the Play Store.
Responsible play features
Mido Lotto’s app includes responsible play features - including spending limits, which can’t be edited for seven days - self-exclusion - which allows you to suspend play for any designated amount of time - daily, weekly, and monthly ordering limits, and information on responsible play and gambling addiction. Unlike other sites, Mido Lotto does not appear to be an organizational memberof the National Council on Problem Gambling, but its offers are similar to competitors.
Takeaway
If you live in California or Delaware, Mido Lotto is a good option because - for now - it’s the only option. The process is easy, clean, and secure. But it’s hard to recommend a courier with poor customer service that takes your money before you get a chance to view the merchandise.
