Startup Spotlight: Win cash, support your team with Lotter-e

Football, the Internet and the lottery, all in one place -- how can you go wrong? The Premiership Lotter-e ("It's a whole new ball game") has a hunch people will flock to its new service, which launched in March ahead of Euro 2000 -- even though the tournament has come to an early end for England. The site is England's first fully registered online lottery, with 20 percent of each online "ticket" going to Premier League clubs chosen by the player. Draws take place at 6pm each Thursday -- and there's not a Dale Winton in sight! Each entry costs one pound and involves selecting five numbers between one and 30. In keeping with the low costs of running a Net company, the site insists it pays out a greater percentage of revenues than other lotteries -- 53 percent -- which guarantees a weekly jackpot of £20,000. And let's not forget e-commerce: Lotter-e has a small but expanding shop where you can buy football games and merchandise out of your lottery account. Win money and spend it on the same site! Founder Andrew della Casa says in starting the business, football and lotteries were an obvious choice. "I was trying to achieve a product that would be attractive to a large number of people," he says. For those of us who couldn't tell Kevin Keegan from Ronald McDonald, however, Lotter-e is planning expansion into rugby and charities. Site: The Premiership Lotter-e (lotter-e.co.uk)
What it does: World's first Internet football lottery
How it works: You pay a pound and choose five numbers between one and 30 -- draws on Thursdays, and no receipt to get lost under the sofa. A proportion of takings goes to your team
Who's it for: Football fanatics who want to get rich quick
Why the Net? Lower operating costs mean a higher percentage paid out in prizes -- 53 percent Startup Spotlight brings you the coolest new Web sites every week. For more see the Spotlight archive. See techTrader for more technology investment news, plus quotes and research.