Ever tried to buy a ticket or check results on the National Lottery app late at night and wondered if it actually closes? It feels always-on, but some features do have set hours.
In this guide, you’ll find clear answers on when you can buy tickets, what happens during maintenance, and how to check if the app is down. That way, you can plan your play without surprises.

You can open the National Lottery app at any time, but a few features follow set schedules.
Ticket sales:
Sales for most draw games close at 7:30pm on draw days. For example, Lotto closes on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and EuroMillions closes on Tuesdays and Fridays. After the cut-off, you can still browse results, view your account, or buy tickets for future draws, but not for that evening’s draw.
Maintenance periods:
From time to time, the app is taken offline for essential maintenance, typically late at night or in the early hours. During these short windows, some features may be unavailable so systems can be updated and kept secure.
Checking results and other features:
You can usually view past results, manage your account, and explore upcoming draws at any time. If maintenance is in progress, there may be brief interruptions.
If you plan to buy or check numbers late at night, expect the occasional pause for updates.
The app itself is available to open around the clock. You can log in, look over your account, and browse upcoming draws whenever it suits.
Games and ticket sales are different. These follow daily windows and close shortly before each draw, usually early evening on draw days. After the cut-off, purchases move to future draws instead.
Top-ups, withdrawals, and other payments can also pause briefly during system updates, most often overnight. These interruptions are short, but worth keeping in mind if you use the app outside usual hours.
For everyday tasks like checking past results, updating details, or planning entries for future draws, the app is available almost all the time.
Short overnight pauses can occur when updates are being installed, and ticket sales stop before each draw as noted earlier. Outside those moments, you can still sign in and manage your account whenever you like.
Curious about those updates and how they are communicated? Let’s look at scheduled maintenance next.
Yes. Scheduled maintenance happens occasionally to keep the app safe and stable. It is usually timed for quieter hours, often late at night or early morning, to minimise disruption.
During maintenance, features such as ticket purchases, results, or account sections may be unavailable for a short period. You will normally see an in-app message or notice on the website explaining what is happening and when normal service will resume.
Most players will rarely notice these windows, but it helps to know they can appear from time to time.
They do. Each draw has a firm cut-off shortly before it takes place. Once that deadline passes, entries for that draw close and any purchase you make will be for a future draw instead.
If you tend to play near the deadline, leave a little buffer. App traffic can spike close to draw time and maintenance can also be scheduled overnight, so buying earlier reduces the chance of missing the window.
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If something is not loading or a feature seems unavailable, there are a couple of quick ways to find out why.
Visit the official website in your browser. Look for a service status or announcements page that flags planned maintenance or unexpected issues. If there is a wider outage, you will usually see it noted there.
Open your device’s app store to see if an update is available. Outdated versions can behave unpredictably. It is also worth checking your internet connection, storage space, and permissions, as each can affect app performance.
If the status page shows no issue but the app still will not open for you, a few simple checks usually sort things out.
Close the app fully and open it again to refresh the session. A brief restart often clears temporary glitches. If that does not help, check your connection on Wi-Fi and mobile data, then try switching between them to rule out a network problem.
Keeping everything updated makes a difference. Install the latest version of the app from your app store and, if prompted, update your device’s operating system as well. A quick phone restart can also help the app reconnect cleanly.
If problems continue after these checks, visit the official website to see if there is an outage notice or to contact support for tailored help.
If the app goes offline while you are using it, tickets you bought beforehand remain stored in your account and will still be entered into any draws you joined.
If a purchase or payment does not complete while offline, it will not be charged unless the transaction is confirmed. When service returns, you can check your account and transaction history to see what went through. In some cases you might notice a pending bank authorisation that settles or reverses once the status is confirmed.
All transactions are protected by security measures, so temporary outages do not put your purchases at risk.
Notifications can help you keep on top of closing times and planned downtime. Within the app’s settings, choose the alerts you want, such as draw reminders, cut-off notices, or service messages.
If the app needs to pause for maintenance, you may see a message when you open it or receive a push notification, depending on your settings. Also check your device’s notification permissions so the alerts you choose can come through.
That way, you are less likely to be caught out by a closing window or a short pause for updates.
If you have tried the usual checks and the app still will not open, contact the Customer Care team through the details on the official website. Phone is often quickest, but live chat and email are available if you prefer.
Having your account details ready helps the team investigate more quickly. They can confirm whether there is a broader technical issue or guide you through fixes specific to your device.
While you wait, you can still visit the website to view results or manage your account. With ticket sales closing before each draw and occasional maintenance overnight, a quick status check or a call to support usually gets you back on track.
**The information provided in this blog is intended for educational purposes and should not be construed as betting advice or a guarantee of success. Always gamble responsibly.