What does loto mean?
Loto is a game of chance closely associated with selecting numbered cards or combinations and comparing them with numbers drawn at random. A player may buy a ticket or card, choose a permitted range of numbers, and win if the relevant numbers match those drawn, with prizes varying according to the degree of the match. The term is sometimes used broadly for a national or regional lottery, but it can also refer to a bingo-like game in which numbers are marked on a card. Although “lottery” is the more usual general word in everyday English, “loto” remains common where it names a particular number game or a locally familiar form of lottery. Its vocabulary is associated with chance, anticipation, and the possibility of a substantial prize. Loto is also distinctive as a direct borrowing from Spanish, while the related English word “lotto” refers more specifically to a game in which numbers are selected and drawn.
nounA game of chance or lottery in which players select numbered cards or combinations, hoping that the numbers they have chosen will be drawn. In some contexts, the term specifically denotes a bingo-like number-matching game.
- A game of chance or lottery in which players select numbered cards or combinations and win when the numbers they have chosen are drawn.
"She plays loto every week, always selecting the same carefully chosen set of numbers."
"The loto results were announced shortly after nine o'clock."
"They spent the evening playing loto with friends and a pile of scratch-off tickets."
The plural is uncommon because the word is normally used in the singular when referring to a game or lottery.
"The two lotos were played every Saturday afternoon."
Loto combines the suspense of a number draw with the familiar number-matching structure of bingo.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does loto come from?
The English word entered through Spanish loto, meaning a lottery or draw, which was borrowed from Italian lotto. The related English words “lotto” and “lottery” developed through Italian and French forms of the same broad European vocabulary associated with drawing lots. English use of “loto” became established for number-based games of chance, especially through the names and terminology of national lotteries.
How loto is actually used
Loto is a loanword and is less common in everyday English than lottery. In some countries it may refer specifically to a government-operated numbers game, while other uses describe a bingo-like number-matching game.
Easily confused with loto
Loto may describe a number-matching lottery or a bingo-like game, whereas lotto usually refers to a lottery in which players select numbers that are then drawn.