Is a USDT Crypto Lottery Legit? How to Tell — and What to Avoid
The scam problem is real
Crypto lottery scams are rampant. The most common version works like this: you receive an unsolicited message — on Telegram, WhatsApp, or social media — telling you that you've won a large USDT prize. To claim it, you need to pay a "tax", "processing fee", or "release fee" first. You pay. The winnings never arrive.
One documented case involved a user told they had won 500,000 USDT and needed to pay a fee upfront before it could be released. There were no winnings. There never are.
That type of scam has nothing to do with entering a legitimate crypto lottery. But because the word "lottery" is attached to it, it poisons the well — people become (reasonably) suspicious of anything in this space.
This article gives you a concrete checklist for evaluating any USDT lottery before you put money in. It also explains how CryptoPot is specifically designed to address the most common failure points.
The golden rule: you never pay to claim winnings
If any message, email, website, or person tells you that you need to pay a fee — any fee, for any reason — before you can receive lottery winnings, it is a scam. Full stop.
A legitimate lottery takes its cut from the prize pool before paying out. There are no fees collected after the draw. No tax. No processing charge. No "wallet activation" cost.
If you didn't enter it, you didn't win it. Unsolicited winning notifications are always fraudulent.
8 things to check before entering any crypto lottery
1. Are the payment addresses hardcoded or configurable?
This is the single most important technical question. On the old CryptoPot site — and on many poorly-built crypto platforms — the receiving wallet address was stored in the database and editable through an admin form. An attacker who gained access could silently redirect all incoming payments to their own wallet.
On a properly built platform, the payment receiving address and API keys live in environment variables on the server. Changing them requires a code deployment — not a form submission. There is no UI for editing them.
What to look for: Does the platform publicly document its security model? Do they explain where credentials are stored?
CryptoPot: Payment addresses and API keys are stored as server-side environment variables only. They cannot be changed through any admin interface.
2. Are all payout attempts logged?
When a payout is sent, is there an immutable record of it? The record should include: the recipient address, the amount, the timestamp, and the outcome (success or failure). If something goes wrong, can you see what was attempted?
What to look for: Does the platform have a visible payout log or history? Do they acknowledge that failed payouts exist and explain how they are handled?
CryptoPot: Every payout attempt is logged with the recipient address, amount, time, and status. The admin panel shows failed payouts and allows manual retry or escalation. Nothing is dropped silently.
3. Do they use a recognised payment processor?
Payments should flow through a legitimate third-party processor — not directly into an anonymous wallet controlled by the operator. A payment processor provides transaction records, confirmation tracking, and a separation between the player's payment and the operator's wallet.
What to look for: CoinPayments, NOWPayments, and similar processors are used by legitimate platforms. An anonymous wallet address with no processor in between is a red flag.
CryptoPot: Incoming payments are processed via NOWPayments. Outgoing payouts are sent via NOWPayments mass withdrawal API to each winner's own registered wallet address.
4. Is the payout address your wallet — or theirs?
When you win, where does the money go? On a legitimate platform, winnings are sent directly to the wallet address you registered. You do not need to log in and "withdraw" into a separate on-site balance, and you are not dependent on the platform's own custodial wallet.
What to look for: Does the platform send winnings directly to your personal wallet, or do they hold the funds in an internal balance first?
CryptoPot: Winnings are sent directly to your registered USDT BEP20 wallet address via NOWPayments mass withdrawal. There is no internal balance to withdraw from.
5. Are the draw mechanics clearly explained?
A legitimate lottery should be able to explain exactly how the draw works — how the winning ticket is selected, when it happens, and who can observe the outcome. Vague answers ("our algorithm picks a winner") are a red flag.
What to look for: Is the draw schedule published? Is the selection method explained? Are results posted publicly?
CryptoPot: The draw runs every Sunday at 8:00 PM Atlantic Standard Time (AST). One ticket is drawn at random from the eligible pool. Winning numbers and partial winner information are posted publicly on the homepage after each draw.
6. Are the prize percentages published?
You should know before you enter what percentage of the pot goes to winners. If the platform won't tell you the pot split, assume it is unfavourable.
What to look for: Published breakdown of where ticket revenue goes — winner pool percentage, platform fee, affiliate share.
CryptoPot: 80% of the pot goes to the winners pool. 15% covers platform operations. 5% goes to the affiliate pool. These percentages are fixed and published.
7. Do they have a clear entry process — with a deadline?
Legitimate lotteries have open and close times for ticket sales. If a platform lets you "enter" at any time with no draw deadline, it is not running a real lottery — it is either a casino game or a scam collecting money indefinitely.
What to look for: Published ticket sale open/close times. A fixed draw schedule. Results posted after each draw.
CryptoPot: Tickets close every Sunday at 6:00 PM AST. The draw fires at 8:00 PM AST. Results are published the same evening.
8. Can you verify the platform has actually paid previous winners?
Past behaviour is the strongest signal. Has the platform documented real payouts? Are there transaction records on-chain? Do winners show up on the public results page?
What to look for: Public winner announcements with partial wallet addresses and amounts. On-chain payment confirmation. Payout history that goes back more than one draw.
CryptoPot: Every draw result is posted on the homepage with the winning numbers, partial wallet addresses of winners, and payout amounts. Payments are made on the Binance Smart Chain and are verifiable on-chain.
Red flags — walk away if you see these
- You were contacted out of nowhere and told you won something you never entered
- You are asked to pay any fee before receiving winnings
- The platform cannot explain how the draw works
- The receiving wallet address is displayed in an admin settings form
- There is no published draw schedule or ticket close deadline
- The platform holds your funds in an internal balance rather than paying directly to your wallet
- No prior draw results are published anywhere
What legitimate crypto lotteries look like
A legitimate USDT lottery is transparent about its mechanics, uses a recognised payment processor, sends winnings directly to player wallets, publishes draw results, and logs all payout attempts. It earns money by taking a fixed percentage of the pot — not by manipulating outcomes or charging hidden fees.
CryptoPot was built specifically around these principles, in part because the previous version of the site had real security issues (a compromised admin interface that could redirect payment addresses). The current build stores all payment credentials server-side only, logs every payout immutably, and publishes results publicly after every draw.
See how CryptoPot's draw process works →
Ready to enter?
If you've done your due diligence and you're comfortable with how CryptoPot works, tickets for this week's draw are open now.
Don't have a USDT BEP20 wallet yet? Here's how to set one up →
CryptoPot draw runs every Sunday at 8:00 PM Atlantic Standard Time (AST). Ticket sales close at 6:00 PM AST. All payouts sent automatically to registered wallet addresses via NOWPayments.
Enter This Week's Draw
Pick 5 numbers from 1–35. Tickets close Sunday 6 PM AST — draw at 8 PM.
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