Cookie Policy
Effective Date: 15th October 2025
1. Introduction
Welcome to FreeLotto.club ("we", "our", "us"). This Cookie Policy explains how we use cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website at freelotto.club.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), and other applicable data protection laws.
⚡ Quick Summary
- Essential cookies are automatically set to make our site work
- Optional cookies (analytics and advertising) require your consent
- You can manage your preferences at any time using the cookie settings button
- Rejecting optional cookies means you'll see non-personalised ads instead
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, or tablet) when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and provide information to website owners.
Cookies can be:
- Session cookies: Temporary cookies that are deleted when you close your browser
- Persistent cookies: Cookies that remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them
- First-party cookies: Set by the website you're visiting
- Third-party cookies: Set by external services we use (like Google Analytics or AdSense)
3. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
- Essential functionality: To enable core features like account login, security, and session management
- Performance and analytics: To understand how visitors use our site and improve user experience
- Advertising: To display relevant advertisements and measure their effectiveness
- Preferences: To remember your settings such as language and currency preferences
4. Types of Cookies We Use
🔒 Strictly Necessary Cookies (Essential)
These cookies are essential for the website to function properly and cannot be switched off. They are usually only set in response to actions you take, such as logging in, setting privacy preferences, or filling in forms. Without these cookies, our services cannot be provided.
Legal Basis: Legitimate interest (essential for website functionality)
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Maintains your session state and enables core website functionality, security features, and user authentication | Session (deleted when browser closes) | First-party |
| freelotto_consent | Stores your cookie consent preferences so we remember your choice | 365 days | First-party |
| area | Stores your account type for login purposes | Session | First-party |
| un | Stores your username for account authentication | Session | First-party |
| uid | Stores your unique user identifier for session management | Session | First-party |
| name | Stores your display name for personalisation within your account | Session | First-party |
⚙️ Functional Cookies (Requires Consent)
These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we use. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these features may not function properly.
Legal Basis: Consent
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| geo | Stores your geographical location for service monitoring and regional settings | Persistent | First-party |
| flag | Remembers your language, currency, and regional preferences (defaults to UK if not set) | Persistent | First-party |
| sponsor | Tracks referral information for new member registration and rewards | Persistent | First-party |
📊 Analytics Cookies (Requires Consent)
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website. We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous information about page visits, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns. This helps us improve our website and services.
Legal Basis: Consent
Third-party provider: Google LLC
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Distinguishes unique users and generates statistical data about website usage | 2 years | Third-party (Google) |
| _ga_* | Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state and collect analytics data | 2 years | Third-party (Google) |
| _gid | Distinguishes users and stores information about how visitors use the website | 24 hours | Third-party (Google) |
| _gat | Used to throttle the request rate to Google Analytics servers | 1 minute | Third-party (Google) |
For more information about Google Analytics cookies, please visit: Google Analytics Cookie Usage
📢 Advertising Cookies (Requires Consent)
These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are relevant to you. We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. These cookies track your browsing activity to show you personalised ads and measure advertising effectiveness.
Legal Basis: Consent
Third-party provider: Google LLC (AdSense and DoubleClick)
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| __gads | Registers a unique ID to display and measure the effectiveness of advertisements | 13 months | Third-party (Google AdSense) |
| __gpi | Used for advertising campaign attribution and effectiveness measurement | 13 months | Third-party (Google AdSense) |
| __eoi | Measures ad performance and tracks conversions from Google advertisements | 6 months | Third-party (Google AdSense) |
| IDE | Used by DoubleClick (Google) to serve targeted advertisements and measure campaign performance | 13 months | Third-party (DoubleClick) |
| DSID | Identifies a signed-in user across websites and is used for ad targeting | 2 weeks | Third-party (DoubleClick) |
| test_cookie | Checks whether the user's browser supports cookies | 15 minutes | Third-party (DoubleClick) |
| _gcl_au | Used by Google AdSense for conversion tracking and attribution | 90 days | Third-party (Google) |
Important: If you reject advertising cookies, you will still see advertisements on our website, but they will not be personalised to your interests. FreeLotto.club remains free thanks to advertising revenue.
For more information about Google's advertising cookies and privacy practices:
5. Google Consent Mode v2
We implement Google Consent Mode v2, which ensures that Google services (Analytics and AdSense) respect your cookie preferences. When you make a consent choice:
- If you accept: All cookies are enabled, including analytics and personalised advertising
- If you reject: Only essential cookies are used, and Google services operate in a limited, privacy-preserving mode with non-personalised advertisements
Your consent preferences are stored in the cookie and respected across all pages on our website.
6. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have several options to control and manage cookies:
On Our Website
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the Cookie Settings button (usually located at the bottom of the page). This allows you to:
- Accept all cookies
- Reject optional cookies (keeping only essential ones)
- Review what cookies we use
In Your Browser
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can usually find these settings in the "Options" or "Preferences" menu of your browser. Here are links to cookie management for popular browsers:
Please note: Blocking or deleting essential cookies may affect the functionality of our website, and some features may not work properly.
Opt-Out of Interest-Based Advertising
You can opt out of personalised advertising from Google and other advertising networks:
7. Third-Party Cookies and Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites and services. Please note that we do not control the cookies used by these external sites. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies and cookie policies of any third-party websites you visit.
The third-party services we use include:
- Google Analytics - for website analytics and performance monitoring
- Google AdSense/DoubleClick - for displaying advertisements
8. Data Protection and Privacy
We take your privacy seriously. The information collected through cookies is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws, including:
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)
- Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)
- Data Protection Act 2018
For more information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal data, please read our Privacy Policy.
9. Your Rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
- Right to access: You can request a copy of the data we hold about you
- Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate data
- Right to erasure: You can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
- Right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit how we use your data
- Right to data portability: You can request your data in a portable format
- Right to object: You can object to certain types of processing
- Right to withdraw consent: You can change your cookie preferences at any time
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 11.
10. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:
FreeLotto.club
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://freelotto.club
12. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we handle your data or cookies, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority:
- UK: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- EU: Your local data protection authority - find yours at EDPB Members
Version: 2.1
Previous Version Date: 1st Oct 2025
Cookie Consent Solution: Custom Implementation with Google Consent Mode v2
