Unfortunately, playing the lottery does not automatically mean that you also hit the mega jackpot. In this article about winning the lottery, we give you some tips on how to win the lottery and what are the chances of taking home the grand prize. Also, we have prepared information for you about popular lottery games at casinos not on Gamstop in different countries of the world.
Everyone dreams of winning the lottery at some point, even if they don’t buy a ticket. In this article, we list the most popular lottery games from many European, African, Asian, and other countries. You are guaranteed to find something interesting and appealing for you on our list. And we even tell you what you can do if you actually win the lottery.
In the table below, you can see the different sections of the article and jump directly there with one click. Otherwise, we will first explain the definition of lottery to you in the text, go into the history and introduce you to popular lottery games from all over the world. The final section is then dedicated to lottery winners and their exciting winning stories.
What Is a Lottery?
The dictionary defines the word “lottery” as “a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and awarding prizes to the holders of the randomly drawn numbers. “It may surprise you that little has changed since the game was first recorded in China 205-187 boc. The first raffle was held in the Han Dynasty – to fund the construction of the Great Wall of China.
Historical Lottery Balls With Winning Numbers
A few centuries later, the Roman Emperor Augustus organized lottery games as entertainment during his dinner parties and awarded symbolic prizes to guests who bought tickets. The first national lottery as we know it today was invented in the 17th century. Known as the oldest European lottery, the Dutch State Loterij laid the foundation for the lottery games that would soon spread across Europe.
The modern gambling lotteries with well-known lottery numbers became popular in the 1880s. Since the flow of money and winnings were enormous, most governments have organized, regulated, and operated the largest lotteries ever since. There are even guides on what to do if you win the lottery, how to claim your prizes, pay any applicable taxes, and even tips on how to spend the money.
Are Lotteries Legal?
Anyone who wants to win the lottery inevitably wonders whether these games are legal and how much tax has to be paid on the winnings. So the most important thing first is: All national lotteries are legal and regulated by the government. Many countries also regularly update their gambling and lottery policies to reflect modern changes. A prime example of this is the UK National Lottery’s new rules, which make it easier for players to win big.
If you want to know more about what happens if you win the lottery, check the website of your favorite lottery and find out about your country’s lottery and gambling laws. When it comes to taxes, every national lottery and every country has different policies.
Sometimes winners have to pay taxes. Other times, they can donate a portion of the profits to the community. You will be informed of your options when you receive your prize. In the UK, as a rule, only the interest, not the profit itself, is taxable. It is best to use reputable lottery providers, such as Lottoland, where you are protected from fraud.
How to Win the Lottery?
As simple as it sounds, lottery millionaire stories usually start with the idea of buying a lottery ticket. The beauty of this simple game of chance is that you can win even if you’ve never played before and don’t know the rules. Here are some simple tips to help you hit the jackpot:
- Choose a Lottery Game: There are a number of options, of course, but if you don’t care how big your win is, keep an eye out for the lotteries’ “Goldilocks Zone.” These are the games with a big jackpot and often smaller payouts.
- Buy Lottery Ticket: The traditional selection consists of a regular ticket for one draw or a multi-ticket for many consecutive draws.
- Determine the number of lottery tickets: Each lottery ticket means investment and loss of money at the same time. So consider whether you want to play for a single-ticket draw or multiple tickets.
- Select lottery numbers: Use your lucky numbers, your date of birth, or any other combination of numbers that is meaningful to you.
Playing the lottery together with friends, family, or colleagues can be worthwhile – because the more people take part, the more luck the lottery ticket attracts. When a group of people buys a lottery ticket together, it’s called a lottery syndicate. Since everyone chooses a number and contributes to the cost, the profit is split evenly between everyone.
Odds of Winning the Lottery
When players choose their lottery numbers, they rarely know what the odds of winning really are. Believing in the greatest possible gain is usually more than enough to suppress the thought of losing. Of course, there are also many players who study the odds and approach the lottery games as a puzzle to be solved.
For the logical approach, it is important to know that even the worst odds can be beaten. Despite this, the probability of winning a particular lottery game varies depending on the game. For example, as you can see below, the odds of winning the US Powerball are significantly different than the German 6 out of 49 draws:
- 6-of-49 Lotto: 1 in 13,983,816
- EuroMillions: 1 in 139,838,160
- Mega Millions: 1 in 258,890,850
- Powerball: 1 in 292,201,338
- SuperEnalotto: 1 in 622,614,630
- UK National Lotto: 1 in 45,057,474