Germans love to take a gamble. This is shown by the millions of people who purchase a ticket for the German Lotto every year. This lottery is also known as ‘Lotto 6 aus 49’ and is very lucrative. It’s also one of the oldest European lotteries, because it was already established in 1955.
The long history of the German Lotto
Sixty years ago a new lottery emerged, namely ‘Lotto 6 aus 49’. For 20 years it was organized alone, but around 1975 it decided to work together with the ‘Deutscher Lotto- und Totoblock’ (DLTB). In the past decades it has built a great reputation. Every year the lottery gives away about 5 billion in prizes. Incredible! So it comes as no surprise that the German players are very excited when the German Lotto draw takes place at Wednesday and Saturday evening at 18:25 p.m.
Live coverage on the website
The first draw ever took place in Frankfurt, but nowadays Saarbrücken is the place to be. For many years, the German lottery players could watch the draw live at television channel ARD. However, due to a luck of viewership the TV broadcast disappeared. Nowadays the results are announced. You can also watch the draw live at the website of the German National Lotto. When there’s a big win, it will also be shown at national television.
Rules of Lotto 6 aus 49
The rules of Lotto 6 aus 49 are quite simple. As the name might suggest, you need to pick 6 numbers from a range of 49. These numbers are placed on small balls. You win a big prize when all your chosen numbers match with the balls that are drawn. However, you only win the Jackpot when one single bonus ball also matches. Players choose this so-called ‘Super Number’ from a 0 to 9 range. The draw takes place after the main numbers, and the Germans call this Super Number the ‘Superzahl’. Sounds great!
Lucky winners
Lotto 6 aus 49 uses nine prize categories in total. You end up in lower categories when just one or two main numbers match with the balls that are drawn. Obviously the chance of ending up in a lower category is much higher than winning the Jackpot. This doesn’t mean that you can’t win the Jackpot though. Actually in December 2007 three incredibly lucky players had a match with the winning numbers! They had to share a win of 45,382,458 euros! Another big win took place in October 2006. Back then a lucky person won the astonishing amount of €37,688,292.