We know that you have dreamt of winning the lottery and changing your life forever, as that is also in our dreams. But what are the chances of winning the lottery for real? Using our experience and facts about the odds and possibilities, we explain that in detail.
Quick Jump
What Are the Chances of Winning the Lottery Jackpot?
The chances of winning the jackpot, which is the most important lottery prize, tend to be difficult. As it happens to any game of chance, the better prizes are awarded to those who incur the highest risk. Given that you need to match all the selected and drawn numbers to win the jackpot, that is the most difficult achievement.
That also means that the lower the starting or fixed jackpot prize, the better the chances. On the other hand, there are lotteries with better odds and prizes that are bigger, as it depends on the local rules. We listed different lotteries in terms of prize together with your actual chances:
| Lottery | Starting or Fixed Jackpot | Your Chances of Winning |
|---|---|---|
| French Lotto | €2,000,000 | 1 in 19,068,840 |
| Vikinglotto | €3,000,000 | 1 in 61,357,560 |
| Lotto 6/49 | CA$ 5,000,000 | 1 in 13,983,816 |
| Cash4Life | $7,000,000 | 1 in 21,846,048 |
| Lucky for Life | $5,750,000 | 1 in 30,821,472 |
| UK Lotto | £2,000,000 | 1 in 45,057,474 |
| Lotto America | $2,000,000 | 1 in 25,989,600 |
| Mexico Melate | MX$ 30,000,000 | 1 in 32,468,436 |
| Austria Lotto | €1,500,000 | 1 in 8,415,060 |
| Eurojackpot | €10,000,000 | 1 in 95,344,200 |
| Eurodreams | €20,000/Month x 30 Years | 1 in 19,191,900 |
| Euromillions | €17,000,000 | 1 in 139,838,160 |
| Powerball | $20,000,000 | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| Mega Millions | $20,000,000 | 1 in 302,575,350 |
| SuperEnalotto | €2,000,000 | 1 in 622,614,630 |
SuperEnalotto is the best example that shows our chances of winning the lottery are not always proportional to the prize. With a starting jackpot of “only” €2 million, your chances are one in 622.6 million for every entry. The French Lotto has the same prize but it is 32 times easier to win. You can find them on the best lottery sites.
While our example SuperEnalotto paid huge prizes already, that is only because it is so difficult that the jackpot rolls over a lot.
What Are the Chances of Winning Smaller Prizes?
We cannot forget that lotteries are not based on jackpots only. Even though most secondary prizes are not life-changing rewards, they can still make it worth all the tickets you have purchased. Again, every lottery will have its own rules, so let’s take a look at Austrian Lotto, which is one of the best-balanced games in the world:
| Your Match | Your Prize | Chances |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Jackpot | 1 in 8,415,060 |
| 5 + Bonus Number | €50,000 | 1 in 1,357,510 |
| 5 | €1,100 | 1 in 34,808 |
| 4 + Bonus Number | €140 | 1 in 14,290 |
| 4 | €45 | 1 in 733 |
| 3 + Bonus Number | €15 | 1 in 579 |
| 3 | €5 | 1 in 45 |
| Bonus Number | €1 | 1 in 16 |
Therefore, if you match five numbers and the bonus number on the ticket is also a match, you have beaten the chances of 1 in 1,357,510. That is still a lot, but €50,000 is no small reward.
Going down to the lower prize tiers, your chances of winning €1,100 are 1 in 34,808. That is 241 times easier than achieving the jackpot and definitely makes up for a good number of tickets invested.
Alternatively, it is super important to take a look at the big lotteries when you aim at your chances of winning secondary lottery prizes. For example, Powerball’s jackpot odds has super challenging chances of 1 in 292,201,338. On the other hand, the secondary prize of $50,000 can be paid with a chance of 1 in 913,129.18. That is almost the same as the Austrian Lotto’s prize but 33% easier!
Can the Chances of Winning the Lottery Be Improved?
You can improve the chances of winning the lottery, and that goes for any game from any country! The only way to do that is to cover more combinations, which means buying more tickets. Of course, you cannot buy every combination of lottery tickets, as that is not only not profitable but logistically impossible.
Therefore, the catch is to find the right balance between the number of tickets in which you invest your money and the odds. You cannot guarantee that you will win, but that is definitely increasing your chances of becoming a lottery winner!
