Even as a child, you may have been drawn to the colorful scratchers when you walked past them in the grocery store or gas station. As you get older, the fantasy of winning hundreds, thousands, and even millions of dollars can be enough to buy a ticket just to see if you’re the big winner.
Once you realize how many different options there are when it comes to playing a lottery game, how can you possibly choose which lottery to play? Here’s a guide to help you learn more about the world’s best lottery jackpots see you can choose to play or not.
USA
Let’s start with the largest one today, the Mega Millions lottery. This American-based lottery starts at $40 million and can grow without end because there is no cap. However, the jackpot is limited to growing by no more than $5 million each time it is played when no winner comes forward.
The chances of winning the jackpot may be incredibly out of your favor, it is much more reasonable to hope to at least get the $2 back that you paid for your ticket. You can win back your $2 if you guess can match the bonus ball number even if no other balls match. Also, for an extra $1, you can purchase a Megaplier that multiples prizes if you’re lucky enough to win something.
The other American jackpot powerhouse is Powerball. This lottery is played similar to Mega Millions but has a slightly higher payout for lower prize winners. For $2, you can cash in for $4 just by matching the powerball number. You can purchase a multiplier to increase your prize money if you win, and you can elect to play the numbers you pick over multiple drawings, so you don’t have to continue buying a new ticket each time if you have favorite numbers.
Playing both of these lotteries, and several others worldwide, is the easiest it’s ever been. Sites like Lottogo give you the opportunity to many lotteries from the comfort of your home and check to see if you’ve won. They even offer some history for each lottery, give an introduction to the tax situation, and explain your odds of winning before you purchase your drawings.
Europe
EuroMillions launched in 2004 in France. This lottery is available in 9 countries and is a slight variation to the range of values you’ll select for your ticket. One unique thing about this lottery is that participants from the United Kingdom can be as young as 16 to enter each drawing. All other countries require players to be at least 18.
You won’t miss out if you check your numbers a few days late either. Each country has their own period of time that you can claim your prize money, and you’ll have to claim it in the country you purchased the winning ticket. If no winner comes forward, the jackpot continues to roll over until it caps at €190 million.
After feeling left out for a few years, EuroJackpot was created in 2012 for 18 other European countries to play lotto. A fun fact about these two rival lotteries is that Spain is the only country that participates in both. EuroJackpot starts at €10 million each time and gives 12 ways to win, which is more than the 9 offered by the big American lotteries.
Although the cap for EuroJackpot is lower than the others on this list (€90 million), that comes with a really distinct advantage for other players. Any money generated from ticket sales that extends past the jackpot cap is added to the prize amount for the second prize tier, which also caps at €90 million.
Italy
Even before the EuroMillions and EuroJackpot were around, Italy had its own lottery game called Enalotto, which dates back to the 1950s. Now called SuperEnaLotto, players select 6 numbers for €1 along with a SuperStar number for an extra 50 euro cents if they choose. This lotto also includes instant prizes on every ticket in addition to prizes you can win when the winning numbers are revealed. However, because there are more numbers to select from, the odds of winning are significantly less than other lotteries.
There are many other lotteries in the world that are just as fascinating to learn about. It’s hard to determine which is the best because that depends on what you are looking for in a lottery. Do you want a higher jackpot prize or higher odds of winning? One thing remains true with every lotto. You can’t win if you don’t play.
