Buying a German Lotto ticket for this weekend’s drawing gives you a shot at winning the biggest jackpot in the country’s history.
Saturday night’s “6 of 49” game is expected to reach 38 million euros, according to the government-sponsored lottery agency. That’s $57 million U.S. greenbacks.
With no outright winner since October, the grand prize has rolled over 11 times in the twice-a-week drawing, televised on Wednesday and Saturday nights. The results also can be viewed on online at www.lotto.de.
Playing is pretty simple. Pick up a lotto card for 1 euro at one of 24,500 outlets around Germany. You can find the kiosks almost anywhere, from the supermarket to the train station. Next, choose six numbers between 0 and 49.
To win, not only must your six numbers match those that are drawn, but the pre-determined Superzahl, or super number — a number from 0 through 9 highlighted at the bottom of each lotto card — must also match the Superzahl chosen in the drawing.
Each lotto card has 12 boxes for play and one Superzahl. Players can choose a card with the highlighted Superzahl of their choice.
As in most American lotteries, matching at least three numbers wins something, with the prize money increasing with additional matches. The “6 of 49” game also draws an eighth number, or Zusatzzahl, or added number. It works like a wild card and gives players another way of winning, though it’s not connected with the grand prize.
The government-sponsored lottery started in 1955 and was adopted by all 16 states three years later. Cut-off times for buying tickets before the drawing vary from state to state.
The winner receives a lump sum and only has to pay taxes on the interest if the money is invested.
Daydreaming about your new life as a lottery winner is far-fetched considering the odds of winning are one in 140 million.
But hey, you have to play to win, right?
