Eurojackpot could rise to over 90 million euros

Sports cars, yachts, villas: Lottery companies in Europe are considering even higher profits. Even the German classic 6 out of 49 could do something new.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Lottery Company in Koblenz, the leading lottery company in the German Lotto and Totoblock (DLTB), confirmed these considerations. “However, all 29 organizers of this European number lottery from Poland to Italy and in Germany also the 16 federal states would have to give the green light for supervision,” said the managing director of Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz, Jürgen Häfner, to the German Press Agency. The Eurojackpot has indeed grown significantly. “But you have to discuss it now because it could take a year and a half to implement it,” explained Häfner. He did not say how much money the Eurojackpot could swell too.

The lawyer justified the still unfinished Europe-wide considerations with the competition of the EuroMillions number lottery, which is also offered in several European states: “There are even higher winnings than in the Eurojackpot, for example, 185 million euros. Younger people, in particular, see this on the Internet, not to mention even higher lottery winnings in the USA, for example”.

Häfner added that the classic 6 out of 49 was also considering “further developing this main product”. Although it had still achieved almost half of the DLTB’s total turnover in 2018, at around 3.5 billion euros, it was not possible to predict whether the DLTB would be able to continue its development. “But we are recording declines.” According to industry experts, market research should sound out which new measures could inspire 6 out of 49.

Overall, the state lottery market in Germany has been shrinking for a long time, while competing on the Internet has grown in recent years. Häfner reiterated his criticism of foreign secondary lotteries. Participants can bet online on the winning numbers of traditional lotteries like 6 out of 49, with the promise to get exactly the same winnings transferred.

“All court decisions in Germany have clearly established that these black lotteries offer illegal gambling,” said Häfner. “They do not pay taxes and duties, they damage the common good. The lottery companies of the federal states, on the other hand, support the social, cultural, environmental and sports sectors as well as the state budgets with around 40 percent of their stakes.

Online lotteries such as Lottoland, based in Gibraltar, reject the accusations with reference to the EU’s freedom to provide services. Also in Germany taxes are paid, the profits are insured and thus guaranteed, said Lottoland lawyer Bernd Berberich in Munich. “I also refer to the ongoing legal proceedings, the outcome of which still remains to be seen.