Best Lotteries
There are many dozens of lotteries that take place throughout the world, and no doubt we will mention most of them over the course of this blog. I do, however, have my favourites. These are four lotteries that offer what I consider to be very well-rounded games, combining worthwhile potential payouts with a high level of entertainment value. Here then, and in no particular order, are my "four of the best"...
1 - Lotto
This is the UK National Lottery game that was launched by Camelot in November 1994. The aim of the game, which takes place every Wednesday and Saturday, is to pick 6 numbers from 49. If your six numbers match the six main balls drawn, you win a share of the jackpot. As I said yesterday, the chances of doing this are 1 in 13,983,816. Jackpot levels vary, but are seldom less than £4,000,000 or so. Rollovers can create jackpots several times that size - how does £11,000,000 sound? Being a Brit, the UK Lotto will always be in my top four, simply because it's so convenient for me.
2 - Euromillions
The Euromillions lottery is currently played in nine European countries, although originally it began with just three: France, Spain and the UK. Launched in 2004, it is already one of the biggest lotteries in the world. It boasts a guaranteed jackpot of at least €10,000,000, but after a few rollovers the top prize can be as high as €150,000,000. To win the jackpot, players have to select 5 main numbers from 50 and 2 "Lucky Star" numbers from 9. The odds of doing this are 1 in 76,275,360, and the draw takes place every Friday.
3 - Powerball
Powerball is a lottery game played by many of my friends in the USA. It is open to players in 29 states as well as those in the District of Colombia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The task is to pick 5 main balls from 55 and 1 Powerball from 42. The odds of doing this are 1 in 146,107,962, but the jackpot levels can still make the Powerball lottery value for money - the largest ever top prize was a staggering $365 million. That's almost enough to make Bill Gates want to play, I think. Draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday.
4 - MegaMillions
My fourth favourite lottery is MegaMillions. This is another game played in the USA, and it is open to residents of twelve states. To win, you need to correctly pick 5 main numbers from 56 and 1 "Mega" number from 46. The odds of doing this are 1 in 175,711,536, but with the highest jackpot on record standing at $363 million, you can be sure that success is well rewarded. The MegaMillions draw takes place every Tuesday and Friday.
As I said at the beginning of this post, there are many other lotteries throughout the world, so if your personal favourite hasn't been mentioned here, don't be offended - I'm sure to mention it in the future. In the meantime, my next post will look at a specific way of playing lotteries which gives anyone who uses it a better chance of winning a prize...
Article Last Updated: 19/12/2006 12:30:58
