Comparing the lottery odds and payouts, first and second prize tiers

In order to decide which lottery you should be buying tickets for, we suggest to always look at the current size of the jackpot. Going for the largest jackpot is never a bad idea. Keep in mind, though, that some lotteries (like all US lotteries) deduct taxes right away, while for others (like almost all European lotteries), there are no taxes.

Also, Powerball USA and Mega Millions USA will only pay the full amount if you choose the option to get your winnings paid out over several years.

But what do you do when the jackpots are all relatively low?

This does not happen very often, but it does happen, see the image on the right that shows the status on April 1st 2025 (and no, this is not an April’s fools joke!?

As you can see, there is not a single jackpot in the list that is higher than €30 million. Does that mean you should not be playing any of those lotteries?

No, but you should change your strategy – select the lottery or lotteries that offer the best winning chances

Logically, now that there is not a big difference in terms of jackpot size between the lotteries, the factor of the winning odds becomes more important. Also, you should take a look at the amount that you can win in the second prize tier (the probability that you might win the second tier is a lot higher compared to the jackpot tier.

That is why we have compiled a list of the lotteries and their probabilities and second-tier payouts.

List of probabilities (odds) and second-tier lottery winnings

Please note that for some lotteries, second-tier winnings are not a fixed amount, so we are using the average historical payout for those lotteries.

We have sorted the lotteries by their odds to win in tier 1, starting with the most favorable odds on top.