Lotteries that have big payouts and good odds for second-tier prizes

A look at lottery odds versus payouts

For obvious reasons, most lottery players look at the size of the jackpot first. And it does make sense to select the lottery that currently offers the largest payout. But this should not be the only factor to be considered when making your choice.

Ask yourself this: how much do I really want to win, and is there a lottery that offers this kind of prize and has reasonable odds of winning? To help you with that decision, we have prepared a list of the lotteries with that exact information.

When you look at that list below, here are a few observations.

Lotteries with 1 million wins in the second tier

If you check all lotteries with a second-tier win of €1 million or more, you will find that two lotteries have surprisingly good odds for that win: Eurojackpot (1 in 6,991,908) and the UK lottery (1 in 7,509,579).
So, if you would be happy enough with a win like that (I surely would), then it would make perfect sense to add those lotteries to your list of favorite lotteries.

Lotteries with smaller jackpots but excellent odds for first-tier wins

For this, you have to look at the odds for first-tier wins in our list. Which lotteries offer the best odds of winning the top tier?
Another surprise – it is the UK Thunderball that has the lowest odds of 1 in 8,060,598, but a top prize of only GBP 500.000,00 or approximately €600.000,00.
The close second is Australian Saturday Lotto, with odds of 1 in 8,145,060, but for a guaranteed jackpot of AU$5 million (approximately €2,8 million, or 3,27 million).
This is an easy choice – the difference in odds is minimal, but this Aussie lottery has the better payout by far. And that is why it is the Australian Saturday lotto that takes the crown in this discipline. Besides, the AU Saturday lotto tickets are cheaper than the UK Thunderball tickets.

As you can clearly see, it is definitely a good idea to analyze the different odds and payouts before deciding which lottery you want to play. And even if you play that lottery because of the good second-tier payout amount, that still leaves you with a chance to win the jackpot!