Greece - Lotto

Lotto

Lotto (ΛΟΤΤΟ) is the main national lottery game in Greece.

As with other Greek lottery games, tickets cost €0.50. Lotto draws take place in Athens twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 20:00 local time.

To enter Lotto, choose six numbers between 1 and 49. Alternatively, online players can go for a Quick Pick for a set of randomly generated numbers, printed as ‘Lucky Dip’ on tickets.

Lotto can also be played using system entries, consisting of up to 16 numbers entered into the draw as multiple combinations. This can greatly improve the chances of winning a prize, but also increases the ticket price.

Lotto does not have any additional games or other ways to win beyond the main game itself.

Jackpot

Lotto offers a minimum jackpot of €300,000, but because there is no rollover or jackpot cap, the jackpot can grow significantly larger.

The biggest Lotto jackpot reached €7.5 million on January 20, 2010.

Odds and Prizes

The odds of winning the Lotto jackpot are 1 in 13,983,816. These are long odds given the modest starting jackpot, with global lotteries offering similar odds but typically having starting jackpots in the millions.

Players can win prizes at five different tiers.

Payout and Taxes

All lottery prizes in Greece are paid out as lump sums.

All prizes over €100 are subject to tax, with prizes from €100 to €500 taxed at 15%, and winnings over €500 taxed at 20%.

Players entering Lotto from abroad automatically have tax deducted from their winnings, but should check local tax laws to find out if prizes are subject to further taxation at home.

Winners have three months from the date of the draw to claim their prizes.

Who Can Play Lotto?

Players of at least 18 years of age can buy Lotto tickets from authorized retailers across Greece.

Players in Greece can play online via the official website or by using the Lotto app, while participants from abroad can play via the official website or on authorized Lottery Agent websites.

History of Lotto

Lotto was launched on December 5, 1990, today being one of several popular lottery games played across Greece.

Until 2018, Lotto was only available to Greek citizens, after which, it and other Greek lottery games became available online.