A Tour of the American Lotteries

Ever since Columbus made landfall in the USA, the country has been associated riches and opportunities. Indeed, the country is still often referred to today as the “land of opportunity”, and opportunity is exactly what these lotteries provide. Incredibly, North American lotteries account for 49 of the 50 biggest payouts of all time, the largest of which was a scarcely believable $2.04 billion – R39.1billion!

The US PowerBall made its debut in April 1992, and has gained a global following thanks to its tendency to roll-over and generate mammoth payouts. Of the ten biggest payouts ever recorded, the PowerBall is responsible for five including the biggest of all time ($2.04/R35.8 billion). With such payouts it is easy to see why the PowerBall has become a fan favourite!

The US Powerball is the priciest bet we will encounter on our tour of the Americas, coming in at R70. However, our innovative Mini Bets product will give you a cheaper way to bet on premium lotto’s!

MegaMillions

MegaMillions has become an American institution since its first draw all the way back in 2002. This is a lotto renowned for huge payouts, with 28 payouts of over $300 million (R5.4 billion). In fact, while its rival the US Powerball gets more attention for recording the world’s largest payout, Mega Millions is the only lottery to record five billion-dollar payouts (the US PowerBall “only” has three!).

Cash4Life

Cash4Life offers a different way to receive your payouts. Rather than the huge lump sums offered by MegaMillions and PowerBall, the top payout is R10,000 every day for the rest of your life! The second-place payout of R10,000 a month isn’t too shabby either! This daily draw also boasts comparatively short odds of around 21.8 million to 1.

Keno 24/7

Keno 24/7 is a rapid-fire game hailing from New York State. To play, you simply choose between 1 and 10 numbers – remembering that the more numbers you choose the bigger your payout can be!  Entries start at just R2 for the opportunity to win the top payout of up to R10 million.

Central American Lotteries

What is the first thing that springs to mind when you think about exploring Central America? Most people associate the region with good food, beautiful beaches and maybe even the occasional tequila! However, the lotteries of the region have exploded in popularity in the last two decades – especially in Mexico. 

Central American Lotteries
Lottery	Price	Record Payout	Draw Days
	R30	492 million pesos R530 million	Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Melate

The biggest Mexican lotto has a lot going for it! We can start with the fact that the guaranteed minimum top prize of 30 million Mexican pesos – around R32 million. That, however, is merely the minimum and this jackpot can grow and grow and grow! The Melate’s record payout is actually 16 times bigger than its minimum, at a whopping 492 million pesos (R530 million).

Mexico’s Melate also gives you a second and third chances to win with its two smaller draws, Revancha and Revanchita. These smaller draws mean that even if your numbers don’t come up on the main draw, you still have more chances to hit a payout!

South American Lotteries

Pele, Messi, Machu Pichu, the Amazon, Christ the Redeemer, the Andes, Iguazu Falls and no fewer than seven different species of penguin! These are just a few of the incredible things that South America has bestowed upon us, and now the world is finding out that South American lotteries are worthy of attention too! This is particularly true of the Brazilian lotteries whose popularity has rapidly grown beyond national and continental borders.

South American Lotteries
Lottery	Price	Record Payout	Draw Days
	From R15	R$143 million R543 million	Daily, Monday - Saturday
	From R30	R$131 million R499 million	Wednesday & Saturday
	R12	R$180 million R682 million	Daily, Monday to Saturday

Brazil Quina

Drawn six times a week, the Brazil Quina lotto gives you a guaranteed minimum payout of R$500,000 (c.R1.9 million) for a price of R15. What is interesting about Quina is that you can choose more than the minimum five numbers to give you a better chance of hitting the top prize. You can choose up to 15 numbers, which shorten your odds of winning to 8,005 to 1, however it will cost R45,045 to do so.

We suggest keeping an eye on this lotto in June, when the special draw takes place. The “Quina de São João” is drawn once a year, and it is responsible for one of the biggest payouts in Brazilian lotto history – R$143 million (c.R543 million)!

Mega-Sena

The Mega-Sena began life in 1996 and has exploded in popularity since then – not just in Brazil, but around the world! With two draws a week, the Mega-Sena is easy to play with a similar format to the Brazil Quina. Simply choose between 6 and 15 numbers from 1-60 and watch the balls get drawn! The standard bet on 6 numbers will costs R20, but this rises with the more numbers you pick. Going for the maximum amount of numbers (15) will cost R150,150.

Lotofácil

In third is the cheapest lotto in our Brazilian sojourn. Lotofácil started in 2003, and since then it has become popular due to its easy style and short odds. In fact, the odds of hitting the top payout here are just 3.2million to 1 compared to Mega-Sena’s 50 million to 1! Even better than that, the odds of winning any payout is just 12-1!

It’s not just short odds and cheap bets that make Lotofácil so popular though. This is as effortless to play a lottery as you are likely to find. Simply choose 15 numbers from 1-25, pay R12 and wait for your numbers to be called!

Lotteries Beyond Borders!

In South Africa we are fortunate to be able to enjoy our own national lotteries, but it is important to remember that there is a world of opportunity beyond our borders! We are sure you will now agree that the lotteries of Europe and America are well worth your consideration the next time you decide to bet on the lottery!