International Lottery Comparison

Odds, jackpot records, ticket costs, and tax rules for the world's major lotteries.

Current jackpots change daily. Click any lottery's official link for live figures.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Lottery	Jackpot Odds	Ticket	Draws	Tax	Record Jackpot
Powerball United States	1 in 292,201,338	$2.00	Mon / Wed / Sat	Taxed	$2.04 Billion (Nov 2022)	United States
Mega Millions United States	1 in 302,575,350	$2.00	Tue / Fri	Taxed	$1.602 Billion (Aug 2023)	United States
EuroMillions Europe (9 countries)	1 in 139,838,160	€2.50	Tue / Fri	Tax-free	€250 million (cap - won Mar/Jun/Aug 2025)	Europe (9 countries)
EuroJackpot Europe (18 countries)	1 in 95,344,200	€2.00	Tue / Fri	Tax-free	€120 million (jackpot cap)	Europe (18 countries)
SuperEnalotto Italy	1 in 622,614,630	€1.00	Tue / Thu / Sat	Tax-free	€371.1 million (Feb 16, 2023)	Italy
UK Lotto United Kingdom	1 in 45,057,474	£2.00	Wed / Sat	Tax-free	£66 million (Jan 2016)	United Kingdom
Australia Powerball Australia	1 in 134,490,400	A$1.40	Thursday	Tax-free	A$200 million	Australia
Lotto Max Canada	1 in 33,294,800	C$5.00	Tue / Fri	Tax-free	C$80 million (jackpot cap since Sep 2024)	Canada
Irish Lotto Ireland	1 in 10,737,573	€2.00	Wed / Sat	Tax-free	€19.06 million	Ireland
New Zealand Lotto New Zealand	1 in 3,838,380	NZ$1.00	Wed / Sat	Tax-free	NZ$50 million (must-be-won cap)	New Zealand
UK Set For Life United Kingdom	1 in 15,339,390	£1.50	Mon / Thu	Tax-free	£10,000/month for 30 years (annuity)	United Kingdom

Category Leaders

Best jackpot odds

New Zealand Lotto

1 in 3.8M - dramatically better than any other major lottery

Runner-up: Irish Lotto (1 in 10.7M), UK Lotto (1 in 45M)

Largest jackpots

Powerball

Record $2.04B. No cap. Regularly exceeds $500M.

Runner-up: Mega Millions (record $1.602B)

Best overall odds

New Zealand Lotto

1 in 3.8 for any prize - best of any major lottery

Runner-up: Lotto Max (1 in 7.1), UK Lotto (1 in 9.3)

Tax-free winnings

UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, most of Europe

0% tax on lottery winnings

Runner-up: US is the exception - 24%+ federal tax

Lowest ticket cost

New Zealand Lotto

NZ$1.00 per line

Runner-up: SuperEnalotto (€1.00), UK Set For Life (£1.50)

European jackpot record

SuperEnalotto

€371.1M (Feb 16, 2023, Italy)

Runner-up: EuroMillions (€250M cap - won 3x in 2025)

Unique prize structure

UK Set For Life

£10,000/month for 30 years - annuity jackpot, tax-free

Runner-up: No direct equivalent in other major lotteries

Most draws per week

Powerball / SuperEnalotto / French Loto

3 draws per week each

Runner-up: Most other major lotteries draw twice weekly

Lottery-by-Lottery Detail

Powerball

United States · Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL)

Format: 5 from 1–69 + 1 Powerball from 1–26

Jackpot odds: 1 in 292,201,338

Overall odds: 1 in 24.9

Ticket: $2.00

Draws: Mon / Wed / Sat

Draw time: 10:59 PM ET

Min jackpot: $20 million

Record: $2.04 Billion (Nov 2022)

Tax: 24% federal + state (0–13.3%)

Pros

· Largest jackpots in history
· Three draws per week
· Strong secondary prizes

Cons

· Worst jackpot odds of major lotteries
· Significant US tax burden
· Online play limited by state

Mega Millions

United States · Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL)

Format: 5 from 1–70 + 1 Mega Ball from 1–25

Jackpot odds: 1 in 302,575,350

Overall odds: 1 in 24

Ticket: $2.00

Draws: Tue / Fri

Draw time: 11:00 PM ET

Min jackpot: $20 million

Record: $1.602 Billion (Aug 2023)

Tax: 24% federal + state (0–13.3%)

Pros

· Billion-dollar jackpots
· Strong brand recognition
· Good secondary prizes

Cons

· Worst jackpot odds of any major lottery
· US tax burden
· Only two draws per week

EuroMillions

Europe (9 countries) · Allwyn / FDJ / Loterías y Apuestas del Estado

Format: 5 from 1–50 + 2 Lucky Stars from 1–12

Jackpot odds: 1 in 139,838,160

Overall odds: 1 in 13

Ticket: €2.50

Draws: Tue / Fri

Draw time: 8:45 PM CET

Min jackpot: €17 million

Record: €250 million (cap - won Mar/Jun/Aug 2025)

Tax: Tax-free in most participating countries

Pros

· Tax-free in most countries
· Better odds than US games
· Jackpot capped at €250M (rolls down)

Cons

· Jackpot capped - no billion-euro prizes
· Higher ticket cost
· Currency conversion for non-EU players

EuroJackpot

Europe (18 countries) · Veikkaus / DLTB / Norsk Tipping

Format: 5 from 1–50 + 2 Euro Numbers from 1–10

Jackpot odds: 1 in 95,344,200

Overall odds: 1 in 26

Ticket: €2.00

Draws: Tue / Fri

Draw time: 8:00 PM CET

Min jackpot: €10 million

Record: €120 million (jackpot cap)

Tax: Tax-free in most participating countries

Pros

· Best jackpot odds of major European lotteries
· Tax-free
· Lower ticket cost than EuroMillions

Cons

· Smaller jackpots than EuroMillions
· Less widely known outside Europe
· Currency conversion for non-EU players

SuperEnalotto

Italy · Sisal

Format: 6 from 1–90 (no bonus ball)

Jackpot odds: 1 in 622,614,630

Overall odds: 1 in 25

Ticket: €1.00

Draws: Tue / Thu / Sat

Draw time: 8:00 PM CET

Min jackpot: €2 million

Record: €371.1 million (Feb 16, 2023)

Tax: Tax-free in Italy

Pros

· Lowest ticket cost of major lotteries
· Tax-free
· Holds European jackpot record (€371M)
· Three draws per week

Cons

· Worst jackpot odds of any major lottery
· Limited availability outside Italy
· Jackpots can roll for years

UK Lotto

United Kingdom · Allwyn Entertainment

Format: 6 from 1–59 + 1 Bonus Ball

Jackpot odds: 1 in 45,057,474

Overall odds: 1 in 9.3

Ticket: £2.00

Draws: Wed / Sat

Draw time: 7:45 PM GMT

Min jackpot: £2 million

Record: £66 million (Jan 2016)

Tax: Tax-free in the UK

Pros

· Best jackpot odds of any major lottery
· Tax-free
· Best overall odds (1 in 9.3)

Cons

· Smaller jackpots
· UK-only availability
· Currency conversion for non-UK players

Australia Powerball

Australia · The Lott (Tatts Group)

Format: 7 from 1–35 + 1 Powerball from 1–20

Jackpot odds: 1 in 134,490,400

Overall odds: 1 in 44

Ticket: A$1.40

Draws: Thursday

Draw time: 7:30 PM AEST

Min jackpot: A$3 million

Record: A$200 million

Tax: Tax-free in Australia

Pros

· Tax-free
· Low ticket cost
· Good jackpot odds for prize size

Cons

· Only one draw per week
· Limited availability outside Australia
· Currency conversion

Lotto Max

Canada · Interprovincial Lottery Corporation

Format: 7 from 1–50

Jackpot odds: 1 in 33,294,800

Overall odds: 1 in 7.1

Ticket: C$5.00

Draws: Tue / Fri

Draw time: 10:30 PM ET

Min jackpot: C$10 million

Record: C$80 million (jackpot cap since Sep 2024)

Tax: Tax-free in Canada

Pros

· Best jackpot odds of any major lottery
· Tax-free
· Excellent overall odds (1 in 7.1)

Cons

· Higher ticket cost
· Jackpot capped at C$80M
· Limited availability outside Canada

Irish Lotto

Ireland · Premier Lotteries Ireland

Format: 6 from 1–47 + 1 Bonus Ball

Jackpot odds: 1 in 10,737,573

Overall odds: 1 in 29

Ticket: €2.00

Draws: Wed / Sat

Draw time: 8:00 PM IST

Min jackpot: €2 million

Record: €19.06 million

Tax: Tax-free in Ireland

Pros

· Excellent jackpot odds (1 in 10.7M)
· Tax-free
· Affordable ticket

Cons

· Smaller jackpots
· Ireland-only availability

New Zealand Lotto

New Zealand · Lotto NZ

Format: 6 from 1–40 + 1 Bonus Ball

Jackpot odds: 1 in 3,838,380

Overall odds: 1 in 3.8

Ticket: NZ$1.00

Draws: Wed / Sat

Draw time: 8:00 PM NZST

Min jackpot: NZ$1 million

Record: NZ$50 million (must-be-won cap)

Tax: Tax-free in New Zealand

Pros

· Best overall odds (1 in 3.8) of any major lottery
· Cheapest ticket (NZ$1)
· Tax-free

Cons

· Smaller jackpots
· NZ-only availability

UK Set For Life

United Kingdom · Allwyn Entertainment

Format: 5 from 1–47 + 1 Life Ball from 1–10

Jackpot odds: 1 in 15,339,390

Overall odds: 1 in 9.6

Ticket: £1.50

Draws: Mon / Thu

Draw time: 8:00 PM GMT

Min jackpot: £10,000/month for 30 years

Record: £10,000/month for 30 years (annuity)

Tax: Tax-free in the UK

Pros

· Annuity prize - £10K/month for 30 years
· Tax-free
· Cheap ticket (£1.50)
· Good overall odds

Cons

· No lump sum jackpot option
· UK-only availability
· Annuity structure not for everyone

Picking the Right Lottery

If odds matter most

UK Lotto - 1 in 45M jackpot odds, 1 in 9.3 overall. Best odds of any major lottery.

Lotto Max - 1 in 33M jackpot odds, 1 in 7.1 overall. Best overall odds.

If jackpot size matters most

Powerball - record $2.04B. Regularly exceeds $500M.

Mega Millions - record $1.602B. Regularly exceeds $500M.

If tax-free matters most

UK, Canada, Australia, most of Europe - 0% tax on lottery winnings.

US players pay 24% federal + state tax. A $1B jackpot lump sum nets roughly $350–400M after taxes.

Related Resources

International Gaming Resources

Operators, licensed platforms, and regulators worldwide

Live Jackpots & Results

Current jackpots and results for all major lotteries

Live Data

Tax Guide

Tax rates on lottery winnings by country - from 0% to 37%+

Financial

Laws by Country

Legal status and regulations for 12+ countries

Legal

Odds Calculator

Calculate exact jackpot odds using official combinatorics formulas

Calculator

Tax Calculator

Model your after-tax winnings for any prize amount and country

Calculator