The dream has a price.
A lottery sells hope, and hope feels priceless. It is not — it is calculated. Enter the ticket price, the jackpot and the odds, and see exactly what you get back for every euro.
The idea
The worst odds in gambling.
Even counting every smaller prize, state lotteries pay back around 50% of what goes in — the highest house edge of any form of gambling. It is not an investment. It is a voluntary tax on hope, and the calculator shows you the rate.
The ticket, in cold numbers
The lottery sells a dream. Here is its real price.
How many combinations exist. EuroMillions: ~139 million.
Real value of the ticket
0.36 €
Counting the jackpot only
Playing once a week
2,689,195 years
Average time until a jackpot
14.3%
For every euro you put in, the jackpot returns 0.14 € on average. And for it to hit once, playing every week, you would have to wait 2,689,195 years. The dream has a price — and the price is calculated.