How We Ranked These Lotteries
Every lottery ranking you have seen online uses one metric: biggest jackpot. That tells you almost nothing useful. A lottery with a $1 billion top prize and 1-in-300-million odds is mathematically worse than one with a $10 million prize and 1-in-6-million odds.
Our ranking system uses five weighted factors:
1. Odds of winning the jackpot (35% weight) The single most important factor. We compared the probability of hitting the top prize across all lotteries. A game where you pick 6 from 45 numbers is fundamentally different from one where you pick 5 from 70 plus a bonus ball from 25.
2. Average jackpot size (25% weight) We used 3-year rolling averages to account for rollovers and special draws. Starting jackpots matter less than what the prize typically grows to before someone wins.
3. Ticket price in USD (15% weight) A $1 ticket with 1-in-10-million odds is twice as capital-efficient as a $2 ticket with the same odds. We normalized everything to USD for fair comparison.
4. Tax impact on winnings (15% weight) This is the factor most rankings ignore entirely. Winning $50 million in Italy means keeping $50 million. Winning $50 million playing Powerball in the US means keeping roughly $31.5 million after federal tax. Some countries tax nothing. Others take 30%+. This dramatically changes the actual value of a jackpot.
5. Draw frequency (10% weight) More draws per week means more chances to win per year. A lottery with 3 weekly draws gives you 156 annual shots versus 104 for a twice-weekly game.
We calculated a composite score from 0-100 for each lottery. Here are the results.
#1 — Japan Loto 6: The Best Odds-to-Prize Ratio on Earth
Japan's Loto 6 sits at the top of our ranking for one reason: the math is unbeatable.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 6 from 1-43
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 6,096,454
- Average jackpot: ¥200-400 million ($1.3-2.7 million USD)
- Ticket price: ¥200 (~$1.35 USD)
- Tax: 0% — Japan does not tax lottery winnings
- Draws: Twice weekly (Monday and Thursday)
Yes, the jackpots are smaller than Powerball. But your odds are 48 times better. And you keep every yen. When you adjust for odds, tax, and ticket price, Loto 6 delivers the highest expected value per dollar spent of any lottery we analyzed.
The catch: you cannot walk into a Japanese convenience store from abroad. But international lottery courier services like theLotter buy official tickets on your behalf from authorized retailers in Japan. You own the physical ticket. If you win, the prize is yours.
#2 — Kabala (Israel): Tax-Free with Strong Odds
Israel's flagship lottery flies under the radar internationally, but it deserves attention.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 6 from 1-37 + 1 strong number from 1-7
- Jackpot odds: ~1 in 18,564,632
- Average jackpot: ₪10-30 million ($2.8-8.3 million USD)
- Ticket price: ₪10 (~$2.75 USD)
- Tax: 0% on first ₪60,510; 35% above that threshold
- Draws: Twice weekly (Tuesday and Saturday)
Kabala's smaller number pool (37 versus Powerball's 69+26) makes the odds roughly 16x better than Powerball. The jackpots regularly reach $5-8 million USD, and with Israel's partial tax exemption on smaller prizes, the lower tiers are particularly attractive. The secondary prizes — matching 5+strong or 5 numbers — hit frequently enough to make regular play sustainable.
#3 — La Primitiva (Spain): Europe's Oldest Lottery, Still One of the Best
La Primitiva has been running since 1763. After 263 years, it remains one of Europe's best lottery values.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 6 from 1-49 + Reintegro (0-9)
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 139,838,160 (with Reintegro)
- Average jackpot: €5-20 million ($5.4-21.6 million USD)
- Ticket price: €1.50 (~$1.62 USD)
- Tax: 20% on prizes above €40,000
- Draws: Twice weekly (Thursday and Saturday)
The ticket price is what sets La Primitiva apart — at just $1.62, it is one of the cheapest major lotteries in Europe. The odds without the Reintegro bonus ball drop to roughly 1 in 14 million, which is very competitive. Spain also hosts El Gordo de Navidad (more on that below), but La Primitiva is the better year-round play.
Spain's 20% tax on prizes above €40,000 is moderate by European standards. For non-residents, your home country's tax treaty with Spain determines whether you pay additional tax.
#4 — Tinka (Peru): South America's Hidden Gem
Peru's Tinka rarely appears on international lottery rankings. That is an oversight.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 6 from 1-45
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 8,145,060
- Average jackpot: S/100,000-500,000+ (roughly $27,000-$135,000+ USD, but rollovers can push much higher)
- Ticket price: S/4 (~$1.08 USD)
- Tax: 10% on prizes above S/2,079 (roughly $560 USD)
- Draws: Weekly (Sunday)
Tinka's jackpots are modest by global standards, but the odds are extraordinary — 8 million to 1 is 36 times better than Powerball. At roughly $1 per ticket, the cost-per-chance ratio is among the best anywhere. Peru's 10% tax rate is one of the lowest in the Americas.
The weekly draw schedule is the main drawback — you only get 52 shots per year versus 104+ for most competitors. But if you are optimizing for odds per dollar, Tinka belongs in your rotation.
#5 — France Loto: Three Draws Per Week, Reasonable Odds
France Loto hits a sweet spot between odds, prize size, and draw frequency.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 5 from 1-49 + 1 Chance number from 1-10
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 19,068,840
- Average jackpot: €2-15 million ($2.2-16.2 million USD)
- Ticket price: €2.20 (~$2.38 USD)
- Tax: 0% for French residents; non-residents subject to home country tax only
- Draws: Three times weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday)
Three weekly draws is a significant advantage — 156 opportunities per year to win. France does not tax lottery winnings for its residents, and non-resident winners typically only owe tax to their home country. The odds at 19 million to 1 are roughly 15 times better than Powerball.
France Loto also features a mandatory €1 million Friday draw and special event draws (like the Grand Loto de Noël) that boost jackpots well above the average. The game has strong secondary prize tiers too, with match-5 (no Chance number) paying €50,000-100,000 regularly.
#6 — Canada Lotto 6/49: Tax-Free in the Americas
Canada's Lotto 6/49 holds a unique position: it is one of the only lotteries in the Western Hemisphere where winnings are completely tax-free.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 6 from 1-49 (Classic Draw) + automatic Gold Ball draw
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 13,983,816 (Classic) / Gold Ball odds vary
- Average jackpot: CA$5-15 million ($3.7-11.1 million USD) for Classic
- Ticket price: CA$3 (~$2.22 USD)
- Tax: 0% — Canada does not tax lottery winnings at all
- Draws: Twice weekly (Wednesday and Saturday)
The 2022 revamp added the Gold Ball draw, which creates a secondary progressive jackpot. The Gold Ball jackpot starts at CA$1 million and grows until won, sometimes reaching CA$50 million+. Combined with the Classic draw, a single CA$3 ticket gives you two independent shots at multimillion-dollar prizes.
For American expats living in Canada: lottery winnings are tax-free under Canadian law, but the IRS still requires US citizens to report and pay tax on worldwide income, including foreign lottery prizes. Talk to a cross-border tax advisor.
#7 — El Gordo de Navidad (Spain): The Biggest Single Draw on the Planet
El Gordo de Navidad is not a lottery you play weekly. It is a once-a-year event on December 22nd — and it is the largest lottery draw in the world by total payout.
The numbers:
- Format: 5-digit numbers (00000-99999), with tickets split into décimos
- Total prize pool: €2.7 billion+ ($2.9 billion USD) in 2025
- Top prize: €4 million per décimo (€400,000 per number × 10 décimos per series × multiple series)
- Décimo price: €20 (~$21.60 USD)
- Tax: 20% on prizes above €40,000
- Draw: Once annually (December 22)
El Gordo is structured completely differently from other lotteries. The odds of winning the top prize (El Gordo) are 1 in 100,000 — staggeringly good by lottery standards. The total prize pool exceeds $2.9 billion, with roughly 70% of all ticket revenue returned as prizes. That is a payout rate most lotteries cannot match.
The cultural event itself is extraordinary — the draw is broadcast live on Spanish television for hours, with children from Madrid's San Ildefonso school singing out the winning numbers. It is Spain's biggest shared tradition outside of football.
Buying décimos from outside Spain is possible through theLotter, though availability is limited and tickets sell out weeks before the draw.
#8 — Melate (Mexico): Affordable with Decent Odds
Mexico's flagship lottery is one of the most accessible games in Latin America.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 6 from 1-56
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 32,468,436
- Average jackpot: MX$30-200+ million ($1.7-11.4 million USD)
- Ticket price: MX$35 (~$2 USD)
- Tax: 1-7% federal + state tax varies (typically 6%); total ~7-13%
- Draws: Twice weekly (Wednesday and Sunday)
Melate's odds are roughly 9 times better than Powerball, and Mexico's effective lottery tax rate of 7-13% is far lower than the US 37% federal rate. Jackpots regularly roll over into the MX$100 million+ range ($5.7 million+ USD), making Melate a solid mid-tier option.
The Melate Retro and Revanchita supplementary draws run alongside the main game, giving ticket holders additional chances at smaller prizes. This boosts the overall expected value of each ticket.
Melate is widely available through international lottery couriers and draws strong participation from the Mexican diaspora worldwide.
#9 — EuroMillions: Europe's Mega Jackpot Game
EuroMillions is the big-jackpot play on this list — the European equivalent of Powerball, but with better odds and better tax treatment.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 5 from 1-50 + 2 Lucky Stars from 1-12
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 139,838,160
- Average jackpot: €30-100+ million ($32-108 million USD)
- Jackpot cap: €250 million ($270 million USD)
- Ticket price: €2.50 (~$2.70 USD)
- Tax: Varies by country — 0% in UK, Spain, France, Portugal (for residents)
- Draws: Twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday)
The odds are nearly identical to Powerball (1 in 139M vs 1 in 292M), but EuroMillions jackpots are often tax-free depending on where you purchased the ticket. A €100 million EuroMillions jackpot won in the UK is worth €100 million cash. A $100 million Powerball jackpot in the US is worth roughly $63 million after federal tax — and potentially less after state tax.
EuroMillions also features a €250 million cap. When the jackpot hits the cap and is not won, the excess rolls down to lower prize tiers, dramatically improving the expected value of every ticket for those draws.
The Millionaire Maker raffle guarantees at least one €1 million winner per draw, adding a lottery-within-a-lottery dynamic.
#10 — US Powerball: The Jackpot King (with Caveats)
Powerball lands at #10 because it dominates one category — raw jackpot size — while scoring poorly on everything else.
The numbers:
- Format: Pick 5 from 1-69 + 1 Powerball from 1-26
- Jackpot odds: 1 in 292,201,338
- Largest jackpot ever: $2.04 billion (November 2022)
- Ticket price: $2
- Tax: 24% federal withholding + up to 37% effective federal rate + state tax (0-13%)
- Draws: Three times weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday)
Powerball produces the biggest lottery jackpots in history. The 2022 $2.04 billion jackpot, the 2024 $1.765 billion jackpot — these numbers generate global headlines. But the after-tax reality is sobering. That $2.04 billion jackpot? The winner chose the $997.6 million lump sum. After federal tax: roughly $628 million. After California state tax (0% on lottery): $628 million. In New York? Closer to $530 million.
Three weekly draws (added Monday in 2022) give Powerball 156 annual drawings — matching France Loto. But the odds are so steep that the expected value per ticket is consistently negative unless the jackpot exceeds roughly $700 million with no winner-splitting.
Powerball is the right choice if you want a shot at nine-figure prizes and you live in the US. For everyone else on this list, the math is better. Check our Powerball hub for current jackpot info and our EV calculator to see when the expected value turns positive.
Best for Odds vs. Best for Jackpot Size
Here is the split if you are optimizing for one factor:
Best odds (most likely to win the jackpot):
- Japan Loto 6 — 1 in 6,096,454
- Tinka (Peru) — 1 in 8,145,060
- Canada 6/49 — 1 in 13,983,816
- France Loto — 1 in 19,068,840
- Kabala (Israel) — 1 in 18,564,632
Best jackpots (biggest possible prizes):
- US Powerball — up to $2 billion+
- US Mega Millions — up to $1.6 billion+
- EuroMillions — up to €250 million
- El Gordo de Navidad — €2.7 billion total prize pool
- SuperEnalotto (Italy) — up to €300 million+
The optimal strategy depends on what you are solving for. If you want the highest probability of winning any jackpot, play Loto 6 or Tinka. If you want the chance — however remote — at a prize that changes your family's finances for generations, Powerball and Mega Millions are the plays.
A blended approach works too: allocate most of your lottery budget to high-odds games and reserve a small portion for the mega-jackpot draws when they spike above $500 million.
How to Buy International Lottery Tickets Online
You cannot walk into a lottery retailer in Tokyo or Tel Aviv from your living room. But international lottery courier services make it possible to play most of the lotteries on this list from anywhere in the world.
Here is how it works:
1. You choose your lottery and numbers on the courier's website or app.
2. The courier's local agent physically purchases an official ticket at an authorized retailer in that country. This is a real ticket — not a bet on the outcome.
3. You receive a scan of your ticket as proof of purchase. The physical ticket is stored securely.
4. If you win, the courier collects the prize on your behalf and transfers it to your account. For large jackpots, you may need to travel to the country to claim in person — the courier handles logistics.
theLotter is the largest and longest-running international lottery courier, operating since 2002 with over $130 million paid to winners. They offer tickets to 60+ lotteries worldwide and are licensed and regulated.
Courier fees typically add 20-50% to the face value of a ticket. A $2 Powerball ticket might cost $3-4 through a courier. For international lotteries with cheap tickets (like Loto 6 at $1.35), the fee might double the cost. Factor this into your expected value calculations.
Important for US residents: You can use courier services to buy US lottery tickets (Powerball, Mega Millions, state games) through authorized domestic services like Jackpocket and Jackpot.com. See our lottery courier comparison hub for full details.
Critical Warning for US Residents
US residents cannot legally buy international lottery tickets online.
Under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1301-1307), it is illegal to import or transport foreign lottery tickets into the United States. While international courier services operate legally in most countries, they explicitly exclude US-based customers from purchasing non-US lottery tickets.
This means if you are located in the United States, the lotteries you can play online are limited to:
- Powerball — via authorized domestic couriers. See our Powerball page
- Mega Millions — via authorized domestic couriers. See our Mega Millions page
- State lotteries — via services like Jackpocket (available in 20+ states) and Jackpot.com
For legal US lottery options and where to buy tickets online in your state, visit our lottery services hub.
The international lottery rankings above are relevant to players located outside the United States, or for informational purposes. If you are based in the US and want to play the lottery online, focus on the domestic options — they are legal, regulated, and increasingly available.
Tax Comparison: What You Actually Keep
Taxes are the hidden variable that makes or breaks a lottery's true value. Here is what a hypothetical $10 million jackpot is worth after tax in each country:
Tax-free countries (you keep $10 million):
- Japan — 0% tax on lottery winnings
- Canada — 0% tax on lottery winnings
- United Kingdom — 0% tax on lottery winnings
- Australia — 0% tax on lottery winnings
- Germany — 0% tax on lottery winnings
Low-tax countries ($8.5-9.5 million after tax):
- Peru (Tinka) — ~10% effective rate → $9 million
- Mexico (Melate) — ~7-13% effective rate → $8.7-9.3 million
- Brazil (Mega-Sena) — 13.8% rate → $8.62 million
Moderate-tax countries ($7.5-8.5 million after tax):
- Spain (La Primitiva, EuroMillions) — 20% on prizes above €40K → ~$8 million
- Italy (SuperEnalotto) — 20% on prizes above €500 → ~$8 million
- Israel (Kabala) — 35% above exemption → varies by prize size
High-tax countries ($6-7 million after tax):
- United States (Powerball) — 37% federal + 0-13% state → $5.3-6.3 million
- Colombia — 20% tax → $8 million (moderate, but worth noting)
The US is the most heavily taxed major lottery jurisdiction in the world. A $10 million Powerball winner in New York takes home roughly $5.3 million. The same $10 million won in Japan, Canada, or the UK is $10 million in your bank account. That is a 47% difference in actual value.
Use our lottery tax calculator to model your specific scenario, and the EV calculator to see how taxes affect expected value across different lotteries.
The Bottom Line: Play Smarter, Not Bigger
The global lottery market offers dramatically better options than most players realize. If you have been playing nothing but Powerball and Mega Millions, you are choosing the games with the worst odds and heaviest tax burdens among all major world lotteries.
Here is the framework:
If you are outside the US: Focus on Japan Loto 6 (best odds-to-value ratio), your country's national lottery, and EuroMillions or El Gordo for the big-jackpot plays. Use theLotter to access lotteries beyond your home country.
If you are in the US: Your legal online options are Powerball, Mega Millions, and your state lottery via domestic courier services. Check our lottery services hub for the best courier for your state. Bookmark our Powerball and Mega Millions pages for current jackpot updates and EV analysis.
Regardless of where you live: Use our EV calculator to compare any lottery's expected value before buying tickets. Check the international lottery hub for country-specific pages with detailed odds breakdowns, draw schedules, and current jackpot information.
The house always has an edge in lottery. But some houses take a much smaller cut than others. Play the ones where the math works hardest in your favor.
