The Rankings: 15 Lotteries by Jackpot Odds
Here's the full list, ranked from easiest to hardest jackpot to win:
1. Poland Mini Lotto — 1 in 850,668 2. Peru Kabala — 1 in 1,947,792 3. Italy MillionDAY — 1 in 3,478,761 4. Mexico Triple Chance Clásico — 1 in 3,819,816 5. Peru Tinka — 1 in 8,145,060 6. Austria Lotto — 1 in 8,145,060 7. Irish Lotto — 1 in 10,737,573 8. La Primitiva (Spain) — 1 in 13,983,816 9. Canada Lotto 6/49 — 1 in 13,983,816 10. France Loto — 1 in 19,068,840 11. Melate (Mexico) — 1 in 32,468,436 12. UK National Lottery — 1 in 45,057,474 13. Mega-Sena (Brazil) — 1 in 50,063,860 14. EuroMillions — 1 in 139,838,160 15. Powerball (US) — 1 in 292,201,338
Notice the spread. The best odds on this list (Poland Mini Lotto) are 343 times better than Powerball. Even the middle of the pack — La Primitiva, Canada 6/49 — offer odds roughly 21x better than America's favorite lottery.
#1: Poland Mini Lotto — 1 in 850,668
The best jackpot odds of any lottery available through international courier services. Pick 5 numbers from 1-42. That's it — no bonus balls, no multipliers, no extras.
Ticket price: PLN 2 (~$0.50 USD). The cheapest lottery on this list. Jackpot starts at: PLN 100,000 (~$25,000 USD). Record jackpot: PLN 1.2 million (~$300,000 USD). Draws: Daily — 7 days a week. Tax: Poland taxes prizes over PLN 2,340 at 10%.
The obvious trade-off: jackpots are small by international standards. You're not winning $100 million here. But if your goal is to actually win a lottery jackpot in your lifetime, Poland Mini Lotto gives you the best mathematical shot. Playing one line daily costs about $15/month — and your odds of hitting the jackpot at least once in a year of daily play are roughly 1 in 2,330. Compare that to Powerball's 1 in 1,878,726 for the same one-line-per-draw strategy.
To put it another way: if 850,668 people each bought one Poland Mini Lotto ticket for the same draw, statistically one of them would win the jackpot. For Powerball, you'd need 292 million people. Poland has 38 million residents. The US has 330 million. The relative scale matters — Mini Lotto's odds are achievable within the population of a single small city.
#2-3: Peru Kabala and Italy MillionDAY
Peru Kabala — 1 in 1,947,792
Pick 6 numbers from 1-36. Draws six days a week (Monday-Saturday). Tickets cost about $1 USD. Jackpots start at S/50,000 (~$13,000 USD) and the record is S/2 million (~$500,000 USD). Peru taxes winnings at 10% over S/700.
Kabala sits in a sweet spot: odds over 150x better than Powerball, daily-ish draws, and cheap tickets. The jackpots won't make international news, but half a million dollars changes most people's lives.
Italy MillionDAY — 1 in 3,478,761
Pick 5 numbers from 1-55. Draws every single day. The twist: the jackpot is a fixed €1 million — no rollovers, no sharing. Every winner gets exactly €1 million.
Tickets cost €1 (~$3 through theLotter). Italy taxes prizes over €500 at 20%, so a jackpot winner takes home €800,000 (~$870,000 USD).
The fixed-prize model is underrated. With rollover lotteries, the advertised jackpot sounds huge but gets split among multiple winners. MillionDAY's €1 million is guaranteed, unsplit, and available every day. If you're going to play one international lottery regularly, MillionDAY's combination of great odds, daily draws, and a guaranteed prize is hard to beat.
A quick note on availability: both Peru Kabala and Italy MillionDAY are available through theLotter for players outside the US. US residents cannot purchase international lottery tickets online due to federal regulations. If you're in Latin America, Europe, or most other regions, these lotteries are accessible through courier services.
#4-6: Mexico Triple Chance, Peru Tinka, and Austria Lotto
Mexico Triple Chance Clásico — 1 in 3,819,816
Pick 5 numbers from 1-56. Each ticket enters three separate draws — tripling your chances. Tickets cost MX$20 (~$1 USD). Draws Wednesday and Sunday. Jackpots range from MX$500,000 to MX$25 million ($29K-$1.5M USD). Mexico's 7% lottery tax is one of the lowest in the world.
Peru Tinka — 1 in 8,145,060
Pick 6 numbers from 1-45. Draws Wednesday and Sunday. Tickets cost about $1 USD. Jackpots range from S/2 million to S/18 million ($500K-$5M USD). Simple format with 4 prize tiers — no bonus balls or extras. Peru taxes at 10%.
Tinka is the Goldilocks lottery for players who want decent odds with meaningful jackpots. Five million dollars isn't Powerball money, but the odds are 36x better.
Austria Lotto — 1 in 8,145,060
Identical odds to Tinka (same 6/45 format). Draws Wednesday and Sunday. Austria does not tax lottery winnings for domestic players; international winners should check their home country's rules. Jackpots range from €1 million to €10+ million. Tickets cost about $3 through courier services.
#7-9: Irish Lotto, La Primitiva, and Canada 6/49
Irish Lotto — 1 in 10,737,573
Pick 6 from 1-47 plus a bonus ball. Draws Wednesday and Saturday. Jackpots range from €2 million to €19 million (record). Completely tax-free. Ireland doesn't tax lottery winnings at all — no income tax, no capital gains tax. For international players, this is significant: the advertised jackpot is the actual jackpot. Tickets cost about $4 through theLotter.
La Primitiva (Spain) — 1 in 13,983,816
One of the world's oldest lotteries, running since 1763. Classic 6/49 format plus a Reintegro (refund number). If you match only the Reintegro, you get your ticket price back — effectively a free play. Tickets cost just €1. Jackpots up to €101 million (record). Spain taxes prizes over €40,000 at 20%.
La Primitiva is arguably the best overall value on this list. The odds are 21x better than Powerball, the ticket price is the lowest of any major lottery, and the jackpot potential is genuinely life-changing. Check out our La Primitiva page for current jackpot info.
Canada Lotto 6/49 — 1 in 13,983,816
Same odds as La Primitiva (same 6/49 math). Draws Wednesday and Saturday. Tax-free in Canada. Each ticket includes a guaranteed $1 million raffle — one random ticket wins $1 million every single draw, regardless of the main numbers. Jackpots range from C$5 million to C$68 million (record). Tickets cost about $4 through theLotter.
#10-12: France Loto, Melate, and UK National Lottery
France Loto — 1 in 19,068,840
Pick 5 from 1-49 plus 1 Lucky Number from 1-10. Draws Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday — one of the few major lotteries with three weekly draws. Tax-free in France. Jackpots start at €2 million with no set cap. The Loto also features occasional special Super Loto draws with boosted jackpots. Tickets cost about $4 through courier services.
Melate (Mexico) — 1 in 32,468,436
Mexico's flagship lottery. Pick 6 from 1-56. Draws Wednesday and Saturday. At ~$1 per ticket, it's one of the cheapest major lotteries in the world — and each ticket also enters you into Melate Retro and Revanchita draws at no extra cost. Three chances per ticket. Jackpots up to MX$500 million (~$29M USD). Mexico's 7% lottery tax keeps more money in winners' pockets.
UK National Lottery — 1 in 45,057,474
Pick 6 from 1-59. Draws Wednesday and Saturday. Completely tax-free — no income tax, no capital gains tax on any prize amount. The unique feature: a £22 million jackpot cap with mandatory rolldown. When the jackpot hits £22M and nobody wins, the prize rolls down to lower tiers, creating more winners. Each ticket also enters the Millionaire Maker raffle. Tickets cost about $3 through theLotter.
#13-15: Mega-Sena, EuroMillions, and Powerball
Mega-Sena (Brazil) — 1 in 50,063,860
Brazil's biggest lottery. Pick 6 from 1-60. Draws Wednesday and Saturday. Jackpots regularly exceed R$100 million ($20M USD), with a record of R$317 million ($63M USD). The annual Mega da Virada draw on New Year's Eve features guaranteed jackpots exceeding R$500 million. Brazil taxes at 13.8%. Only 3 prize tiers, meaning larger payouts per winner. See our full comparison in the Mega-Sena vs Powerball article.
EuroMillions — 1 in 139,838,160
Europe's biggest multinational lottery. Pick 5 from 1-50 plus 2 Lucky Stars from 1-12. Draws Tuesday and Friday. Jackpots from €17 million to €250 million (cap). Tax-free in most participating countries. The odds are still 2x better than Powerball, and the tax-free prizes mean the advertised amount is closer to reality.
Powerball (US) — 1 in 292,201,338
The world's most famous lottery sits near the bottom of this list for odds. Pick 5 from 1-69 plus 1 Powerball from 1-26. Draws Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. No jackpot cap — the record is $2.04 billion (November 2022). Federal tax takes 37% on large prizes, plus state taxes. The odds are brutal, but when the jackpot crosses $1 billion, the prize-to-odds ratio becomes competitive with better-odds lotteries.
One lottery with worse odds didn't make this list: Italy's SuperEnalotto at 1 in 622,614,630 — the hardest major lottery jackpot in the world. And for completeness, Mega Millions rounds out the bottom with 1 in 302,575,350 — slightly worse than Powerball.
The pattern is clear: the lotteries most people know — Powerball, Mega Millions, EuroMillions — have the worst odds on the planet. They got famous because of massive jackpots, not because they're good bets. The lotteries with the best odds are mostly unknown outside their home countries. That's the information gap this list is meant to close. Knowing your options is the first step toward making smarter lottery decisions with your entertainment budget.
How to Actually Play These Lotteries
Most of these 15 lotteries are available through theLotter, the world's largest lottery courier service. They've been operating since 2002 and have paid out over $120 million in winnings.
The process is simple: sign up, verify your identity, pick a lottery, choose your numbers, and pay. theLotter's local agents purchase a real ticket on your behalf and scan it to your account.
Important for US readers: US residents cannot purchase international lottery tickets online. Federal law prohibits it, and theLotter blocks US IP addresses for international lotteries. This guide is primarily for players outside the US, or for anyone curious about how global lottery odds compare.
A smart strategy: Instead of spending $10/week on Powerball (expected return: ~$2.70), consider splitting that budget across lotteries with better odds. Two lines of La Primitiva ($6) plus two lines of Italy MillionDAY ($6) costs about the same as five Powerball lines — but your aggregate odds of winning any jackpot are dramatically better.
The trade-off is always the same: better odds mean smaller jackpots. But "smaller" is relative. La Primitiva's record jackpot of €101 million would change anyone's life. So would MillionDAY's guaranteed €1 million. You don't need $2 billion to retire — you need a lot less than most people think.
Browse all available international lotteries on our international lottery hub.
