1. South Africa Daily Lotto — Best Odds on the Planet
Jackpot: R350,000 (~$19,000)
Odds: 1 in 376,992
Ticket price: R3 (~$0.15)
Tax: Tax-free
Draws: Daily
You read those odds right — 1 in 377 thousand. That is 775 times easier to win than Powerball (1 in 292 million). The jackpot is not going to make you a millionaire, but at fifteen cents a ticket and a daily draw, the expected value ratio is hard to beat.
The South Africa Daily Lotto draws every single day at 9pm SAST (2pm ET). Pick 5 numbers from 1-36. If nobody hits the jackpot, it rolls over. The current R350K pot is modest, but the math per ticket is remarkable. If you want to play the lottery with the statistically best chance of actually winning something, this is it.
Learn more: South Africa Daily Lotto odds, prizes, and how to play
2. Japan Loto 6 — The Best Value Play on the Board
Jackpot: 600 million yen (~$3.8 million)
Odds: 1 in 6,096,454
Ticket price: 200 yen (~$1.30)
Tax: Tax-free (up to 50 million yen)
Draws: Monday and Thursday
Japan Loto 6 has 48 times better odds than Powerball, and the current jackpot sits at 600 million yen — roughly $3.8 million. For $1.30 a ticket, that is an exceptional ratio of jackpot size to win probability.
Japan does not tax lottery winnings up to 50 million yen (about $320,000). Beyond that, gift tax may apply if you share your winnings, but the initial prize is yours to keep. The game is straightforward: pick 6 numbers from 1-43. Draws happen every Monday and Thursday.
For international players, this is the sweet spot — a legitimately life-changing jackpot with odds that are actually in the realm of possibility. You are 48 times more likely to win this than Powerball.
Learn more: Japan Loto 6 odds, prizes, and how to play
3. Peru Kabala — The Mid-Range Value Pick
Jackpot: S/1.1 million (~$290,000)
Odds: 1 in 1,906,884
Ticket price: S/4 (~$1.00)
Tax: 10%
Draws: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
Peru Kabala sits in a nice middle ground — odds that are 153 times better than Powerball, with a jackpot that is meaningful but not astronomical. The 10% tax rate is among the lowest in the world for lottery winnings.
Pick 6 numbers from 1-43. Draws happen three times a week. The current S/1.1 million jackpot works out to about $261,000 after the 10% tax. For a dollar a ticket and odds under 2 million to 1, this is a sensible play if you are looking for realistic value rather than fantasy numbers.
Peru Kabala flies under the radar internationally, but the math speaks for itself. At these odds, you are roughly as likely to win Kabala as you are to be struck by lightning in a given year — which, morbid as it sounds, is dramatically better than any US mega-lottery.
Learn more: Peru Kabala odds, prizes, and how to play
4. Philippines Super Lotto — Cheapest Path to a Million-Dollar Prize
Jackpot: 131.2 million pesos (~$2.3 million)
Odds: 1 in 8,145,060
Ticket price: 24 pesos (~$0.40)
Tax: 20% on prizes over 10,000 pesos
Draws: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
At 40 cents a ticket, Philippines Super Lotto gives you a shot at $2.3 million with odds that are 36 times better than Powerball. The jackpot-to-odds ratio is strong, and the entry price makes it accessible to play multiple draws without feeling it.
Pick 6 numbers from 1-49. The 20% tax on prizes over 10,000 pesos (about $175) means you would take home roughly $1.84 million on the current jackpot — still a life-changing sum by any standard.
The Philippines Super Lotto has been running since 2000. Jackpots roll over when nobody hits, and the game has produced several hundred-million-peso winners. For the price of a candy bar, you get 36 times better odds than the American big games.
Learn more: Philippines Super Lotto odds, prizes, and how to play
5. SuperEnalotto (Italy) — The Big Swing
Jackpot: 138.9 million euros (~$152 million)
Odds: 1 in 622,614,630
Ticket price: 1 euro (~$1.10)
Tax: 20% on prizes over 500 euros
Draws: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Okay, the odds are terrible — actually worse than Powerball. So why is SuperEnalotto on this list? Because at 138.9 million euros, the jackpot is one of the largest in the world right now, and the ticket costs just one euro.
SuperEnalotto has no jackpot cap, meaning it keeps rolling over indefinitely. The current pot has been building for months. The expected value at this level, while still negative (all lotteries are), is better than it has been in a long time. And the secondary prizes — matching 5 out of 6 numbers pays around 30,000 to 50,000 euros — add meaningful value to each ticket.
Think of SuperEnalotto as the high-risk, high-reward play on this list. The odds are brutal, but the price is right, and 152 million dollars is 152 million dollars. If you are going to take one long shot this week, at least make it a cheap one.
Learn more: SuperEnalotto odds, prizes, and how to play
Honorable Mentions
Three more lotteries that almost made the list this week:
Powerball (USA): $133 million jackpot, odds 1 in 292.2 million. The odds are famously terrible, but the jackpot is climbing and Powerball remains the most accessible lottery for US players. If you are going to play one domestic game, this is the one to watch. Current Powerball jackpot and next draw
EuroJackpot: 49 million euros, odds 1 in 139.8 million. Better odds than both Powerball and EuroMillions, with a solid jackpot that has room to grow. Available across 19 European countries. EuroJackpot odds and how to play
Australia Saturday Lotto: AU$20 million, odds 1 in 8.1 million. Australia does not tax lottery winnings at all. That AU$20 million is yours to keep — no federal tax, no state tax, nothing. For international players, that tax-free status makes the effective value significantly higher. Australia Saturday Lotto guide
How We Picked These 5
We looked at three things for every lottery drawing this week:
1. Odds-to-jackpot ratio. A $500 million jackpot means nothing if the odds are 1 in 300 million. We compared the current jackpot size to the probability of winning it. Higher ratio = better value per ticket.
2. Ticket price. A $1 ticket with 1-in-6-million odds is a fundamentally different value proposition than a $5 ticket with 1-in-300-million odds. We factored in the cost of entry.
3. Tax impact. A tax-free lottery win in Japan or South Africa is worth more than a taxed win of the same amount in Italy or the US. We calculated the after-tax expected value, not just the headline number.
The formula is straightforward: (Jackpot x Win Probability - Ticket Price) adjusted for tax rate. No lottery has a positive expected value — the house always has an edge. But some lotteries are dramatically less negative than others, and that gap widens when jackpots grow.
Want to run these numbers yourself? Our lottery expected value calculator lets you plug in any lottery's jackpot, odds, and ticket price to see the real math.
The Math: Powerball vs. These 5 Lotteries
Here is a side-by-side comparison of this week's picks against Powerball:
| Lottery | Jackpot (USD) | Odds | Ticket | Tax | vs. Powerball |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA Daily Lotto | $19K | 1 in 377K | $0.15 | 0% | 775x better |
| Peru Kabala | $290K | 1 in 1.9M | $1.00 | 10% | 153x better |
| Japan Loto 6 | $3.8M | 1 in 6.1M | $1.30 | 0%* | 48x better |
| PH Super Lotto | $2.3M | 1 in 8.1M | $0.40 | 20% | 36x better |
| SuperEnalotto | $152M | 1 in 623M | $1.10 | 20% | 2.1x worse |
| Powerball | $133M | 1 in 292M | $2.00 | ~37% | baseline |
*Japan: tax-free up to 50M yen. Powerball tax assumes federal + average state.
The takeaway: four out of five picks have dramatically better odds than Powerball. SuperEnalotto is the outlier — worse odds but a massive jackpot and a cheap ticket. The best pure-value play is Japan Loto 6: strong jackpot, great odds, tax-free, and just over a dollar per ticket.
How to Buy These Lotteries Online
None of these lotteries sell tickets to international players directly. You need a lottery courier service — a company that buys an official physical ticket on your behalf in the country where the draw happens, scans it to your account, and helps you claim if you win.
The two main options:
theLotter — The largest lottery courier service in the world. Operating since 2002, licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority. Covers all five lotteries on this list plus 50+ others. They buy your ticket from an authorized retailer, scan it to your account, and if you win a jackpot, they fly you to the country to claim in person (they cover travel expenses). theLotter has paid out over $120 million in prizes. This is the gold standard for international lottery ticket buying.
WinTrillions — Specializes in lottery syndicates, where you pool tickets with other players for better odds at a lower individual cost. WinTrillions covers SuperEnalotto, EuroMillions, Powerball, and several others. Good option if you want to play multiple lines without paying full price for each one.
Important note for US residents: Federal law prohibits US residents from purchasing international lottery tickets online. theLotter and WinTrillions are available to players outside the United States. US players can buy Powerball and Mega Millions tickets through domestic courier apps like Jackpocket and Jackpot.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these lotteries legitimate?
Yes. Every lottery on this list is a government-operated or government-licensed lottery in its home country. SuperEnalotto is run by the Italian government. Japan Loto 6 is operated by Mizuho Bank under Japanese law. South Africa Daily Lotto is run by the National Lottery Commission. These are not private gambling operations — they are regulated national lotteries.
Can US residents play these lotteries?
No. Federal law prohibits US residents from purchasing international lottery tickets online. This list is most relevant for international players or US residents who are curious about the global lottery landscape. US players should stick with Powerball, Mega Millions, and their state lottery games.
How do courier services make money if I keep 100% of winnings?
Courier services charge a markup on the ticket price. A ticket that costs 1 euro at a local retailer might cost $3-5 through a courier service. The markup covers the cost of buying, scanning, securing, and potentially claiming the ticket. You keep the full prize amount — the courier never takes a percentage of winnings.
What is expected value and why does it matter?
Expected value (EV) is the average amount you would win (or lose) per ticket if you played the same lottery millions of times. Every lottery has a negative EV — meaning the house always wins over time. But some lotteries are far less negative than others. A lottery with -$0.30 EV per dollar spent is a better mathematical deal than one with -$0.70 EV per dollar spent, even though both are losing propositions. Run the numbers yourself with our expected value calculator.
Bottom Line
Powerball and Mega Millions get all the attention because they are American, massive, and everywhere. But if you are purely playing the math, there are better options this week — especially Japan Loto 6 (best all-around value), South Africa Daily Lotto (best odds, cheapest ticket), and Peru Kabala (best mid-range pick).
Every lottery is a negative expected value bet. You should never spend money you cannot afford to lose. But if you are going to play, you might as well play smart — and this week, smart means looking beyond the US border.
Run the numbers yourself: Lottery EV Calculator | Lottery Tax Calculator
Ready to play? Buy tickets on theLotter (international players) or check this week's Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots.
