Belgium Lotto Extra Exposed — Test Your Holiday Luck!
Belgium Lotto Extra Review
The holiday season obviously provokes lottery organizers to be generous. This is the main reason why so many countries have specialized lotteries that occur in December. Belgium is no exception and its offer to the world is called Belgium Lotto Extra.
The Belgium Lotto Extra is a specialized lottery that takes place only 2 times per year. There is a Christmas and a New Year’s Eve drawing. Both of them come with wonderful prizes.
Is The Lotter legit in the Netherlands and are Belgium Lotto Extra tickets available on the platform?
A Brief Overview of Lotto Extra
Belgium Lotto Extra is an extension of the Belgium Lotto. The game was launched in 1978 and ever since its inception, it’s been one of the most important entries in the portfolio of Loterie Nationale. The Lotto has special drawings that occur during the festive season and these special drawings are called Belgium Lotto Extra.
Belgium Lotto Extra has the same rules and specifics as the standard Lotto drawings. The holiday lottery, however, comes with its own prize fund.
How to Play Belgium Lotto Extra?
For a start, you have to decide whether you want to buy a ticket for the Christmas drawing that takes place on December 24 or the New Year’s Eve drawing that takes place on December 31. The cost of one line is 1 euro.
For a chance to win the jackpot, you’ll have to choose 6 numbers from a pool of 45. You can also choose a Joker + entry alongside the Belgium Lotto Extra submission. If you pick a combined ticket, you’ll have to pay 1.5 euros on top for a total of 2.5 euros. The combination can add a prize of 200,000 euros to the Belgium Lotto Extra prizes.
The drawing can be watched on Belgian TV and the results will also be announced through the official Loterie Nationale website. You can also get your tickets through this platform.
Prizes and Odds
The prize pools differ for the 2 drawings and the bigger one is dedicated to the New Year’s Eve edition of the game. A top prize of 3 million euros may be handed out to the lucky person that gets all 6 numbers correct. The odds of this happening are 1 in 8,145,060.
The total prize pool for the December 31, 2016 drawing is announced at 6 million euros. Of these funds, 3.5 million euros will be dedicated to the top prize. The biggest sum for the Christmas 2016 draw was 2.5 million euros, but unfortunately, there was no winner.
Apart from the top prize, there are 7 additional tiers. On December 24, 2016, there were 4 individuals who won the second prize. The earnings were 53,857 euros per person. The third prize tier had 130 lucky winners who all became 1,571 euros richer.
The lowest prize is awarded to those who have 2+ correct numbers. During the Christmas drawing, there were 89,521 lowest-prize tier winners. All of them got a fixed amount of 3 euros.
Some Information for Winners
All winners have 20 weeks from the date of the drawing in order to make a prize claim, regardless of the sum.
Prizes of up to 2,000 euros can be claimed at any authorized Loterie Nationale retail venue and the sum will be paid out immediately. For larger prizes, players will need to visit the national lottery headquarters in Brussels.
All of the prizes are paid out in the form of a cash lump sum. Belgium doesn’t have an income tax, but if you’re an international player, there could be one in your country of origin. You may want to speak with an attorney or an accountant to make sure you’re complying with national regulations.
Can You Buy Belgium Lotto Extra Tickets Online?
Players have a few options when it comes to the online purchase of Belgium Lotto Extra tickets.
Loterie Nationale has a website and an app allowing the online purchase of a ticket either through a computer or a mobile device.
Belgium Lotto games are also available through online lottery agents. These websites allow players from all parts of the world to acquire tickets for their favorite lotteries in another country.
We love holiday lottos and since they say that miracles happen at Christmas, chances are that such opportunities are worth a try. The Belgium Lotto Extra is a neat little game that has several fun characteristics:
Why You Shouldn’t Play Belgium Lotto Extra
Pros:
There are two special drawings, each one with a specific prize pool
A single ticket costs just 1 euro
It’s possible to buy a combined Belgium Lotto Extra and Jackpot + ticket
There are 8 prize tiers in total
Both of the holiday editions come with a guaranteed jackpot
The game is organized by a national entity, thus it’s 100 percent legitimate
Online ticket buying is a possibility for both local and international players
Some of the funds generated through ticket sales go to support charitable causes
While Belgium Lotto Extra is a nice lottery, there are a few important shortcomings to keep in mind:
Why You Shouldn’t Play Belgium Lotto Extra
Cons:
The jackpots are small in comparison to other holiday lotteries like El Gordo
Lower prize tiers aren’t too impressive
Is Belgium Lotto Extra Legit?
Specialized holiday lotteries usually come with bigger prizes, which is why many people wonder whether these opportunities are a scam. The good news is that Belgium Lotto Extra is a completely legitimate possibility to win some cash. It is organized by a national entity that has been around for decades.
Lotto Extra is one of the games in the portfolio of Loterie Nationale. The history of the organization goes back to 1934 when it was created in an attempt to generate funds for the treatment of sick people in the Belgian Congo.
Loterie Nationale got its new name in 1962 and it modernized its structure. Today, the organization has a wide range of popular games in its portfolio. A few of the most prominent entries include Belgium Lotto, Pick 3, Joker +, and Keno. Loterie Nationale also sells scratch tickets with instant prizes and it organizes Euro Millions in Belgium.
As you can see, the shortcomings aren’t that many and since the tickets are so affordable, Belgium Lotto Extra is certainly worth a try. Who knows, this may be your opportunity to give yourself a brand new start during the coming year.
Jeremy Kittle
This isn’t the size of La Navidad, the Spanish Lottery, at the same time I like holiday lotteries. Puts that bit of extra fun. And just imagine waking up Christmas morning or starting the new year a lot richer. There are eight tiers which is also great. I’ll definitely have to put this on my lottery calendar.