Zahlenlotto Exposed — How Much Would You Bet on Your Lucky Numbers?

Zahlenlotto Review

Do you get all tingly and excited about lotteries that have unusual formats and offer a lot of flexibility? If so, you’ll definitely appreciate Austria’s Zahlenlotto. There isn’t one fixed way to claim a prize and the amount that you win will depend on the sum that you’ve wagered. With a minimum ticket entry of only one euro, Zahlenlotto is definitely worth trying.

Austria Zahlenlotto: Introduction

This is probably one of the oldest lottery games on the continent and also across the world. Austria’s Zahlenlotto was launched under princess Maria Theresia from the Habsburg family who ruled from 1740 until her death. Maria Theresia was one of the most prominent monarchs of the time.

The first Zahlenlotto drawing took place October 21, 1752. In 1990, a transfer of management occurred. The game was previously carried out by Österreichischen Glücksspielmonopolverwaltung (try saying that one out if you don’t know German!) and it was transferred to Austrian Lotteries.

Is Zahlenlotto a Scam?

Could a lottery with such a long and well-established history be a scam? We hope not and we’re sure about Zahlenlotto. It’s always been under national management that ensures the fairness of drawings, the payment of prizes and the allocation of some funds to good causes in Austria.

As already mentioned, the game has been under the portfolio of the Austrian Lotteries since 1990. The organization was set up in 1986 and currently, it employs more than 480 people. In 2016 alone, Austrian Lotteries generated 3.35 billion dollars through sales.

Austrian Lotteries were set up after several laws were amended in 1986. Previously, there was no nationwide entity responsible for holding lottery drawings, managing prize funds and guaranteeing the fairness of the process. The first game in the portfolio of Austrian Lottery was Lotto 6/45 but the number of options increased quickly.

Today, the organization has various games to offer to its clients – Toto, Bingo!, ToiToiToi, Brief Los, Rubel Los and EuroMillions. Online bingo games, as well as sports betting options are also available under Austrian Lotteries.

How to Play Zahlenlotto?

Here’s where things get to be a bit more complicated since there isn’t just one way in which to play Zahlenlotto. There are multiple systems, each one available with certain odds of winning. These vary from Extract (choosing just one number) to Ambo-Terno-5, in which case the player will have to pick five numbers.

On top of selecting the numbers, the player will also need to choose the amount they’re going to bet on the respective selection. Bets come in the range from 1 to 500 euro and they’ll be determining for the payout that the player will be entitled to.

In the case of making an Extract bet, the player will choose a single number. If a number selected is lower than the winning numbers for the respective drawing, the player will win 5 times their bet.

In the case of Ambo-Terno-5, the player will win the maximum if all 5 of the chosen numbers are drawn.

On top of the standard gameplay, there’s also a Joker pick that can affect the payouts.

Zahlenlotto drawings take place 3 times per week – on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Prizes and Odds

The lowest prize tier is the extract and it comes with odds of 1 in 18. The payout is 5 times the amount wagered. This means that if you choose one number and you bet 1 euro, the payout in the case of a win will be 5 euro.

Ambo-Terno-5 comes with several winning possibilities for the players who choose 5 numbers and a wager. If a player gets 2 out of the 5 numbers, they’ll get a payout that is x5 the wager. If 3 numbers are correct, the payout will be x125 times the wager. Four correct numbers multiply the original bet by 750 times and if a player has all 5 numbers correct, the payout will be x5,000 times.

Thus, a player who chooses the maximum wager of 500 euro and gets all 5 Ambo-Terno-5 numbers correct will be paid 2.5 million euro. The odds of getting all 5 numbers correct is 1 in 43,949,268.

Other than these winning options, there are a few more possibilities:

1). Call: 1 number is chosen and the player wins if this number is drawn first. The odds of this happening are 1 in 90 and the payout is the wager x25.

2). Ambo: a player chooses 2 numbers. If both of them appear among the numbers drawn, the payout will be wager x125. The odds are 1 in 400.

3). Terno: a player chooses three numbers and all of them appear among the winning ones. The odds are 1 in 11,748 and the payout is x3,000.

4). Ambo-Terno-3: with odds of 1 in 11,748, this option is similar to the Terno. Players have to match either 2 or 3 numbers from the ones that they’ve picked. If 2 numbers are matched, the payout is x10. If three numbers are matched, the payout is x2,500.

5). Ambo-Terno-4: when four numbers are marked, players can win by matching 2 numbers (x7.5 times the bet), 3 numbers (x500 times the bet) and 4 numbers (x2,500 times the bet). The odds of winning the biggest Ambo-Terno-4 prize are 1 in 511,038.

Some Information for Zahlenlotto Winners

The Zahlenlotto official website enables online ticket buying options. Whenever a player wins an amount of 1,000 euro or less, this amount will be credited automatically to their account. No payout request will have to be made.

For a larger sum, the player will need to submit a payout request.

Players need to keep in mind that Austria is one of the countries that tax lottery income. Previously, the country had a tax-free regime, but gambling regulations were amended in 2014 for the purpose of providing some additional funds to the country’s budget.

The tax rate for lottery games comes in the range from 18.5 to 27.5 percent, depending on the amount being won. Online gambling activity comes with a much higher tax of 40 percent.

Players have a period of 3 years to make a prize claim. Unlike other national and commercial entities, Austrian Lotteries enables the anonymous claiming of awards- players aren’t required to participate in press conferences or advertising campaigns.

Can You Buy Zahlenlotto Tickets Online?

The Zahlenlotto website enables the online ticket buying, but to benefit from the opportunity, you need to be aged 18 and you need to have Austrian residence.

International online lottery agencies don’t have the lottery in their portfolios. For the time being, you will have to be in Austria if you’re a foreigner and you’d like to try Zahlenlotto.

The Bottom Line at Austrian Zahlenlotto

Zahlenlotto is a lot of fun and though it’s challenging to win the biggest prize, the multiple game playing options increases the appeal of this lottery among players. Here are a few of the most prominent reasons why the game is a great one:

Pros:

It’s been around for centuries

Zahlenlotto is organized by a national entity and is completely legitimate

The lowest ticket price is 1 euro

Players can choose both their numbers and the amount they’re going to bet on the choice, which allows for a lot of flexibility

There are multiple prize tiers, some of them pretty attractive

The game features 3 drawings per week

The maximum amount that players can win is 2.5 million euro

The shortcomings aren’t that many, but some of them could be discouraging (depending on your gaming style and preferences):

Cons:

The game isn’t available online for international players

The odds of winning the jackpot aren’t the best ones out there

In order to have a shot at winning the biggest prize, you will have to wager 500 euro, which is quite a lot in comparison to other lotteries

Prizes are fixed, there’s no accumulation and rollovers

Income taxes do apply to lottery prizes in Austria

Speaking in realistic terms, it’s quite difficult to win the top prize without wagering a huge amount. Since, Zahlenlotto has a couple of other fun prizes and opportunities that it offers to players who want to keep their expenditure limited. There’s no reason to worry about legitimacy if you’re curious about the game, just go for it and good luck!