Gambling - Five lottery millionaires in the country: Stakes stable
With winnings of between 10 and 1.2 million euros, five Saxony-Anhalt residents have become lottery millionaires so far this year. This is a remarkable result for a small federal state like Saxony-Anhalt, explained Stefan Ebert, Managing Director of Lotto-Toto GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt. In 2022, there were only three lottery millionaires; in 2021, there were twice as many.
Stakes again over 200 million euros
The dream of winning big continues to inspire many players. "2023 marks the end of a very stable Lotto year. So far, Saxony-Anhalt residents have spent roughly the same amount of money on their lottery luck as in the previous year," says Ebert. Stakes of over 200 million euros are expected for the fourth year in a row.
According to Lotto-Toto, 46 big prizes of 50,000 euros or more were won in Saxony-Anhalt up until shortly before Christmas. One slipped just past the million euro mark at the end of November. 927,000 euros in the Eurojackpot went to the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld.
10 million for Magdeburg couple
A couple from Magdeburg scooped the highest prize of 10 million euros in Saxony-Anhalt this year. They hit the jackpot in the Eurojackpot lottery at the beginning of August. Their stake was twelve euros. Two people from Saxony-Anhalt became millionaires this year with the environmental lottery Bingo: At the beginning of January, a woman in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel district won €1.7 million, while in September a winner from the Saalekreis district became €2.9 million richer.
The classic "six in the lottery" came at the beginning of June for a lottery player from the Harz region, who won €1.2 million. The same amount went to a player from the Mansfeld-Südharz district at the beginning of November.
Fewer and fewer sales outlets
People who play the lottery usually still go to a sales outlet and hand in their completed ticket there. 80 percent of the stakes were spent in this way in 2023. However, the number of sales outlets continues to fall. According to Ebert, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find successors for lottery sales outlets whose owners are retiring, especially in rural regions.
7.2 million euros for the common good
Around 20 cents of every euro invested goes to the common good and thus to social projects such as sports, culture and monument protection. Around 370 applications for lottery funding have been approved so far in 2023. According to Lotto-Toto, around 7.2 million euros went towards this. For example, support was provided for the construction of a traffic training area for children at the traffic watch organization in the Burgenland district. The Harbke Monument Association received 50,000 euros to secure the castle façade and a grant of 54,000 euros was awarded for the Motocross World Championships in Teutschenthal in June.
A new special funding program entitled "Mini Forest" was also launched this year. 150,000 euros are available until the end of 2024. The first three applications have been approved. The kick-off was at Europagymnasium Bitterfeld-Wolfen. Further mini-forests are to be created in Aschersleben and Magdeburg.
The Saxony-Anhalt state treasury is also benefiting from the lottery stakes. According to the state-owned company, at least 75 million euros in taxes and levies are once again expected from Lotto-Toto in 2023. Current figures are to be presented at the end of January.
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- Despite Saxony-Anhalt being a small federal state, five residents have won significant amounts in various games of chance this year, with one couple from Magdeburg winning the highest prize of 10 million euros in the Eurojackpot.
- The district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld alone had a lucky streak, with a prize of 927,000 euros awarded in the Eurojackpot.
- Gambling continues to be popular, with stakes expected to surpass 200 million euros for the fourth year in a row, making the end of 2022 a stable year for lottery games in Saxony-Anhalt.
- The use of physical lottery sales outlets is still prevalent, with 80% of stakes being spent in this manner, but the number of sales outlets continues to decrease due to the retirement of current owners, especially in rural areas.
- The profit total from the lottery in Saxony-Anhalt has benefits beyond individual winnings, as around 20 cents of every euro invested goes towards supporting social projects, with over 7.2 million euros allocated in 2023 to initiatives such as sports, culture, and monument protection.
Source: www.stern.de
