German lottery sales rise 4.2% in first half

New figures from Germany’s state lottery association the Deutscher Lotto- und Totoblock (DLTB) reveal that lottery sales in the first half of 2020 rose 4.2% to €3.75bn.

The most popular game over the six months to 30 June was Lotto 6aus49, which accounted for €1.78bn of sales, almost half the six month total. Eurojackpot, meanwhile, saw stakes rise more than 35% to €815m, with spending on GlücksSpirale up 5.0% to €121.6m.

Current DLTB chair and Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz managing director Jürgen Häfner said the strong first half performance highlighted the popularity of lottery games in Germany, even with the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic forcing most lottery sales outlets to shut temporarily.

He said this disruption was offset by loyal players purchasing multi-week tickets where possible, or migrating online, while longer jackpot cycles increased interest – and sales – of Lotto 6aus49 and Eurojackpot.

Häfner noted that around 40% of state lottery revenue was repaid to state governments in taxes and duties, totalling €1.5bn in the first half.

“That means more than €8.2m flows to state budgets every day,” he said. “That is money without which many things would not be possible in Germany.”

In the second half of 2020, the DLTB will launch a revamped version of Lotto 6aus49, with the first draw due to be held on 23 September.

This will see ticket prices increased from €1 to €1.20, allowing for bigger prize pools across all winning categories. The higher price will also help prize pools, capped at €45m, grow faster.