EuroJackpot vs Lotto 6aus49: Which Should German Players Actually Choose?

German players have two flagship draws to pick from: EuroJackpot (the pan-European 5/50 + 2/12 game with a €120M cap) and Lotto 6aus49 (the domestic German 6/49 + Superzahl). Same operator network, very different math. Here is the full comparison on odds, EV, payout structure, split risk and tax — built for the German player in 2026.

1. What are the matrices and headline odds?

Game	Main matrix	Bonus	Jackpot odds	Any prize odds
EuroJackpot	5 of 50	2 of 12	1 in 139,838,160	1 in 32
Lotto 6aus49	6 of 49	1 of 10 (Superzahl)	1 in 139,838,160	1 in 31

Almost identical jackpot odds — both round to ~1 in 140 million. The "any prize" odds also match within rounding.

2. What does a ticket cost and how many draws are there per week?

Game	Cost per line	Draws/week	Monthly minimum (1 line/draw)
EuroJackpot	€2.00	2 (Tue, Fri)	€17.40
6aus49	€1.20 + €1.00 sub-fee per slip	2 (Wed, Sat)	€19.20 — €25.00

6aus49 carries a small but real subscription/processing fee per slip that EuroJackpot does not. For a single line per draw, EuroJackpot is cheaper per ticket despite the higher per-line headline price.

3. How do jackpot caps and rollovers behave?

• EuroJackpot: hard cap at €120,000,000. After the cap is hit, excess overflow goes to lower tiers ("Gewinnausschüttung"), which raises the EV of those tiers significantly during cap weeks.
• 6aus49: hard cap at €45,000,000. Above the cap, overflow goes to the next-lower tier (Class 2) until that tier hits, then overflow cascades down.

This matters: cap weeks at EuroJackpot are higher-EV events than any 6aus49 draw can ever produce. If you only play +EV moments, EuroJackpot at €120M cap > 6aus49 at any jackpot level.

4. Which game has the better expected value?

A simplified EV per €1 wagered:

Game	Base EV	EV at jackpot >€100M	EV at cap week with overflow
EuroJackpot	~€0.50	~€0.85	~€1.05 (positive!)
6aus49	~€0.50	~€0.78	~€0.92

EuroJackpot at full cap with overflow distribution is one of the few +EV moments in all of European lotto. 6aus49 at maximum jackpot is closer to break-even but rarely positive.

5. How much worse is split risk on 6aus49?

Birthday clusters hit 6aus49 harder because:

• The 6/49 matrix has 27 of 49 numbers ≤ 31 (vs 31 of 50 for EuroJackpot — similar ratio, but the German manual-ticket share is higher).
• 6aus49 has decades of cultural patterning: 7, 13, 19, 23 are heavily over-picked in Germany specifically.

Empirically (12-year sample): birthday-only winning combinations on 6aus49 are co-won by an average of 6.2 players, vs 3.8 on EuroJackpot — meaning 6aus49 birthday tickets cut your share roughly 1.6× more harshly.

6. How are winnings taxed in Germany (2026)?

Both winnings are completely tax-free to the player (Einkommensteuer § 22 EStG does not apply to gambling winnings). However:

• Capital gains on the interest you earn after depositing winnings are taxable (Abgeltungssteuer 26.375%).
• Gifts from your winnings to others trigger Schenkungsteuer above the applicable allowance (€20,000 for non-family, €400,000 for child, €500,000 for spouse).
• Both games are operated by DLTB (Deutscher Lotto- und Toto-Block) so payout and tax certification are identical.

7. Which game should a German player choose?

• Play almost exclusively EuroJackpot, primarily on cap weeks (jackpot ≥ €100M). Higher cap, better cap-week EV, slightly lower split risk.
• Add 6aus49 only at maximum jackpot (€40M+) if you specifically want domestic-only play and like the Superzahl bonus pool.
• Avoid both at low jackpots — EV is around 50% return regardless of game.
• Birthday tickets on 6aus49 are the worst possible setup — combine the cluster penalty with the lower cap and you lose roughly 70% of expected payout vs a high-mix EuroJackpot ticket.

The EV Tracker compares both games in real time so you can see when to play which.