I'm a simple emigrant and thrill-seeker

You’ve probably seen the yellow LOTTO flags on almost every kiosk and you surely know at least one person who buys lottery tickets. I myself can sometimes buy a couple with change, scratch off the protective layer with a coin, and – more often than not – win exactly as much as I just spent. Local LOTTO is organized at the level of the federal states. Therefore, by the way, you cannot buy a ticket in one state and claim the win at a kiosk in another state. And for the same reason, most of the profit goes into the budget. For example, in Hesse about 50% of stakes are returned to players as winnings, 14% go to the organization, to commissions for sellers, etc., and the remaining 36% goes to the state and is used to fund public-benefit purposes. In 2025, through the state lottery there were about €8.3 billion in bets placed and about €3.3 billion directed toward public-benefit purposes. That is, by buying a ticket you partly finance sports, culture, social projects, and nature conservation. But I don’t think locals keep these noble goals in mind and buy a ticket with the thought “now I’ll support our church,” although the organizers constantly remind about this in their marketing. In Germany, almost one in five people has played LOTTO. Gambling Survey 2025 says that over a year 18.3% of respondents played at least once. Moreover, men play much more often than women – apparently the breadwinners! The majority of players test their luck at gas stations, in supermarkets, or at kiosks. Kiosks, by the way, still have to fight for the right to sell lottery tickets. Owners turn to the state company, they look at the premises, the owner’s reliability, and whether there are already outlets nearby. A kiosk owner friend of mine once said that big winnings came to him when the place had just opened—that’s when weekend business found him! Basically, I see the logic: lure people in, especially since kiosks post winning tickets themselves, a kind of bait. Compared with halls with slot machines, which can be addictive, I haven’t noticed a negative attitude toward LOTTO among locals. And the organizing company itself seems to be doing very well, judging by the fact that it can buy TV advertising and sponsor the Olympic team. They even publish tips themselves on how to win more in the classic LOTTO 6aus49: 1) Do not use birthdays; more than 80% of players bet on numbers from 1 to 31, which means that even if you win, the prize will be divided among a huge number of people. 2) Avoid patterns – for the same reason. 3) Do not think that the numbers from the previous draw won’t come up; mathematically there’s no sense in that. Keep this for the future. And you know, in our time any alternative sources of income are good! 😄 Moreover, incredibly but true: in Germany lottery winnings are not taxed, unlike salaries. And you, do you buy a ticket sometimes? #money