SuperEnalotto still has biggest jackpot
106.4 million euros up for grabs
18 December, 17:14
(ANSA) - Rome, December 18 - Italy's popular
Superenalotto game still offers the world's biggest jackpot with
106.4 million euros up for grabs in Saturday night's draw.The SuperEnalotto pot has surpassed the 100-million-euro threshold twice this year and in August set a European record when it paid out a whopping 147.8 million euros.
The world's second-biggest pot is currently the one offered by the American Mega Millions game, over 97.6 million euros, followed by the the US Powerball pot of some 64.2 million euros.
The Italian game has a big advantage over the American ones because it pays out the full prize and winners receive interest on the pot from the time they redeem their slips to when they receive full payment, which usually takes two months for big payouts.
Winners of the American games, on the other hand, receive the pot in long-term instalments, which often work out to be more or less the interest on the capital won over a 20-year period, or a single, reduced prize.
Furthermore, SuperEnalotto winners can, and usually do, remain anonymous.
In order to win at SuperEnalotto betters must choose the correct six numbers drawn from one to 90. Draws are held three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The game also offers a big payout for a so-called 5+1 win in which an extra, seventh number is drawn and can be matched up with any five of the six winning numbers.
SuperEnalotto also pays out minor prizes for five, four and three correct guesses.
Each six-number combination costs 50 cents with a minimum two combination or one euro bet.
The biggest winner in SuperEnalotto has been the Italian Treasury which receives 49.5% of all bets made, far more than other national betting games which pay the Treasury between 20% and 25%.
The pool itself receives 38% of bets, slip vendors receive 8% and game organizers Sisal take a 4.4% cut.
Because of this summer's super jackpot, money collected from SuperEnalotto bets broke last year's record of 2.509 billion euros already by mid-September and last week surpassed the all-time record of 3.15 billion euros, set in 1999.
