Historic Record Jackpot Attracts Lottery Players

The year 2026 is an extraordinary one for lottery players: The jackpot in the “6 out of 49” game has not been won since the end of March—the longest such streak in lottery history. Since May 27, it has also reached its maximum amount of 50 million euros. This huge sum is attracting players in Saxony as well—and filling the coffers of the lottery operators.

Bets Much Higher Than Normal

Nationwide bets were recently significantly higher than those of the previous year. According to lottery figures, players wagered around 54.6 million euros on “6 out of 49” in last Saturday’s drawing, and around 35 million euros for last Wednesday’s drawing. 

By comparison, a year earlier on Saturday (August 9), the total was only about 39.5 million euros. For the Wednesday drawing on August 6, 2025, wagers totaled 23.7 million euros. Wager amounts were also much higher in the draws this July and June than last year.

The Saxon Lottery Company does not disclose revenue figures during the current year. Spokesperson Kerstin Waschke noted that prolonged jackpot phases could temporarily increase interest in the lottery. “The impact this will have on the full year can only be reliably assessed once the year is viewed in its entirety.”

Longest Jackpot Run in Lotto History

Never before in Lotto history has the top prize tier gone so long without a winner. In 2023, lottery players had to wait 17 and 16 draws, respectively, before the jackpot was won. These were the longest uninterrupted jackpot streaks to date, according to Sachsenlotto. 

Another striking fact: The Lotto jackpot was won only twice in 2026—on January 24 and March 25—which is also unprecedented in Lotto history. In 2025, the jackpot was won 20 times; in 2024, according to Sachsenlotto, it was won 18 times. So, when it comes to top prizes, 2026 still has room to grow.

The next jackpots will also be high

Since the end of 2023, the “6 out of 49” lottery has had a maximum jackpot of 50 million euros. Since then, the maximum prize is no longer automatically paid out once the cap is reached. The additional money that accumulates in the lottery week after week is placed in the so-called rollover fund—a cushion for the next jackpot. 

Due to the long period during which no one correctly picked the winning numbers, the rollover is also brimming: If the jackpot were to be won this Wednesday, 50 million euros would once again be up for grabs on Saturday. If one person were to win that amount as well, next Wednesday’s jackpot would consist of approximately 15.5 million euros from the rollover and the as-yet-unknown payout amount from this drawing.

Extremely Low Probability

Even though the 50 million euros are tempting—the odds of winning the jackpot are extremely low. According to Lotto, the probability of hitting the top prize tier with six correct numbers plus the bonus number is 1 in 140 million. To put this into perspective, it’s just as (un)likely to win the jackpot in the classic lottery as it is to grab the single red blade of grass while blindfolded on a soccer field with about 140 million green blades of grass.