The Deutscher Lotto und Totoblock (DLTB), Germany’s state lottery association, has announced good annual results for 2020, with the amounts wagered on verticals growing year-on-year, resulting in €3.10bn being returned to state governments through duties and taxes.
The DLTB declared that over the past 12 months (to December 31), it produced €7.90bn in ticket sales across Germany’s 16 state lotteries, an 8.2% improvement on the €7.30bn made in 2019.
From its 2020 sales, the DLTB generated €3.10bn for state coffers, which totals more than €8.6m each day going to good causes. More than 145 players won sums of €1m and above.
Jürgen Häfner, Managing Director of Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz, currently in charge of the DLTB, said he is satisfied with the past year.
Häfner commented: “The 16 German state lottery companies proved to be resilient and reliable during the Corona Pandemic in 2020.
“This good annual result shows that our game offers are still popular with game participants – although in the pandemic many acceptance points had to close temporarily. These closures have compensated many customers, for example, by issuing multi-week tickets and the use of our online offers.”
Lotto 6aus49 was the DLTB’s most popular game, bringing in more than half of all the lottery’s stakes. It achieved sales of €3.98bn in 2020, exceeding 2019’s €3.50bn.
Häfner stated: “The cautious product change that has been in force since 23 September 2020 has had a positive effect on the LOTTO 6aus49. An improvement of the winning plan, as well as a moderate adjustment of the stakes, have not only led to higher stakes, but also to a faster growth of the jackpot in the winning class 1 in the double-digit millions,”
Eurojackpot also bounced back after a weak performance in 2019, with stakes growing by more than 18% to €1.47bn.
Häfner reflected: “These are normal wave lines in the development of the stakes. If the jackpot of €90m stops over several weeks, then the stakes will increase significantly. We’ve seen that again this year.”
Lotto.de, the DLTB’s service and information portal, saw an increase in visitors following the shut-down of retail venues. Customers spent almost €913m on tickets through state lotteries’ local websites, a rise of more than 40% year-on-year. Digital sales accounted for more than 11.5% of lottery stakes.
Häfner also said the DLTB supports the new regulation changes coming to Germany’s gambling market from July 2021, Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV).
He said: “We see the new regulation as a further confirmation and strengthening of the public interest-oriented lottery monopoly in Germany and expect the regulation to reduce the illegal market in the online sector.”