German Lotto 6 aus 49 results 2012

Most countries hand their national lottery to a single private licensee or one state-owned company. Germany splits 6 aus 49 across 16 cooperating state lotteries — a federalist quirk that shapes everything from where the money goes to who can sell tickets. Here is how Germany's longest-running lottery actually works, after seven decades of small but telling rule changes.

We played 3,000 random lines in every draw of eight lotteries, at the prizes each draw really paid and the ticket prices of the day. The typical line got back 16 to 34 cents per euro.

The good news first: Lottery winnings are mostly tax-free in Germany. But be careful with interest and gifts – here are all the rules explained.

Mathematical analysis: How much money do you statistically get back from different lotteries? We calculate the expected value for 11 major lotteries.