SuperEnalotto results 2008

Most national lotteries pick from 40 to 60 numbers. Italy picks from 90 — a choice inherited from the football-pool tradition of the 1950s. That single decision gives SuperEnalotto jackpot odds of 1 in 622 million, twice as hard as Powerball and four times harder than 6 aus 49. Italians don't seem to mind. Here is how the math works, and how the €371M record rollover was built.

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.

Discover the world's biggest lottery jackpots ever won – from the $2 billion Powerball to European giants like Eurojackpot and 6aus49.