France Loto – Online Lottery Review

France Lotto Quick Overview

France Lotto, or the French Loto as it is also known, is France’s main national lottery. It is government-run, so players can rest assured that their money is in safe hands. The draws and the game overall are transparent and fair, which is why this lottery is so widespread and popular. Apart from the many secondary prize tiers, the jackpot starts at the guaranteed €2 million, and from that minimum, it rolls over and grows until it’s won. This way, players can win staggering sums of jackpots that can change their lives.

As for the odds, although we will talk about it more in detail later in this text, it is worth mentioning that they are pretty favorable. And that isn’t only for the jackpot but for the rest of the valuable prize tiers as well. Because of this, the game is loved by all lotto fans not only in France and Europe but across the world.

It also features the raffle draw that we will mention later, which is a characteristic that is free of charge but adds additional prizes and chances of winning.

With that said, let’s dive into the France Lotto review so that you can see if it’s worth playing for you.

France Lotto History

The France Lotto is an old and reputable game that is 72% in the ownership of the French government. It is one of the first lotteries in the country and had its first draw in 1976. Although the majority belongs to the French government, the lottery is officially operated by the Francaise des Jeux Groupe. This is the largest lottery operator in the country and has many other similar games in its portfolio, which guarantees legitimacy and fair play.

Approximately 15 million French players buy bets 3 times a week. When we consider that France has about 67 million inhabitants in total, we see how important and popular the French Lotto is to them.

Additionally, the 15 million French players aren’t the only ones playing the France Lotto. This game is open to anyone in the world who would like to try their luck online, so we can’t help but think that the number of players is much, much bigger than that.

France Lotto Donations

Being owned by the French government primarily means that a significant amount of its revenue goes to supporting good causes and projects. Some of these are sports and various sports-related initiatives all across France.

How To Play France Lotto

The France Lotto’s best characteristic is that it is extremely easy to play and very straightforward in its mechanics. This is also one of the reasons why lotto fans love it. Namely, the game format of the French Lotto is a double-matrix model, which means winning numbers are drawn from two separate pools. Now, to be fair, usually, lottery games that have the single-matrix model are much more favorable in terms of odds, but the France Lotto is solid too.

The format of the game is picking 5 out of 49 lottery numbers, plus the bonus digit ranging from 1 to 10.

The Chance Number

The first draw is for the five numbers from the 1 to 49 pool and the second draw is for one bonus number that ranges from 1 to 10. The bonus number is also called the “Chance number,” It helps winners get the jackpot while also increasing the prize divisions. Thanks to this number, there are nine prize divisions so that even if some players don’t win the jackpot, they still have good chances of winning some of the other valuable prizes.

France Lotto Jackpot

To win the jackpot, a player has to match all five numbers on their bet plus the “Chance number” from the second pool. The jackpot always starts at €2 million and rolls for €1 million when it isn’t won. So, with every drawing that the jackpot isn’t won, it grows and reaches some staggering sums.

And when we consider that the drawing takes place three times per week, the jackpot automatically reaches €5 million the first week after it is drawn.

The jackpot cap stands at €34 million, and that is an amazing sum to win. If the jackpot reaches €34 million by the time no one has won it, it will roll down to the next prize tier. So, even if someone doesn’t match all six winning numbers needed to win, they can still take this amazing prize home. Such format increases the chances of winning such a valuable jackpot.

France Loto Raffle Feature

The France Loto Raffle is a separate feature that comes with every line on the bet. The Raffle of this national lottery is actually a code with numbers next to your six numbers that you had chosen for the main draw. There is a separate draw that occurs only for these Raffle numbers, and if you manage to match them all, you can win €20,000 on the side apart from the primary prizes of the France Lotto. Ten additional France Lotto prizes are paid out during every single draw to those who match the Ruffle codes with the randomly chosen winning codes.

And with three draws per week, participants in the France Lotto really have their chances significantly increase to win some of these additional Raffle prizes apart from the main draw.

Also, during special holidays like Christmas, instead of 10 prizes of €20,000, the number of prizes grows to 100. That’s definitely the right time to play both the Raffle and the France Lotto’s main draw.

Odds Of Winning the French Loto

When we compare the odds of winning France Lotto’s jackpot to some of the other very popular national lotteries all across the world, we will see that these aren’t as bad. And especially the fact that even those with fewer numbers matched can win the jackpot.

The chances of winning the France Lotto jackpot are 1 in 19,068,840. Sure, there are some that are 1 in 10 million or even less, but for the amounts of the jackpot they give, this is pretty decent. Plus, if we take into consideration that the UK Lotto has 1 in 45,057,474 chances, or the EuroMillions with its odds of 1 in 139,838,160, or the EuroJackpot of 1 in 95,344,200, we see that the France Lotto is pretty rewarding.

Additionally, the overall odds of winning any prize in the France Lotto are 1 in 6, and that includes the Raffle prize of €20,000. So, France Lotto is indeed worth trying out.

With that said, let’s take a look at the overall chances of winning all the prize tiers in this French lottery game.

For winning the jackpot, the player has to match the five primary numbers plus the Chance or the lucky number, and the odds for this are 1 in 19,068,840, as we mentioned before.

The second-tier prize requires five primary numbers matched, and the amount awarded is €100,000. The odds of winning this tier are 1 in 2,118,760.

The third-tier prize gets players €1,000, and the chances of winning it are 1 in 88,677. In order to get it, a player must match four primary numbers plus the lucky number.

The fourth tier prize gets players €500, and the chances of winning it are 1 in 9,631. In order to get it, a player must match four primary numbers.

The fifth tier prize gets players €50, and the chances of winning it are 1 in 2,016. In order to get it, a player must match three primary numbers plus the lucky number.

The sixth tier prize gets players €20, and the chances of winning it are 1 in 224. In order to get it, a player must match three primary numbers.

The seventh tier prize gets players €10, and the chances of winning it are 1 in 144. In order to get it, a player must match two primary numbers plus the Chance Number.

The eighth tier prize gets players €5, and the chances of winning it are 1 in 16. In order to get it, a player must match two primary numbers.

The ninth tier prize gets players €2.20, and the chances of winning it are 1 in 18. In order to get it, a player must match the lucky number only.

For the Raffle prize, the player has to match all five digits given to them by the seller of the bet, and the award is €20,000. The odds of winning this tier depend on the total number of entries.

France Lotto Drawing Time

The French entity organizes this lottery draws three times per week. The drawings take place in Paris at 8:35 pm CET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights.

Can You Play France Lotto Online?

Anyone can play the France Lotto as long as they are above 18 years of age. This lottery is available to be played online through many websites and online lottery agents.

Do You Have to Pay Taxes?

French people who win the lotto are not taxed by their country. However, if you are an international player, you should check with your country’s regulations and laws to see if you are subject to paying any taxes.

France Lotto – Is It Worth Playing?

The France Lotto is a game worth playing. Great odds, amazing prizes, and fair and transparent play. We would definitely recommend trying your luck with this lottery.