The German National Lottery Association (DLTB) declared that lottery wagering income rose in 2020, generating €3.1 billion (£2.8 billion/$3.82 billion) in taxes for state governments.
Lottery sales in Germany’s 16 states reached €7.9 billion in 2020 (as of December 31), an 8.2% rise from €7.3 billion in 2019.
Jürgen Häfner, current DLTB head and managing director of the Rhineland-Palatinate state lottery, stated: “The 16 German state lotteries demonstrated their dependability during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.”
“This exceptional yearly performance shows that our gaming products remain favored by participants, even though numerous sales locations had to be temporarily closed during the pandemic.”
“Many customers compensated for these closures by purchasing multi-week tickets and utilizing our online services.”
As usual, the most popular game was Lotto 6aus49, with sales reaching €3.98 billion, surpassing €3.5 billion in 2019 and accounting for over half of all lottery wagers. Häfner attributed this to increased jackpots, which led to a slight price increase for lottery tickets to €1.20 on September 23.
The European-wide lottery, Eurojackpot, performed well in the year 2020. Gambling income rose by more than 18% to €1.47 billion, following a relatively weaker performance in 2019. Häfner indicated that this reflected a series of longer-lasting jackpot cycles, with prizes exceeding €90 million.
The closure of retail locations also led to a rise in online spending, with customers purchasing €913 million worth of lottery tickets through state lottery’s local websites, a 40.2% increase year-over-year. This also meant digital sales accounted for 11.6% of lottery betting income that year.
This was accompanied by a rise in traffic to the DLTB’s service and information portal Lotto.de.
Germany’s gambling market will undergo significant changes in 2021, with the new gambling law Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV) coming into force in July. While this will open up the market to online casinos and sports betting – something the DLTB has opposed in the past – Häfner welcomes the introduction of the treaty.
He stated: “We believe the new regulations confirm and strengthen the German lottery monopoly – which operates in the public interest – and expect it to help suppress the illegal online market.”
The DLTB will continue to offer gambling in a “moderate” form to ensure it continues to bring returns to good causes across the nation.
From 2020 sales, DLTB members brought in €3.1 billion for state government finances, a 6.9% increase year-over-year, equivalent to over €8.6 million a day for good causes.
Simultaneously, more than 145 players secured over €1 million in prize winnings during 2020.
“These financial resources are essential for the public benefit of our nation. Without them, numerous projects in the domains of social welfare, athletics, and the arts, as well as the preservation of historical landmarks and environmental conservation, would be unattainable across all federal entities,” Hafner stated.
Sign up for the iGaming news bulletin.
