Lotto Bavaria (Lotto Bayern)

Lotto Bavaria (Lotto Bayern) is the state lottery company in Bavaria with its headquarters in Munich. It is one of a total of 16 lottery companies in Germany, each responsible for its own federal state. Lotto Bavaria distributes its products across Germany’s largest federal state by area through a network of around 3,700 retail outlets. The portfolio includes the well-known standard product Lotto 6aus49 with the add-on lotteries Spiel 77 and Super 6, the annuity lottery Glücksspirale, the sports bets ODDSET and TOTO, the numbers lottery KENO with the add-on lottery plus5, as well as various pull-tab and scratch tickets.

How high are Lotto Bavaria’s processing fees?

Please note that you must always submit your entries directly to your state lottery company (i.e., Lotto Bavaria if your primary or permanent residence is in the state of Bavaria). Playing online is usually cheaper — we recommend submitting your entries online, because:

Why pay more for the same service?

See for yourself — below we link to our detailed comparisons that include all online providers: the Lotto 6aus49 price comparison — lotto price comparison, for the European lottery Eurojackpot — Eurojackpot price comparison, for the daily lottery KENO — the corresponding Keno price comparison, and for the popular annuity lottery — the Glücksspirale price comparison, which are updated regularly. Please note that all information is without guarantee of completeness and accuracy; in case of doubt, please verify independently.

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Cut-off times at retail outlets

The Lotto 6aus49 draws of the German Lotto and Totoblock take place on Wednesday at 18:25 and on Saturday at 19:25. Typically, this results in retail cut-off times on Wednesdays around 17:30–18:00 and on Saturdays around 18:30–19:00. These times vary between federal states because the state lottery administrations set the cut-off times largely independently. For the online sales point of Lotto Bavaria, the following cut-off times apply — for Wednesday Lotto: 18:00 and for Saturday Lotto: 19:00.

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Prize collection and payout in Bavaria

Until recently, lottery players in Bavaria had to assert their prize claims within 13 weeks of the draw date (or from the date of last participation for multi-week tickets) by presenting a valid receipt; otherwise, the prize expired. This period had been uniformly defined for all German state lottery companies. Changes in legislation led to an update of the terms in 2016. Now §6 states: “Statutory limitation rules apply to the assertion and limitation of claims.” As a rule, players now have up to 3 years (possibly until the end of the respective calendar year) to assert their claims — a significant improvement over the previous 13‑week period. At retail outlets, only prizes up to €2,500 are paid out. For higher amounts (practical tip — even for a few hundred euros, a small neighborhood shop may not have enough cash on hand; it’s advisable to ask in advance), a written prize claim must be submitted (available at every lottery outlet). Alternatively, you can visit the state lottery administration in person:

Payout can also be made by standard bank transfer. It’s therefore much more convenient to submit your ticket online. Your receipt cannot be lost and the prize is automatically transferred to your bank account. In addition, as seen in the comparison tables, you can benefit from lower processing fees!

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Lotto Bavaria customer card

The LOTTO customer card from Lotto Bavaria is your personal customer card that lets you use the full range of LOTTO Bavaria’s games and services conveniently and securely. This card is particularly beneficial for ODDSET, TOTO and KENO, where personal identification is required in all Bavarian outlets for reasons of problem gambling prevention and youth protection. With the free LOTTO customer card, which also includes a photo, these criteria are met and you can participate as usual in all state‑offered lotteries and bets from Lotto Bavaria. Best of all: with the Lotto Bavaria customer card, you won’t miss out on any prize. Major prizes over €100,000 are transferred directly to the bank account linked to the customer card, and prizes up to and including €2,500 are automatically paid into your bank account if not collected within 6 weeks.

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Glücksspirale annual ticket

Lotto Bavaria has long offered the annuity lottery Glücksspirale as an “annual ticket”. Two key differences compared to the standard play apply here: 1) the longer term of 52 weeks (the 8‑ and 10‑week terms are still not offered; see the Glücksspirale price comparison), and 2) the offer of a cheaper variant — a “one‑fifth ticket” (reduced stake of €1 instead of the regular €5, with a maximum monthly annuity of €1,500; plus processing fee). The processing fee for an annual ticket is uniformly €0.80 online (regardless of whether it’s a full ticket or a one‑fifth ticket). It is also worth noting that Glücksspirale offers better odds compared to the add‑on lotteries Spiel77 and Super6.
Below are answers to common questions about the annual ticket:
Can I play the add‑on lotteries Spiel77 and/or Super6 as an annual ticket?
Unfortunately not in Bavaria. This can vary between state lottery companies.
Can I play the cheaper one‑fifth Glücksspirale ticket with a shorter term?
Unfortunately no — the one‑fifth ticket is only available as an annual ticket (52‑week term).
Why is there “twice the chance of the top prize” each week?
Glücksspirale results are announced on Saturdays shortly before the Tagesschau at around 19:57 on ARD. There is only one draw per week. However, since two 7‑digit winning numbers are drawn in the top prize class (the monthly annuity), you effectively have two chances.
Is the Glücksspirale annual ticket only available in Bavaria?
No, many other state lottery companies also offer Glücksspirale as annual tickets. Please use the top menu to navigate to your state lottery company for more details.

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