Lotto North Rhine-Westphalia (WestLotto)

Lotto North Rhine‑Westphalia is the state lottery company in NRW, operating under the name WestLotto. It is a member of the German Lotto and Totoblock and is officially called “Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG”. It is one of a total of 16 lottery companies in Germany, each responsible for its own federal state. Around 350 employees work daily for WestLotto, ensuring transparent, secure and customer‑friendly operation of the state games and maintaining contact with roughly 3,600 retail outlets. WestLotto’s portfolio includes the well‑known standard product Lotto 6aus49 with the add‑on lotteries Spiel 77 and Super 6, Eurojackpot, the annuity lottery Glücksspirale, KENO, plus 5, etc.

How high are Lotto NRW’s processing fees?

Please note that you must always submit your entries directly to your state lottery company (i.e., WestLotto if your primary or permanent residence is in NRW). 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 WestLotto, the following cut‑off times apply — for Wednesday Lotto: 17:59 and for Saturday Lotto: 18:59.

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Prize collection and payout in NRW

Until recently, all lottery players in North Rhine‑Westphalia 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 exceptionally short period had been uniform for all German state lottery companies. Changes in legislation led to the most recent change in the terms in August 2016, effective for draws from Monday, 29.08.2016. Now §21 states: “Statutory limitation rules apply to the assertion and limitation of claims.” As a rule, players now have 3 years (possibly until the end of the respective calendar year) to assert their claims — a significant improvement over the previous 13‑week period. In NRW retail outlets, only prizes up to €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 headquarters of the state lottery company 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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WestLotto customer cards

WestLotto offers two variants of its LOTTO customer cards: the WestLotto Basic Card and the WestLotto Card. These cards are particularly useful for ODDSET, TOTO and KENO, where personal identification has been required since 2008 for reasons of problem‑gambling prevention and youth protection. The WestLotto Basic Card serves player identification and is available free of charge. The WestLotto Card costs €2.50 per year and additionally offers services such as saving personal lucky numbers for up to 6 tickets at the same time and individual written prize notifications for larger wins, as well as transferring smaller prizes up to €5,000 if you have not collected them within five weeks at a LOTTO shop in NRW.

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WestLotto special draw: Anniversary Superding 2026

As in previous years, NRW will again hold the Lotto Superding special draw for the Saturday before Easter, 04.04.2026. Some years ago the draws were held at Christmas, but the game principle remains the same: the regular price for 50 tickets is €85.00. The Lotto Superding consists of 50 individual quick picks, effectively one Lotto panel per separate ticket with consecutive ticket numbers. No add‑on lotteries such as Spiel77 or Super 6 are included (short calculation: 50 × €1.70 = €85.00; of this, €1.20 is the stake for one regular lotto tip, plus the €0.50 NRW‑wide processing fee per ticket). The fifty tips participate in the regular draw “Lotto on Saturday, 19.04.2025”. The special appeal of Lotto Superding is the special draw. In addition to the regular draw, €42.50 premiums are awarded. Two two‑digit winning numbers are determined under notarial or official supervision as follows: the first is drawn at random from 00 to 49, the second is obtained by adding 50 to the first winning number. Since all ticket numbers are consecutive, exactly one of these winning numbers is guaranteed to match the ending digits of the ticket numbers — meaning €42.50 is virtually guaranteed. Internet participants have winnings credited directly to their bank account. All other winners must generally claim within 3 years after the draw date at a retail outlet or directly at WestLotto (see the limitation update above). You can play Lotto Superding via this link to lotto.de (after registering at lotto.de, you will be forwarded to WestLotto. On that page, predate the ticket to 19.04.2025 and select the “Lotto Superding” special draw).
Below are answers to common questions about this special draw:
From when can I play Lotto Superding 2026?
Participation is always possible shortly before Easter — similarly in 2026.
Can I play the add‑on lotteries Spiel77 and/or Super6?
No. Participation in these add‑on lotteries is excluded for Lotto Superding.
Where do I find the Superzahl on the Lotto Superding ticket?
Nowhere specifically — as with all standard entries, the last digit of the ticket number is the Superzahl. For Lotto Superding, the 50 tickets are consecutively numbered.
Can I play fewer than 50 tickets?
Yes, but note that a guaranteed €42.50 premium requires exactly 50 consecutively numbered tickets.
Is Lotto Superding only available in NRW?
No, other state lottery companies offer similar lotteries with the same name and a similar guaranteed‑prize principle — for example, the “Lotto Superding” in Lower Saxony.
Why are syndicates explicitly excluded?
This may relate to a civil case in Hildesheim. In June 2008, a syndicate of two/three Bosch factory workers won €1.7 million in Lotto Superding; the exact number of winners had to be clarified in court.
After the game is before the next game? Update 02.01.2016
Winning numbers were duly drawn. For the NRW Lotto anniversary Superding on 26.12.2015, the first number was 13 (the second is 63 by adding 50). Like the very first German Lotto 6aus49 draw, the “unlucky” 13 appeared.
Update 02.01.2017
For 31.12.2016, the first number was 43 (second 93).
...
Update 02.01.2019
For 29.12.2018, the first number was 35 (second 85). Due to high demand, the next NRW Superding draw was moved to spring — tickets on sale from 04.03.2019. Since then the draws have been held at Easter.

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Glücksspirale annual ticket

WestLotto has now followed suit and offers the annuity lottery Glücksspirale as an annual ticket. Not only are the significantly longer terms of 26 and 52 weeks possible (8‑ and 10‑week terms are still not offered), but two cheaper variants are available: a “half ticket” (stake €2.50 with a correspondingly reduced maximum monthly annuity of €3,750) and a “one‑fifth ticket” (stake €1 and max. €1,500 annuity). The processing fee for an annual ticket is a uniform €2.00 (regardless of 26 or 52 weeks). It is also worth noting that Glücksspirale offers better odds compared to the other 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?
Yes, also as an annual ticket. WestLotto does not charge an additional processing fee for this.
Can I play the cheaper tickets (half or one‑fifth) with a short term?
Unfortunately not — the cheaper tickets are only available as annual tickets (26 or 52 weeks).
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 NRW?
No, many other state lottery companies have long offered Glücksspirale as annual tickets. Please navigate to the lottery company of your state of residence for details.

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