Lotto

How to Play Lotto

Follow these steps to play Lotto:

Select one to ten numbers from a ball range of 1 to 90.

Choose which of the 11 wheels you would like to bet on. It is possible to select more than one wheel. There is also an option to bet on all wheels (excluding the National wheel).

Select the type of bet you would like to place from the following options:

Type of Bet	How You Win
Estratto	Correctly predict one number.
Estratto Determinato	Correctly predict one number and the position in which it is drawn.
Ambo	Correctly predict two numbers.
Ambetto	Predict two numbers, match one exactly and match either the previous or following number of the other to win. For example, if you predicted 35 and 42, you would win if any of these combinations appeared: 34 and 42 35 and 41 35 and 43 36 and 42 If you select consecutive numbers, for example 35 and 36, you would win if either of these combinations appeared: 34 and 36 35 and 37 If you choose 1, the adjacent numbers are 90 and 2. If you choose 90, the adjacent numbers are 89 and 1.
Terno	Correctly predict three numbers.
Quarterna	Correctly predict four numbers.
Cinquina	Correctly predict five numbers.

It is also possible to choose multiple types of bet on the same ticket (providing the types of bet chosen do not conflict with one another).

View a table of all possible winning combinations based on the numbers chosen and type of bet selected.

Specify how much you would like to bet. The total cost of the bet must be at least €1.00, up to a maximum of €200.00 (in €0.50 increments).

You can add the Gold Number for the chance to win bigger prizes.

To play Lotto you must be at least 18 years old. Players who are below the minimum age will not be permitted to play or claim any prizes won.

Draws take place between 20:00 and 20:30 CET on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Ticket sales for each draw close 30 minutes earlier at 19:30 CET, then reopen for the next draw one hour after all draws have concluded (around 21:30 CET).

Lotto Bet Type Combinations

The more numbers you choose when betting on Lotto, the greater your chances of matching the numbers drawn in the result. The following table provides a list of all possible winning combinations based on the numbers chosen and the type of bet selected:

[1] Also valid for Estratto Determinato bets.

[2] Ambetto combinations shown based on non-consecutive numbers being chosen.

Lotto Results

View the latest Lotto results for Saturday 21^st December 2024.

Lotto Prizes

The prize awarded in Lotto depends on how many numbers you selected and the type of bet you chose. The largest prize available to win is €6 million, which requires you to play and correctly match five numbers from a €1 Cinquina bet, at odds of 1 in 43,949,268. The maximum amount that can be paid out from a single ticket is also €6 million, so take this into consideration when placing multiple bets or waging larger amounts.

The following table lists all of the prizes available in Lotto (based on a €1 bet):

[1] Ambetto prize amounts shown based on non-consecutive numbers being chosen.

If you’ve added the Gold Number, you can win more. You can even win just by matching the Gold Number, even if you don’t match the other numbers you have picked. The Gold Number is always the fifth number on the wheel.

Odds of Winning

The following table shows the odds of winning for each bet type.

[1] Ambetto odds of winning based on the selection of non-consecutive numbers.
The selection of consecutive numbers has odds of winning of 1 in 200,33.

How To Claim

Italian Lotto players must collect any prize they have won within 60 days. The claiming procedure depends on how much you have won and how you have played.

Tickets Purchased at a Retailer

• Prizes up to €543.48 can be redeemed at any authorised retailer.
• For prizes between €543.48 and €2,300, the prize must be claimed at the same retailer where the ticket has been purchased.
  Once validated, you will be allowed to cash your prize or book the payment from another retailer.
• For prizes between €2,300 e €10,500, the prize can be claimed at any authorised retailer where you can book the payment by choosing your preferred payment method.
• For prizes over €10,500, the claiming process must be carried out by an official lottery representative or at a branch of Banca Intesa Sanpaolo.

Tickets Purchased Online

• Prizes up to €10,500 are credited directly to your gaming account, where you will be able to cash them following the website's instructions.

• For prizes over €10,500 you have to book the payment at any Intesa Sanpaolo branch or at the Lottomatica main office in via Campo Boario 56/D, 00154 Rome. In both cases you will need to have with you:

  • The ID code that uniquely identifies the winning game (found in the Play Detail section)
  • A valid ID card
  • Your tax code

Lotto City Wheels

There are ten regional wheels used in Lotto draws, each named after cities across the country. Before June 2009, each regional draw took place in its corresponding city (with Rome also hosting the National draw), but since then they have been consolidated into one of three locations; Milan, Naples or Rome.

The following table lists all 11 Lotto wheels and the location from which they are drawn:

History of Lotto

Games of chance have existed in some format in Italy for hundreds of years, and the origins of Lotto can be traced back to Genoa in the 16^th century. Five city officials would be selected at random from 120 eligible noblemen, and people would bet on the outcome. The number of candidates was later reduced to 90, and a more structured version of the lottery developed as numbers were used instead of names.

The 90 numbers format proved very popular across different parts of Italy, which at the time was divided into various territories, such as the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan. Several local traditions about playing Lotto were spawned, the most notable example being the Neapolitan Smorfia. Arguments about the legality of betting raged for some time, but eventually a Lotto game which was fully regulated and approved by the government was introduced in Venice in 1734. Draws only took place two or three times a year at the start, before becoming fortnightly events in 1807.

Lotto was finally included in the state budget on Sunday 27^th September 1863, then later expanded to incorporate another five city draws by Royal Edict in January 1864. Draws were made weekly (every Saturday) in 1871 when the Rome wheel was added, then three years later, the Bari wheel in 1874. Cagliari and Genoa wheels were added in 1939, concluding the ten city wheels still used to this day.

A second weekly draw was introduced in 1997 (first Wednesday draw 12th March 1997), then more big changes were made in 2005.

The National wheel, drawn in Rome, made its first appearance on Wednesday 4th May 2005. The game changed to its current schedule of three draws a week the following month, with the final Wednesday draw being held on 15th June 2005. From Tuesday 21st June 2005, draws began to take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

A Friday draw was introduced in July 2023, while the Gold Number was introduced in June 2024.

Lotto Bets

From the start of the weekly draws in 1864, there were just three possible Lotto bets; Ambo Semplice (selecting two numbers), Terno (three numbers) and Quarterna (four numbers). From 1891, the option to bet on Estratto Semplice (one number) was added and the bets remained the same until a bet on five numbers, Cinquina, was introduced on Saturday 8^th July 1933.