As the holder of the title of the most popular lottery in Romania, it is no wonder why Romania Lotto 649 has become popular even beyond the country's borders.
In the guide below, we will look at what makes this lottery so great. We will also see how it began, how you can play it to win some life-changing prizes and how you can buy Romania Lotto 6/49 tickets online.
About Romania Lotto 6/49
Also known as Loto Romania and Loto 6/49, Romania Lotto 6/49 was launched by the Romanian Church back in the early 1900s.
When launched, the lottery was not a cash lottery. Instead, prizes took the form of clothing, food or other supplies that families could use to survive or trade.
In 1993, the game was relaunched by Compania Nationala Loteria Romania. The lottery underwent a massive overhaul and became the cash-based lottery that is loved by so many today.
Romania Lotto 6/49 Draws
There are currently two draws held each week. These draws take place at 4:45 PM EEST on Thursdays and 7 PM EEST on Sundays.
The draws are held at the operator's headquarters in Bucharest. Results are posted as soon as each draw is finished.
During the draw, only six numbers are drawn. There are no extra numbers drawn to determine secondary prizes, as is the case with some other lotteries.
How to Play Romania Lotto 6/49
Playing this lottery is simple, as the game uses a straightforward single-matrix (6/49) system.
You will need to choose six numbers from a pool ranging between 1 and 49. There are no extra, power or special numbers added.
As is a standard in today’s times, there is a quick pick option that you can opt to play with. This will allow a random number generator to pick your numbers on your behalf.
Tickets cost around RON 4.8 each when purchased within Romania. This translates to around US $1.17 and is really not a bad price for this great game.
Romania Lotto 6/49 Prizes and Odds
The odds of becoming a jackpot winner are 1 in 13,983,816. These are pretty great compared to other European games like Spain’s El Gordo (1 in 31,625,100) and Eurojackpot (1 in 95,344,200).
Unlike many other lotteries, however, you will only get a pay table with four prize tiers. Of course, the top of this is the jackpot, which is set at a minimum of RON 1 million (around US $244,000).
This may not seem like much considering other lotteries like the US Powerball or even EuroMillions. However, considering the jackpot has no cap and rolls over indefinitely, it can grow to some decent amounts.
The four prize tiers are outlined below:
Numbers Matched | Odds of Winning | Estimated Prize |
6 | 1 in 13,983,816 | Jackpot (minimum of RON 1 million) |
5 | 1 in 54,201 | RON 19,990 |
4 | 1 in 1,032 | RON 377 |
3 | 1 in 57 | RON 30 |
Claiming Romania Lotto 6/49 Prizes
Almost all claims can be made at any authorised ticket reseller. This is not, however, true if you are a jackpot winner.
To claim your jackpot win, you will need to appear with your ticket in person at the Loteria Romania head office. This is located in Bucharest.
You will have a full year to claim your winnings from the date of the draw. This is much more generous than the 90 days that many other lottery operators give you.
One sad part is the taxes levied on lottery winnings in Romania. Any winnings between RON 1 and RON 66,750 are taxed at 1%, which doesn’t sound that bad.
However, winnings over this threshold but lower than RON 445,000 are taxed a standard RON 667.50 and 16% on anything over RON 66,750.
Worse still is if your winnings are over RON 445,000. You will then have to pay a flat rate of RON 61,187.50 and an additional 25% on anything over the RON 445,000 mark.
Notable Romania Lotto 6/49 Winners
As we said earlier, RON 1 million doesn’t sound like the greatest jackpot. However, the rollover that the lottery offers does lead to some great jackpots.
The greatest of these occurred in 2013 when a lucky winner claimed RON 95 million (around US $23.19 million).
Before this, in 2008, the record stood at RON 93 million (approximately US $22.7 million). That’s certainly nothing to scoff at.
Romania Lotto 6/49-Should You Play?
While the taxes levies on winnings may turn you away, it is still a pretty good game to play overall.
From the decent odds of winning to the jackpots that roll over frequently, there are plenty of chances to win when playing. The affordable ticket price also doesn’t hurt.
If all that sounds good to you, deciding to buy a few lottery tickets for it might just put you in the running for the next record-breaking jackpot.
Just remember that if you do win big, the taxman will take a pretty big chunk of your winnings.
Daria