Lotteries are and have been a popular form of entertainment for centuries, and especially in times of crisis are welcomed by many as a potential way to ‘escape the misery’.

Really? An article about lotteries on a respectable platform for English speaking expats in the Netherlands? Yes – and why not? Lotteries are and have been a popular form of entertainment for centuries, and especially in times of crisis and/or economic uncertainty lotteries are welcomed by many as a potential way to ‘escape the misery’.

And while the Netherlands have a lot to offer to expats, the weather conditions are not among the perks. The many rainy days offer a perfect opportunity to play, occasionally or on a regular basis, the lottery online and play for gigantic international lottery jackpots!

Lotteries are popular the world over. Giant amounts of money are at stake, basically all the time. That is to say, giant to some might be less giant to others, depending on your frame of reference. While the jackpots in the Netherlands’ biggest lotteries may be impressive, they are a lot less impressive when compared to the gigantic amounts that await the more than lucky winners of pan-European lotteries like the EuroMillions lottery and especially the big American lotteries, Mega Millions and US Powerball.

Jackpots in the EuroMillions lottery can reach up to €190 million, but the jackpots in aforementioned US lotteries don’t have a limit and have grown to amounts that pass the half million dollar bar! Mega Millions holds the record of the biggest jackpot ever with the amount of $656 million, while the largest jackpot won by a single winner is the $590.5 million US Powerball jackpot, which was won in May 2013. Definitely the kind of prizes that start temporary instances of ‘jackpot madness’!

Holland’s King’s Day Lottery

One of the biggest Dutch lottery events of the year is the upcoming King’s Day draw of the Dutch state lottery. The player that wins the jackpot will receive €10,000 every month for as long as thirty years!

Still, a simple calculation (without taking interest into account, which in all fairness is currently almost negligible in the Netherlands anyway) tells us that the total amount won is €3.6 million. By all means a very nice and large amounts, but not in the least bit an amount that rabid lottery players will start drooling over.

The Dutch New Year’s lottery often offers a larger, one-time amount (close to €40 million on December 30th 2013), but equally often is shared by many winners who all take a fairly small piece of the jackpot ‘cake’. In short: lottery loving expats are not in for a treat when stationed in the Netherlands.

From Amsterdam to Chicago, from Manchester to Tokyo

This is not the end of the world and it definitely does not mean that expats should put their lottery playing needs in the freezer while living in the Netherlands. Nowadays, it is so much easier to play lottery online anyway that it really doesn’t matter where in the world you live, as long as you have a working internet connection.

You could be in an internet cafe in Nepal, or lean back in New York’s Central Park with your iPad or smartphone, really, and find an online lottery provider that offers tickets to your favorite lotteries – which will most likely be the lotteries that offer the biggest jackpots.

One of those online lottery agencies is theLotter, based in the UK, with more than ten years of experience one of the more established players in the field. theLotter offers the opportunity to play online in the world’s biggest and most exciting lotteries, including the biggest American, European and Australian lotteries.

Local representatives buy official lottery tickets in your name, which are safely stored and scanned directly to your account for proof and safety reasons. theLotter shows you exactly how the ticket purchasing process works and offer you a very easy way of participating, with regular special deals and discounts you can benefit from. Lottery prizes may be prone to local taxes, but are 100% free of commission!

If you’re a lottery fan, make sure to take your shot at winning more than amazing prices. If you’re not, then go about your business as usual.

Martijn Opperdoes