New Lotto

While the State of Israel may be known for being in the newspapers almost every day over one issue or another, it also known in lottery circles for being home to one of the best lottery games in the world. The Mifal Hapayis Corporation, which runs the lottery on behalf of the state, has been offering some kind of lotto game since 1951 when it was founded.

While some of the other games offered by Mifal Hapayis have become quite popular, including the Hishgad, 123, Chance, Shitati 777 and Keno games, the most popular by far is the Israel New Lotto game.

Game Type

The Israel New Lotto game features some of the best odds of winning the jackpot anywhere in the world. That’s because you only have to pick from 37 numbers along with a secondary number (ala the Power Ball in the United States) which is a number from one to eight. These low numbers mean that the odds of winning are quite good for those who participate in the game.

The lottery is held every Tuesday and Saturday, though it is occasionally pushed off if the dates interfere with a Jewish holiday (although the game is still offered twice per week – it just may be on Monday for example, instead of Tuesday). The base jackpot is NIS 5 million or about $1.4 million as of May, 2011, though this number does roll over each time the jackpot isn’t won.

Second Prize Rolls Over Too

Interestingly, the second prize, which is usually NIS 500,000 also rolls over if it’s not won and payouts on the second prize have gone as high as NIS 4 million. The lottery also offers a unique feature called “Double Lotto” which allows you to purchase a double prize for an additional fee. This means that the largest jackpot ever offered in Israeli history was NIS 80,000,000 in 2009, though the winner of that jackpot had chosen to go with the standard lotto option, so the total payout was only NIS 40,000.

How to Play

While the Israel New Lotto game was initially offered only to Israeli citizens, it is now available to anyone with an Internet connection who cares to place a wager on the game. You simply have to be over 18 years of age and have a dream of what you’d do with all that money when you win it. Be sure to pick the Double Lotto option if it’s available though as this will instantly double the winnings you get when you hit the jackpot in the Israel New Lotto game.