What is the Superzahl in LOTTO 6aus49?
Six correct numbers alone aren't enough for the LOTTO 6aus49 jackpot – the Superzahl decides too.
How does the Superzahl work?
The Superzahl is an extra digit from 0 to 9, drawn at every LOTTO 6aus49 draw from its own, independent draw machine – separate from the six main numbers drawn from the 1-49 pool. On a standard ticket it's usually the last digit of your ticket serial number, so it isn't ticked separately but fixed by that number.
On draw night, two separate draws effectively happen: six balls from the 49-ball drum for the main numbers, and independently, one ball from a 10-ball drum (0-9) for the Superzahl. The two draws have nothing to do with each other.
Which prize classes depend on the Superzahl?
LOTTO 6aus49 has nine prize classes, several of which come in a "with Superzahl" and a "without Superzahl" variant. Prize class 1 (the jackpot) needs all six main numbers PLUS the matching Superzahl. Prize class 2 is six correct main numbers without the matching Superzahl – still a very large prize, but not the jackpot.
The same pattern repeats further down: class 3 is "5 matches and Superzahl", class 4 is "5 matches" without it, and so on down to class 9 ("2 matches and Superzahl", a statutory fixed payout of €6). Our archive pages for older LOTTO draws show the actual winner count and payout per prize class for every draw since the 1990s – not an estimate, the real figures from the official source.
Why can't the Superzahl be predicted?
Since the Superzahl is drawn from its own wheel of ten balls (0-9), every digit is equally likely at exactly 1-in-10 odds on every draw. There is no connection to the six main numbers and no pattern from past draws that makes a future Superzahl more likely.
This is the same reasoning error as the classic gambler's fallacy ("7 hasn't come up in a while, it's due"): a random draw has no memory. Whether a digit was last drawn yesterday, last week, or a year ago changes nothing about today's odds – it stays exactly 1 in 10.
That's why our AI tip generator draws the Superzahl uniformly at random from 0-9 rather than picking it from statistics – presenting it any other way would be a prediction the math doesn't support. The same applies to the six main numbers: our model picks them by estimated popularity with other players (to lower the risk of splitting a win), not because some numbers are supposedly "more likely".
Since when has the Superzahl existed?
The Superzahl was introduced on 1 January 1996. Draws before that date correctly have no Superzahl at all – that's not a gap in our archive, it's the actual game history. Open an early-1990s draw in the archive and you'll see an explicit note about this instead of a missing seventh number.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose my own Superzahl? On a standard ticket, it comes from the last digit of your ticket serial number, which you can change when filling it in. A Quick-Tip assigns it randomly.
Are some Superzahl digits "better"? Statistically, no. All ten digits have the same draw probability over time. Historical frequency tables inevitably show small variation (3 came up eleven times, 8 only nine), which is ordinary random noise, not a signal.
Does a different Superzahl improve my odds? No – but it can affect your split risk, since some digits (e.g. birthday-linked associations) are more popular with other players. That's exactly the idea behind our estimated split-risk model.