Lotteries 2026: Italy ranked second worldwide for new millionaires
In the international lottery landscape, the beginning of 2026 has seen a surprising number of new millionaires emerging across different regions of the world. The ranking is dominated by the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States, confirming the global appeal of lottery games and their ability to transform players’ lives overnight. An analysis of the latest available data shows a sector in ongoing expansion and an increasingly broad public engagement.
United Kingdom: the dominance of the Millionaire Maker
The top spot for new millionaires created by lotteries belongs to the United Kingdom. With eleven £1 million wins, the UK leads the global ranking thanks to the UK Millionaire Maker, the popular draw linked to the British EuroMillions.
The key feature of this contest lies in its automatic mechanism. Every player who enters the EuroMillions draw in the UK is also entered into the Millionaire Maker, which guarantees at least one £1 million prize in every draw. The number of winners may vary depending on ticket sales, making the experience particularly appealing to British players.
In a European context where EuroMillions remains one of the most popular games overall, the Millionaire Maker has taken centre stage for generating millionaire wins, reinforcing the UK’s long-standing cultural connection with lottery participation.
Italy records seven new lottery millionaires
Italy takes second place in the global ranking with seven new millionaires recorded in the first weeks of 2026. This result highlights the resilience of the national sector, capable of combining long-standing traditions with more modern and dynamic formats.
The iconic Lotteria Italia, the country’s most historic lottery, awarded five major prizes. The winning tickets were spread across the country: Rome secured the top €5 million prize, followed by Campino with €2.5 million, Quattro Castella with €2 million, Jerzu with €1.5 million, and Albano Laziale with €1 million.
Two additional millionaire wins were added to these prizes thanks to MillionDay, the daily draw that awards €1 million to anyone who guesses the five winning numbers. Both wins were recorded in Lombardy, specifically in Seriate (Bergamo) and Limbiate (Monza-Brianza).
This mixture of tradition – represented by Lotteria Italia – and innovation, represented by MillionDay, confirms the increasing interest among Italian players, supporting a stable and steadily evolving domestic lottery market.
United States: four new millionaires through Mega Millions and Powerball
In third place are the United States, home to some of the world’s most widely followed and high-profile lotteries. At the beginning of 2026, the country recorded four new millionaires thanks to its two flagship games: Mega Millions and Powerball.
Mega Millions contributed two wins worth $3 million and $4 million, respectively. Powerball, famous for its record-breaking jackpots often surpassing one billion dollars, added two further prizes, each worth $2 million.
While these prizes are significantly lower than the colossal jackpots that have dominated headlines in recent years, they still represent an essential share of the high-tier wins that characterise the extensive and highly competitive US lottery market.
Canada and Australia: notable wins below the million euro threshold
Canada and Australia have also registered significant wins in the opening weeks of the year through popular draws such as Encore Lotto 6/49 and Saturday Lotto Megadraw. However, these prizes have remained slightly below the one-million-euro threshold at current exchange rates, which excludes both countries from the global top three.
Despite this, both markets continue to demonstrate strong engagement, with high participation levels and consistently notable prize distributions.
A record-setting start to 2026 for lotteries worldwide
The collected data points to a strong and eventful start to the year in terms of millionaire creation. Global interest in lotteries shows no sign of slowing down, and emerging trends reveal growing attention to:
- jackpot variations and their impact on participation;
- innovative draw formats, such as automatic or secondary draws;
- national regulations influencing the market, prize structures, and game mechanics.
The combination of traditional and modern elements makes the lottery sector one of the most stable and enduring in the regulated entertainment industry. With EuroMillions, Lotteria Italia, Mega Millions, and Powerball as key players, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of strong growth, with global competition likely to push the number of new millionaire winners even higher in the months to come.
This article was first published in Italian on 22 January 2026.
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