Contest victor's lottery prize cut in half; attorney pushes for entire jackpot allocation to second lottery competitor
Light-Hearted Take on the Lottoheden Controversy
By Timm Schaffner, Sr. ** with Angela Burke's editorial touch *Published on: 03.03.2025. Updated on: 29.04.2025.
Winner's Remorse, Lottohelden Style
Here's a tale as old as time - a jackpot victory, followed by disappointment, and finally, a legal showdown! Last December, a lucky lady nabbed the big win in the Austrian lottery '6 aus 45', all thanks to Lottohelden, the hotshot secondary provider. But oh boy, things took a turn when she only received half of her hard-earned dough.
Enter Lawyer Jobst Ehrentraut, our champion of justice, who jumped on LinkedIn to share the sordid saga. His client, the sole jackpot winner, anticipated a whopping 1.2 million euros but was left with a measly 600,000 euros in her pockets due to Lottohelden's questionable business practices.
The evil '+1 Rule' - How did this happen?
Well, it all comes down to that devious '+1 Rule' nestled in Lottohelden's terms and conditions. Ehrentraut claims that this rule allows the provider to cook up a new winner and slash the payout rate in half! He finds this a shocking scheme, arguing that it ain't legally binding under German law (§ 307 BGB).
Lottohelden's Response - The CEO Steps Up
Magnus von Zitzewitz, Lottohelden's big-time CEO, shot back a rebuttal to Ehrentraut's post in no time flat. According to von Zitzewitz, Ehrentraut is full of it, claiming that the winning sum should have only been half if our lucky lady had played the primary lottery. He swears up and down that participation in a secondary lottery is a bet on the quotas of the primary lottery, making it all legally kosher, so to speak.
Sin City USA Revisited
Participating in secondary lotteries remains a clandestine world of illegal fun—or so Germany would have us believe. The consumer center warns players to steer clear of these underground games of chance. Most secondary lottery providers, including Lottohelden, claim they can operate in Germany legally due to the EU's freedom of services. But it's a sticky wicket, with cases yet to be heard by the Bundesgerichtshof (BGH) and the Europäischen Gerichtshof (EuGH).
In last year's courtroom drama, a 39-year-old woman found herself in the clear after winning 106,000 euros in a secondary lottery. Even though she believed she was participating in a legitimate lottery, proceedings against her for participating in illegal gambling were dropped.
Lottohelden's New Trick - The Lottery Broker
In a bizarre twist of events, von Zitzewitz revealed that Lottohelden is gearing up to enter the market as a lottery broker, with von Zitzewitz himself at the helm. Lottohelden uses a different business model, acting as a middleman that connects players directly to primary lotteries. The company operates under the umbrella of Lottoland Deutschland GmbH, which has a license for commercial gaming mediation from the Joint Gaming Authority of the States (GGL).
Stay tuned to see if Ehrentraut's client gets the full payout she's owed. Will the '+1 rule' stand up under scrutiny, or will it go down in flames as another shady Lottohelden stunt? Only time will tell!
- Lawyer Jobst Ehrentraut, who dealt with the Lottoheden controversy, considers the '+1 Rule' a shocking gambling scheme that is not legally binding under German law.
- This controversy has sparked discussion in the general news, with crime and justice at the forefront, as players question whether secondary lotteries are legal.
- The banking and insurance industry in Austria has shown an unpunished pattern of questionable practices, with a focus on the lottery and casino industries.
- Casino personalities and the casino-and-gambling industry are watching the Lottoheden debacle closely, as it highlights the potential risks involved in the secondary lottery market.
- As Lottohelden seeks to enter a new venture as a lottery broker, the finance industry is keeping a close eye on the new business model, analyzing its legality and impact on the gaming market.
- Some experts within the lotteries industry predict that the gambling trends will continue to shift towards online platforms, with secondary lottery providers like Lottohelden at the forefront of this evolution.
- In LinkedIn discussions, Lawyer Jobst Ehrentraut has suggested that cases similar to his client's could lead to legal action against Lottoheden, which poses a significant risk to the company's reputation and future growth.
- As the Lottoheden controversy unfolds, investors in the banking and insurance sector are carefully monitoring the outcome of the case, as it could impact their investments and the overall stability of the Austrian lottery and gambling market.
