Brazilian lottery to pay out 1 billion reais today

[AmoreJaz]

What is different from Powerball, for example, is that this amount is already tax-deducted, so the winner will actually receive this net amount, without deductions

If it wasn't for this tax-deduction, the prize could be 30% higher, what means the government is grabbing 30% from total prize through taxes. If the total prize is 182$ million dollars, we are talking about 54.600.000$ in taxes! I would prefer that money to be shared with bettors as well, potentially increasing the number of winners, so the money could reach more lucky gamblers.

Then the question arises: who is making more profit over gamblers? Private casinos or the one which belong to the state? The same state which claims to be protecting their citizens against evil and greedy gambling industry.

We can't eradicate the fact that the government is indeed getting good money out of gambling. This is why gambling industry is really a very good addition in a community when it comes to money-making industry. Just look at the areas where gambling is one of their top industries like Vegas and Macau, their economy is actually good.

[Iroh]

Have you heard of this lottery?
Is there something similar in your country?

I haven't heard about this before now. Mega da Virada is really cool. The fact that whoever wins this lottery gets to go home with the total amount is amazing as it has already been tax deducted. Asides the life changing amount that is involved, I particularly like the fact that the lottery is held at the very end of the year. The winner can literally step in to the new year as a millionaire. I bet that would be an incredible year for whoever wins the lottery any year.
It seems the total amount this time around has by far surpassed the previous years. $182 million is no small money and would be life changing for whoever wins it. Imagine going into the new year and suddenly coming into such an amount.. crazy.

[mikel_012]

If it wasn't for this tax-deduction, the prize could be 30% higher, what means the government is grabbing 30% from total prize through taxes. If the total prize is 182$ million dollars, we are talking about 54.600.000$ in taxes! I would prefer that money to be shared with bettors as well, potentially increasing the number of winners, so the money could reach more lucky gamblers.

Then the question arises: who is making more profit over gamblers? Private casinos or the one which belong to the state? The same state which claims to be protecting their citizens against evil and greedy gambling industry.

The government is the worse partner you can have. They take a big cut of the profit if you get money and they don't give you anything if you lose. For casinos they always get a big fee with licensing and with taxing on the casinos but also taxing on the player when he wins and not doing anything if he loses, making the edge very bad for the player that already loses to the casino and now to the government. Losing money to two parts instead of money.

[freedomgo]

If it wasn't for this tax-deduction, the prize could be 30% higher, what means the government is grabbing 30% from total prize through taxes. If the total prize is 182$ million dollars, we are talking about 54.600.000$ in taxes! I would prefer that money to be shared with bettors as well, potentially increasing the number of winners, so the money could reach more lucky gamblers.

Taxes weren’t created out of thin air, they’ve always been there and they’re basically the lifeblood of a country. Gambling taxes aren’t new either, and they’re usually high.
So even with taxes, there’s still a winning amount that makes people happy. Personally, if I win I wouldn’t mind the taxes at all, I’m pretty sure I’d still enjoy the net winnings.

Then the question arises: who is making more profit over gamblers? Private casinos or the one which belong to the state? The same state which claims to be protecting their citizens against evil and greedy gambling industry.

Definitely private casinos, since they make up the gambling industry, but the state also gets its share through taxes.
Still, this isn’t really a fun topic to dive into, talking about taxes kind of kills the excitement of winning anyway.

[CryptSafe]

This is impressive, seeing countries initiating these events would help a lot of their citizens who win such lotteries to keep up with life. I have not really seen an event of this nature in my country; all they care about is embezzling and not encouraging events that could alleviate their citizens from poverty and penury.  This amount is a big one to say, and I believe whoever wins it would make good use of it judiciously.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

There is a lottery game here in Brazil called “Mega da Virada” that takes place every year on December 31
The word “virada” means New Year's Eve

What stands out about this year's prize is its value, which reached 1 billion reais, or approximately US$182 million
What is different from Powerball, for example, is that this amount is already tax-deducted, so the winner will actually receive this net amount, without deductions

Have you heard of this lottery?
Is there something similar in your country?

Well, I am not from Brazil and do not live in Brazil as well, so there is no way I would have heard of such lottery and unfortunately, we do not have any of such similar lottery in my country, the government over here may not be interested in setting up something like this for the citizens since they themselves are never tired of looting public funds into their own pockets.

But by the way, you did not tell us if this lottery is government funded, or it's funded by an individual or co-operation - like a group of people, would be interesting to know.
You did not also tell us if a winner has be choosen since we are already in the new year, but congratulations still, this amount of money can change a person's generation for good if managed well.

[alegotardo]

I am Brazilian and I would add some here ...the "Mega da Virada" is almost a New Year's tradition because many peoples who never bet at the lottery during the year buy at least a one ticket for this special draw... in other words... it is a kind of national event.

But there also the good part... which is the single payment without the option of installments like the US lotteries. The winner receive your money all at once and he can do whatever they want with it immediately afterward.
And another good part is that a big portion of the money raised from bets is always detinated to social programs such education, sports, culture and public health.

Have you heard of this lottery?
Is there something similar in your country?

This is the first time I've heard of this lottery, but it seems to be very popular in your country. I assume this is because of the amount of money at stake, although that's understandable since Brazil is a huge country, and I suppose this is normal given the population. But what really surprises me is that the prize is tax-free, which is rarely the case.

And regarding my country, I think it's similar to yours, but without as much money involved. But I suppose every country has its own famous lottery; it's just part of its folklore.

Actually, it is not that the prize is "tax-free", becaus Brazil has a high tax rate on federal lotteries, here the tax is 30%.

And even on this lottery there is a tax, the difference is that this is a tax that we call "withheld at source," that is... from the value of 1 billion Brazilian reais, the income tax has already been deducted and it is paid directly to the government, the only thing that changes is the obligation of who will pay the tax. This is something similar to what happen with payment of salaries where employers deduct the tax and pass it to the government before depositing the employee's salary into the bank account.

So... if there were no tax collection, then the prize of this lottery would not be 1 billion of brazilian reais, but rather 1.43 billion reais.

[STT]

All state lotteries are a tax but at least its a voluntary tax and those struggling just to eat can find some ability to avoid this one particular tax.  In this way it can be quite vital to finding vital tax revenue in many desperate countries and counties across the world.
   Gambling is one of the vital back bones to any economy that survives even a recession, funerals, drink and tobacco might be the others but there aren't many and Brazil I think needs them all to find some balance to their fiscal needs.

[Sandra_hakeem]

There is a lottery game here in Brazil called “Mega da Virada” that takes place every year on December 31
The word “virada” means New Year's Eve

What stands out about this year's prize is its value, which reached 1 billion reais, or approximately US$182 million
What is different from Powerball, for example, is that this amount is already tax-deducted, so the winner will actually receive this net amount, without deductions

I can assure you that they already have a huge profit returns to make from this contest, which is why the Mega da Virada carries so much rewards. The question for me to you is-- did anyone win this lottery at the end of the day? How do you plan to be the next in line?

Have you heard of this lottery?
Is there something similar in your country?

To be honest, I haven't heard of any similar lottery that's different from the ones we already have, with such a huge price for one day. Some countries seem to make a ton of money from gambling, so I'm not surprised.

[uneng]

If it wasn't for this tax-deduction, the prize could be 30% higher, what means the government is grabbing 30% from total prize through taxes. If the total prize is 182$ million dollars, we are talking about 54.600.000$ in taxes! I would prefer that money to be shared with bettors as well, potentially increasing the number of winners, so the money could reach more lucky gamblers.

Taxes weren’t created out of thin air, they’ve always been there and they’re basically the lifeblood of a country. Gambling taxes aren’t new either, and they’re usually high.
So even with taxes, there’s still a winning amount that makes people happy. Personally, if I win I wouldn’t mind the taxes at all, I’m pretty sure I’d still enjoy the net winnings.

Actually, I was wrong on the calculation. The taxes must be 78.000.000$, considering the prize of 182$ million. I can't calculate 30% over 182$ million, rather I should consider 182$ million to be 70% of the total amount, which ends being 260$ million dollars.

Taxes aren't created out of thin air, you are right. They are collected from the blood and sweating of the average citizen who is forced to sustain the heavy state's machine, what includes lots of privileges for politicians, judiciary members, and why not, businessmen who are partnered with the government as well!

Since taxes are never enough and this system isn't sustainable, fiat currency has to printed in a constant basis out of thin air.

Of course, I would also be happy with the prize as well. The thing is that, I don't have to turn a blind eye to the abusive system just because I was lucky to hit a lifechanging jackpot. It would mean I fixed my financial situation, but I would be still living in a country which doesn't work for most people.

[mikel_012]

Actually, I was wrong on the calculation. The taxes must be 78.000.000$, considering the prize of 182$ million. I can't calculate 30% over 182$ million, rather I should consider 182$ million to be 70% of the total amount, which ends being 260$ million dollars.

Taxes aren't created out of thin air, you are right. They are collected from the blood and sweating of the average citizen who is forced to sustain the heavy state's machine, what includes lots of privileges for politicians, judiciary members, and why not, businessmen who are partnered with the government as well!

Since taxes are never enough and this system isn't sustainable, fiat currency has to printed in a constant basis out of thin air.

Of course, I would also be happy with the prize as well. The thing is that, I don't have to turn a blind eye to the abusive system just because I was lucky to hit a lifechanging jackpot. It would mean I fixed my financial situation, but I would be still living in a country which doesn't work for most people.

If you are a company that develops technology or employees people I agree. But you are talking about a lottery that does not generate any job or does not give fruits to the society. Just so you understand, the government earned more than R$ 3 billions of Reais with people buying tickets to try to earn this lottery of R$ 1 billion, and all the money they earned will go to fund education and other social areas of the country. If they just give everything to the winner there is no good doing for the society.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

Have you heard of this lottery?

In my country, if we hear about such, we'll first scrutinize that it's not scam. We've a lot of scam promotions of even free financial and food condiments distribution by the federal government this Christmas period and in the event of trying to participate, people get scammed as well.

Is there something similar in your country?

All lotteries, gambling and betting winnings in my country are taxed.

Maybe you misunderstood OP, he mentioned that it's taxed, but the taxes has been deducted from the prize money beforehand.

It's more like civil service work where your taxes are deducted from your net pay before you even receive your pay.

[Distinctin]

Maybe you misunderstood OP, he mentioned that it's taxed, but the taxes has been deducted from the prize money beforehand.

It's more like civil service work where your taxes are deducted from your net pay before you even receive your pay.

You call it withholding tax, and that’s usually how it’s done so winners won’t have a hard time filing their income tax returns, and it also ensures the taxes are actually remitted since we’re talking about a big amount of money.

Taxes on gambling winnings are normal anyway, even regular winnings are already taxed once they go above a certain amount, so it’s really not a big deal. Just allow the deduction and enjoy the win if you’re the winner.

[yahoo62278]

There is a lottery game here in Brazil called “Mega da Virada” that takes place every year on December 31
The word “virada” means New Year's Eve

What stands out about this year's prize is its value, which reached 1 billion reais, or approximately US$182 million
What is different from Powerball, for example, is that this amount is already tax-deducted, so the winner will actually receive this net amount, without deductions

Have you heard of this lottery?
Is there something similar in your country?

The USA has Powerball lottery $2 per ticket and the jackpot has gotten over $1 billion dollars before and tons of $100-200 million dollar winners over the years. Jackpot grows weekly until someone hits all 6 numbers but the chances of winning it are lower than being struck by lightning twice.

[Free Market Capitalist]

Have you heard of this lottery?

Nope

Is there something similar in your country?

Not in my country. There is the Euromillions lottery in Europe but instead of being played only on New Year's Eve, it is played every week. The prize for a week if there is only one winner of the jackpot is €15 million, but often no one wins and the jackpot keeps rolling over. The maximum amount ever paid to a single winner is €250 million.

[danherbias07]

I will be honest, this is the first time I heard about this kind of event. I mean, I worked on compiling different lottery tickets and old ones too, but I have never bumped into this one.

The prize is very high, but is it only a one-day type of event? Also, can they really collect that kind of large amount by the New Year?
Anyway, I checked the statistics, and it seems to be an event that is highly awaited by many people in the country. 8 winners last year for the Match 6. The largest was 52 winners who shared in a Match 6 prize. That's some awesome numbers.

[Numeral]

This is the first time I've heard about this lottery, but it's normal for countries to have lotteries like this. What struck me about this lottery was the size of the prize, which is truly enormous. In my country, the prize in a similar lottery was equivalent to $12.5 million, and this year the prize was shared between three winners. By the way, I think this outcome is fair, as three people became lucky winners and will be able to radically change their lives for the better, rather than just one person. Here, even $4 million is a huge amount of money, enough to buy practically everything a person needs and never have to go to work again.

[crwth]

I'm not familiar with this, and I was thinking about a different currency like "riyals" or something similar, but now I know that it's the currency of Brazil.

Imagine winning something like that, and it's the lump sum, no need to really work into anything anymore, and enjoy life and make meaning for yourself.

There's nothing similar to my country, AFAIK.

Searched for an article and I just translated it to english so I could understand
https://valorinveste.globo.com/loterias/noticia/2026/01/01/resultado-da-mega-da-virada-2025-veja-numeros-sorteados-e-rateio-ganhadores.ghtml

[Ishicryptic]

Have you heard of this lottery?
Is there something similar in your country?

I haven't heard about this before now. Mega da Virada is really cool. The fact that whoever wins this lottery gets to go home with the total amount is amazing as it has already been tax deducted. Asides the life changing amount that is involved, I particularly like the fact that the lottery is held at the very end of the year. The winner can literally step in to the new year as a millionaire. I bet that would be an incredible year for whoever wins the lottery any year.
It seems the total amount this time around has by far surpassed the previous years. $182 million is no small money and would be life changing for whoever wins it. Imagine going into the new year and suddenly coming into such an amount.. crazy.

I'm also hearing about this mega lottery jackpot hit for the first time and I'm not surprised that it is coming from Brazil, a country that is renowned for gambling. The jackpot is unbelievable and I'm sure that millions of people will play the lottery to stand a chance of being instant millionaires in 2026 but unfortunately it's only one extremely lucky person that will be crowned winner. A mouth watering winner take it all meaning no tax deductions, it can't get better than that, what I can say is good luck to every player and let the luckiest player take it all.