Gewinnsparverein e. V.

What Gewinnsparverein e. V. does

Gewinnsparverein e.V. (GSV) is a German non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1952, headquartered in Köln, that operates the "Gewinnsparen" lottery-savings program exclusively through the country's cooperative banking network. The core product is a hybrid financial instrument: each ticket costs 5 EUR per month, of which 4 EUR is accumulated as savings and returned to the participant annually, and 1 EUR enters a lottery fund from which prizes, lottery tax, operating costs, and charitable donations are paid. Approximately 1.2 million participants hold around 11 million tickets monthly, with over 6 million EUR in prizes distributed each month (including a 100,000 EUR jackpot and vehicles in 2026) and roughly 33 million EUR channeled annually to regional charitable projects through participating banks.

GSV's distribution model is entirely channel-dependent: tickets are sold exclusively through Volksbanken, Raiffeisenbanken, Sparda-Banken and PSD-Banken across all German federal states, with banks acting as collection agents, payout administrators, and charitable distribution partners. The organization operates a lean team of 18 employees running the national lottery infrastructure under a permit from the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (most recent authorization dated 7 December 2023). The product portfolio includes the standard Gewinnsparlos, the "10 ist Trumpf!" ten-ticket bundle with guaranteed minimum winnings, and Gewinnsparen Plus, which integrates a fund savings plan through the participant's bank.

Revenue mechanics are non-traditional due to the non-profit structure: the 1 EUR lottery portion per ticket is allocated as 25% charitable donations, 16 2/3% lottery tax, 3% operating costs, and the remainder as prizes, while the 4 EUR savings component is pass-through capital returned to participants. The organization has grown through successive mergers consolidating regional cooperative lottery associations, with the most recent consolidations being Gewinnsparverein Südwest (2016) and the Saxon Gewinnsparverein (2021). GSV supplements the lottery with a newsletter service, an online ticket-number check tool, and social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Name

Gewinnsparverein e. V.

Legal name

Gewinnsparverein e.V.

Website

https://gsv.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gewinnsparverein e.V. is a German non-profit cooperative lottery association operating the Gewinnsparen savings-lottery hybrid exclusively through Volksbanken, Raiffeisenbanken, Sparda-Banken and PSD-Banken, serving 1.2 million participants with 11 million monthly tickets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lottery & Savings Services

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Lottery Operators (Government & Private Licensed) (MPAEAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Draw-Based Lottery Management (Number Games, Keno as Lottery) (MPAEAFAE), Lottery Beneficiary/Fund Administration & Grant Management Services (MPAEAFAN)

Keywords

• Lottery savings program
• Cooperative banking services
• Charitable lottery organization
• Savings lottery tickets
• Non-profit lottery association

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Lottery Contributions: Each Gewinnsparlos costs 5 Euro monthly, with 1 Euro allocated to the lottery fund. Of this lottery fund: 25% goes to the net profit (Reinertrag) for charitable donations, 16 2/3% is lottery tax, 3% covers costs, and the remainder is distributed as prizes.
2. Savings Component: 4 Euro per month per ticket is saved and returned to customers annually. No interest is paid on Sammelkonto (collective savings account) balances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gewinnsparverein e. V. operates a regulated savings-lottery hybrid product under the "Gewinnsparen" brand: each participant purchases a 5-Euro monthly ticket (4 Euro saved and returned annually, 1 Euro lottery entry) and enters monthly prize drawings exceeding 6 million Euros. The product is distributed exclusively through Germany's cooperative banking network (Volksbanken, Raiffeisenbanken, Sparda-Banken, PSD-Banken), with 25 cents of every ticket flowing to regional charitable projects, making it a triple-benefit offering of winning, saving, and community giving.

Product overview

Gewinnsparverein e.V. operates a lottery-savings platform (Gewinnsparen) sold exclusively through German cooperative banks (Genossenschaftsbanken). The core offering combines monthly lottery drawings with savings accumulation: customers pay 5€ per ticket monthly (4€ saved, 1€ lottery entry). The product portfolio includes the standard Gewinnsparen lottery-savings product, the "10 ist Trumpf!" add-on guaranteeing minimum wins, and Gewinnsparen Plus combining savings with investment funds. Monthly drawings on the 2nd Tuesday offer cash prizes and vehicles (Renault 5 E-Tech), with special semi-annual Zusatzziehung (extra drawings) featuring additional vehicles and travel prizes. The company serves 1.2 million participants with approximately 11 million tickets, channeling charitable donations to regional causes through participating banks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 10 ist Trumpf!: A lottery package of 10 tickets with consecutive last digits (0-9) that guarantees a minimum win of 3 Euro per month
• Gewinnsparen Plus

Products and services

• Gewinnsparen (Gewinnsparlos)

Quantifiable outcome

• 33 million Euro annual charitable donations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Participating Cooperative Banks (Volksbanken, Raiffeisenbanken, Sparda-Banken, PSD-Banken)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Gewinnsparverein's primary distribution channel consists of German cooperative banks that act as resellers and distributors of Gewinnsparen products. Banks collect monthly lottery contributions (1 Euro per ticket) and savings (4 Euro per ticket), forward contributions to the lottery organization, credit winnings to customer accounts, and facilitate annual savings payouts. Over 1,000 banks participate in the network.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aktion Mensch: German charity lottery whose ticket proceeds also fund social/housing projects. Direct parallel to GSV's charitable donation model (25% of lottery contribution distributed to social causes), though structured as a participatory lottery rather than a savings hybrid.
• Süddeutsche Klassenlotterie (SKL): German Klassenlotterie offering a multi-month savings-lottery product comparable to GSV's recurring savings-plus-lottery hybrid. Targets German retail savers with a similar ticket/maturity mechanic.
• Nordwestdeutsche Klassenlotterie (NKL): Operates a savings-lottery (Klassenlotterie) model in Germany where participants pay monthly installments in exchange for chances to win and the ability to accumulate savings. Conceptually closest peer to GSV's Gewinnsparlos structure.

Broad incumbents

• Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz: State-licensed lottery operator in Rhineland-Palatinate offering draw-based lottery games, instant lotteries, and sports betting. Comparable as a German licensed lottery operator but with a different regional/state distribution model.
• Lotto Bayern: State lottery operator for Bavaria offering the full German lottery portfolio (Lotto 6aus49, Eurojackpot, Glücksspirale, KENO, odds-based sports bets). Comparable scale of German lottery operations but owned by the Free State of Bavaria.
• Westdeutsche Lotterie (WestLotto): Major German state-licensed lottery operator offering Lotto 6aus49, Eurojackpot, Glücksspirale and instant-win products. Larger incumbent with broader lottery portfolio and retail/online distribution, but not a savings-lottery hybrid.

Emerging players

• Postcode Lottery (Deutsche Postcode Lotterie): German charity lottery where 30% of ticket revenue goes to charitable causes. Closest conceptual peer to GSV's charity-funding lottery model, though with a postcode-based prize structure rather than ticket number draws.
• Lottoland: Online lottery operator offering bets on international lottery outcomes via a digital channel. Comparable product category (lottery participation) but with a digital-first distribution model that competes for the same discretionary entertainment spend.

Others

• Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken (BVR): Industry association representing the German cooperative banking sector that serves as GSV's distribution backbone. Relevant context for understanding the channel economics and member-bank dynamics that drive GSV's distribution.

Regional players

• Sparda-Banken (Sparda-Bank Gruppe): Cooperative bank group within GSV's distribution network that sells Gewinnsparen products to its retail customers. Comparable through shared distribution and customer base, though it is a banking services peer rather than a competing lottery operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Gewinnsparen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gewinnsparen
• Instagraminstagram.com/gewinnsparen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gewinnsparverein e. V.