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Lotteries in Australia

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Lotteries in Australia include various lottery related products licensed by Australian lottery companies. Lotteries operators are licensed at a state or territory level, and include both state government-owned and private sector companies.

As of August 2008, the major players in the lotteries industry include:

Although the organisations are predominantly state-based, Australia has a number of national lottery games. Currently, Tattersall's and the state-owned lotteries operate as a bloc to jointly conduct the national games, poolling their entries and winnings. For example, Tattersalls administers the Saturday Lotto (known as Tattslotto in its jurisdictions), Oz Lotto and Powerball games on behalf of the bloc; similarly, South Australian Lotteries operate the Australian Soccer Pools on behalf of the other operators. The major operators also market lottery games traditionally running in their own jurisdiction, however recently some of these have become "multi-state" games, if not national.

Australian lotteries are subject to many regulations, which generally vary from state to state. Lottery products can only be bought by persons over the age of 16 or 18 years, depending on the state.

Lotto

Tattslotto (Saturday Lotto)

Tattslotto, or Saturday Lotto, is a product of Tattersalls. This section refers to the national Saturday night draw, syndicated to all Australian states and territories through the Australian Lotto Bloc. The game is marketed as Tattslotto in Victoria, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory; as Gold Lotto in Queensland; and as Lotto or Saturday Lotto in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

In the absence of poker machines, the state government of Victoria awarded Tattersalls the right to conduct a weekly lottery to raise addition revenue to compliment the health system. The first Tattslotto draw, with a first division prize of AU$50,000, was on June 22, 1972, televised on HSV-7 Melbourne.

Tattslotto, which was the first of its type in Australia, was originally based on the European style lotteries, where six numbers are selected from 40 in a standard game. Each week, six numbers and one supplementary number where mechanically drawn from a see-thru barrel. Each televised draw was live-to air and witnessed by three officials, one from Tattersalls and two representatives from the government. From Draw 413, on 6 July, 1985, the current standard game format, six from 45, was introduced. Also from this draw, an additional supplementary number was drawn.

Originally, players would complete an entry ticket of between two and 10 games, at a cost of AU$0.50 cents per game. The ticket consisted of an original and a carbon copy. The player would present the ticket to an agent/seller who would validate both copies of the ticket by inserting the ticket into a designated cash register. The copy would be returned to the player and the original would be kept by the agent/seller and sent to Tattersalls prior to the next draw. In the 80's, the network of agents/sellers were computerised. This allowed a later closing time for each draw, scannable entries with printed tickets, randomly selected computer-generated tickets (known variously as a "Quick Pick", "Auto-Pick", "Easi-Pick" or "Slikpik"), more games per draw to be purchased, etc.

Variations to the standard game are commonly known as a System entry. These games cost extra but allow the player to increase their chances of winning. The more numbers selected per game, the great the outlay. Subsequently, if the selected numbers are drawn, multiple prizes are won.

Currently, the game offers a guaranteed First Division prize of $4 million each week, with regular "Superdraws" taking place approximately 7 times a year. A minimum of two standard games must be purchased at a cost of AU$0.50 cents per game, plus agent's commission.

The following prize divisions can be won:

Division Winning Numbers Required Probability (Single Game)
1st Division 6 1 in 8,145,060
2nd Division 5 + supplementary 1 in 678,755
3rd Division 5 1 in 36,690
4th Division 4 1 in 733
5th Division 3 + supplementary 1 in 290
Any Prize 1 in 124

Monday & Wednesday Lotto

Monday & Wednesday Lotto is played in all states and territories except Queensland (which plays Wednesday Gold Lotto instead). Originally known as NSW Lotto, it was launched in 1979/80 as a New South Wales only lottery game administered by New South Wales Lotteries, but is now marketed simply as Lotto - the brand characterised in NSW by an oversized red "1" Lotto ball, which represented its marketing slogan throughout much of mid 1988-1996: "The Big One" and "Makes Dreams Come True (2001-2005)". New South Wales was the last state to join the Saturday Tattslotto draw on 2000-12-16, with the Monday and Wednesday draws the most main lottery games before this (Oz Lotto and Powerball were also conducted there prior). These draws are also popular because of their relatively low cost (30 cents per game plus agent's commission).

Monday & Wednesday Lotto's traditional game base is in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. However, from 2006-05-01 "NSW Lotto" was introduced in Western Australia and South Australia[2] - replacing the statewide SA Lotto game of the latter.

From 2008-10-13, Monday & Wednesday Lotto was introduced to Tattersalls jurisdictions, replacing Wednesday Tattslotto which was no longer permitted to operate under the Victorian government licensing regime, which commenced on 1 July 2008.

In this game, six winning numbers and two supplementaries were drawn from 45. The second supplementary number was added from Draw 90/34 on 1990-08-20, while the 45th ball was added in April 2004, bringing it into line with Saturday Lotto.

The Monday draw carries a long-standing First Division pool of $1 million, while the Wednesday draw has a First Division of $750,000 (as of 2006-05-01). Prize divisions are the same as for Saturday Lotto. New South Wales entrants are offered a "double-up" option for an extra 15 cents per game, which doubles any Monday or Wednesday Lotto winnings (apart from Division One).

For a short period, from April 2004 until the game was syndicated in 2006-05-01, Monday and Wednesday Lotto operated under different rules. Firstly, Division 4 and 5's prizes were fixed at $20.00 and $10.00 respectively, instead of being purely parimutuel. Also, the First Division would not jackpot, but instead fund a "cash rolldown" if not won, where all lower divisions won double the usual prize. The "double-up" option would not double the rolldown portion, effectively resulting in a "triple-up" instead.

Oz Lotto

Oz Lotto was created as Australia's original national lottery game - at least, the first one based purely on chance (as the Soccer Pools existed some years prior) - played on Tuesday nights and administered by Tattersalls. It was created on February 26, 1994 [1], at a time when New South Wales did not take part in Saturday Lotto, making it the only national lottery game at the time - a distinction which lasted until the launch of Powerball in 1996, and New South Wales' subsequent joining of Saturday Lotto in 2000.

Seven winning numbers and two supplementary numbers are drawn from a barrel of 45 balls, with standard games costing $1.00 plus agent's commission. (Prior to Draw 609 on 2005-10-18[3], only six winning numbers were drawn, making this essentially a more expensive version of Saturday Lotto, although typical prizes were also larger.) There are seven prize divisions available:

Division Winning Numbers Required Probability (Single Game)
1st Division 7 1 in 45,379,620
2nd Division 6 + supplementary 1 in 3,241,401
3rd Division 6 1 in 180,078
4th Division 5 + supplementary 1 in 29,602
5th Division 5 1 in 3,430
6th Division 4 1 in 154
7th Division 3 + supplementary 1 in 87
Any Prize 1 in 55

Following the addition of the seventh winning number, Oz Lotto is now known as Super 7's Oz Lotto in jurisdictions operated by Tattersall's, and as Oz 7 Lotto in Queensland. It is still known as Oz Lotto in other states, however most changed the visual branding of the game with the change in rules.

On 2009-06-23, a super draw was held with a first division prize of AU$50mil on offer. There were no first division winners, and subsequently, on 2009-06-30, a record AU$90mil jackpot first division prize was offered. With the record ticket sales, the jackpot increased to over $117mil, being Australia's biggest lottery prize in history.

Powerball

Powerball is a lottery game modelled on the highly successful American Powerball game. The game is administered by Tattersalls, and syndicated to all states through the Australian Lotto Bloc. Draws take place on Thursday nights, with the first draw held on 1996-05-23. Each Powerball game costs 60 cents plus agent's commission, with most states requiring standard games be bought two at a time.

Powerball uses two barrels to determine its winning numbers: five numbers are drawn at random from a barrel of 45 (standard winning numbers), then one number, the namesake Powerball, is drawn at random from a separate barrel of 45. To win first division the player needs to have all five numbers in their game as well as select the correct Powerball. For coupon entries; the Powerball is selected in a separate box to the winning numbers. In an automated pick a computer randomly allocates the player five numbers as well as a Powerball for each game line.

Powerball offers a slightly better odds overall for winning any prize than Saturday Lotto, partly due to its seven-division structure, however its first division is about six times harder to win:

Division Required Winning Numbers Probability (Single Game)
1st Division 5 + Powerball 1 in 54,979,156
2nd Division 5 1 in 1,249,526
3rd Division 4 + Powerball 1 in 274,896
4th Division 3 + Powerball 1 in 7,048
5th Division 4 1 in 6,248
6th Division 2 + Powerball 1 in 556
7th Division 3 1 in 160
Any Prize 1 in 120

Systems entries are available on Powerball, however only one Powerball is selected for a standard system entry. Players can also purchase an entry that guarantees the Powerball for a game entry - this costs the same as playing 45 individual games. This is known by Tattersalls as a "Play the Field" entry, in New South Wales as "Power45", in Queensland as a "PowerHit", and in Western Australia as a "Powerpik". System entries and guaranteed Powerball options can sometimes be combined.

A major difference between Australian Powerball versus the US game is that the latter was created in part to allow a player to win by matching only one number, if it is the Powerball. Also, while US Powerball prizes are taxable, its players do not pay agents' commission, so wagers are always a multiple of US$1.

Keno

This section lists Keno games administered by lottery organisations only. Other gaming companies also run Keno games - in particular, Tabcorp Holdings (through its acquisition of Jupiters Limited) runs Keno (formally known as 'Club Keno') in its casinos, as well as other venues such as registered clubs in New South Wales. SKYCITY Darwin also administers the NT Keno game on behalf of venues in the Northern Territory.

These Keno games share the same basic characteristics: 20 numbers drawn from a set of 80. Entries can vary in the number of selections made (known as 'Spots' - for example, selecting four numbers would be called a 'Spot 4'). The more numbers selected, the more numbers are required to win prizes, but the prizes for matching all numbers are higher. Small consolation prizes may also be won for matching no numbers on the higher Spot games. In a 20-from-80 game, the odds of matching 10 out of 10 numbers in a single game is 1 in 8,911,711.

South Australia

In South Australia, Keno is conducted by South Australian Lotteries on a continuous basis: draws are conducted on an automated basis every 3.5 minutes, with sales closing approximately 40 seconds before the draw. Results appear on monitors located at most lotteries sales outlets. SA Lotteries's Keno has also been syndicated to the Australian Capital Territory's ACTTAB since November 1997 [4], and promoted as ACTTAB Keno.

South Australian Keno can be played using all Spot entries from 1 to 10 numbers. It offers one jackpot prize, for matching all numbers from a Spot 10 ticket, with a minimum prize of $1 million (which was changed from a $1 million fixed prize to a jackpotting prize in February 2001).

Super 66

Super 66 is an Australian lottery game played in all states except New South Wales (which plays Lotto Strike instead). It is a product of Tattersalls and is played on a Saturday night, drawn just before the main Tattslotto draw. Super 66 costs $1 per game plus agent's commission.

Super 66 must be bought as a computer generated entry in most states. In South Australia (where numbers can also be selected through an entry form). Some states also allow their registered members to record favourite Super 66 numbers to play in the same way as other games. The most popular option for buying Super 66 is with another lotto ticket - in this case, the Super 66 entry is usually printed on the same ticket. (Some states offer the ability to buy Super 66 with a mid-week ticket, as well as with the Saturday draw. Rules as to whether a normal Lotto ticket must be bought before a Super 66 entry can also vary between states.)

In the draw, six numbers from 0-9 are drawn from six separate machines, creating a six-digit "winning number". To win First Division, a player must match the six-digit number on their entry with the "winning number" exactly. For example, if a player's ticket number is 123456, the winning number must be exactly 123456 to win First Division. This prize is paid as the balance of the prize pool, plus prior jackpots, with a minimum prize of $16,666. The First Division can jackpot for 25 consecutive weeks (as of 2007-01-20[5]) before being "rolled down" to the next highest division with winners.

Lower divisions are won by matching either the first or last digits of the number on a player's ticket with the drawn number. These prizes are fixed. Using 123456 as an example drawn number, there are five divisions:

Division Example Winning Numbers Probability (Single Game) Fixed Prize
1st Division 123456 1 in 1,000,000 Jackpot, minimum $16,666.00
2nd Division 12345x or x23456 1 in 55,556 $6,666.00
3rd Division 1234xx or xx3456 1 in 5,556 $666.00
4th Division 123xxx or xxx456 1 in 556 $66.00
5th Division 12xxxx or xxxx56 1 in 56 $6.60
Any Prize 1 in 50

Soccer Pools

The Soccer Pools (otherwise known simply as The Pools, or as 6 From 38 Pools in New South Wales) is an Australian Lotto Bloc game administered by South Australian Lotteries. Entries for the Pools close on Saturday afternoon or evening, depending on where the games are played. The winning numbers are released on Sunday or Monday, depending on the state. Six numbers are selected out of 38, but with only one supplementary number; the odds of winning Division One with a single game being 1 in 2,760,681. Divisions are the same as for Saturday Lotto.

Unlike other games where the numbers are drawn at random, the Pools is based on soccer scores in Australia - typically in state leagues - and in the United Kingdom and Europe (referred to collectively as Northern Hemisphere matches). A match list is drawn up every week, containing 38 games, numbered 1-38, and a number of reserve games which are numbered from 39 onwards (and currently up to 60). After all games' results are known, the games are then ranked in the following order, from highest to lowest[6]:

  • Score draws, with higher scoring draws ranking higher (eg. a 3-3 result will rank higher than 2-2);
  • Scoreless (0-0) draws;
  • Away team wins, with scores with a smaller goal difference ranking higher (eg. a 2-3 result will rank higher than 1-3), followed by total goals scored (eg. 2-3 will rank higher than 1-2); and
  • Home team wins, with scores with a smaller goal difference again ranking higher, followed by total goals scored.

The numbers of the first six ranked games are designated the winning numbers, and the seventh ranked game's number the supplementary number. At each ranking level, if all other tie-breakers have been exhausted, the final tie-breaker is match order, with game 38 ranking highest and game 1 lowest. This match order tie-breaker means that, in practice, lower numbers occur slightly less often than higher numbers[7].

If games are not played or are otherwise considered 'void', the reserve matches' results will substitute for the void matches, starting from match 39's result replacing that of the lowest-numbered void match, match 40 replacing the second lowest-numbered void match, and so on. State rules vary as to what happens if less than 38 games are played, or less than 7 results are declared (an almost impossible occurrence): in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, a separate drawing of the remaining numbers is made from a barrel to draw the remaining winning numbers, however Tattersalls and Lotterywest instead cancel the draw in their territory and re-enter all entries into the next Pools draw[8][9].

Players with a comprehensive knowledge of soccer have an advantage, however it is still very difficult to pick the correct six numbers in a game. For this reason many simply regard The Pools as a game of chance and automated computer picks are offered by outlets. The Pools is probably among the least popular of the national lottery games.

Prize divisions are the same as for Saturday Tattslotto. The Pools usually has a minimum first division prize of $75,000, but jackpots often.

State Lotto Draws

In addition to the Saturday Tattslotto draw, most states and territories' lottery corporations hold their own lottery draws, playable only in their state (or states, in the case of Tattersalls) of their jurisdiction.

Lotto Strike

Lotto Strike, launched in 1993 is a statewide companion game to NSW Lotto played in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory only, and administered by New South Wales Lotteries. Originally based on NSW Lotto's Monday and Wednesday draws, Lotto Strike also became available for play on Saturday Lotto after the midweek NSW Lotto changes in 2004 (instead of Super 66). Lotto Strike costs $1 per game plus agent's commission, and must be bought at the same time as a normal Lotto entry for that draw.

Lotto Strike's winning numbers are determined the first four balls drawn in the corresponding Lotto draw, and these must be matched in the correct order. The latter gives Lotto Strike some similarity to Super 66, but unlike that game, there is not a separate draw. Also, Lotto Strike numbers can be selected manually, whereas Super 66 is often available by "auto-pick" only. Players can "box" their chosen Lotto Strike numbers, allowing them to be matched in any order (at a cost of 24 games).

Prizes can be won for matching at least one number in the correct position. Divisions are named according to how many numbers were matched:

  • Strike Four (Jackpot) - match all four numbers in the correct position
  • Strike Three - match three of the numbers in the correct position
  • Strike Two - match two of the numbers in the correct position
  • Strike One (one free Lotto Strike game) - match one of the numbers in the correct position

The odds of winning Strike Four with a single game is 1 in 3,575,880.

The Strike Four jackpot starts at $100,000 and increases by about $30,000 (depending on sales) with each draw. Due to the relative unpopularity of Lotto Strike, jackpots occur often and it can often take many months for a Strike Four prize to be won. The Strike Four prize is capped at $2 million, with any further jackpots being added to the next Strike Four pool after it is next won.

Although New South Wales is the only state in Australia that plays Lotto Strike, the format is also played in New Zealand with their national Lotto game.

Intralot

From July 1 2008, Intralot was introduced into Victoria following changes to lottery licencing by the Victorian Government.

Lucky Bingo Star

Lucky Bingo Star was first drawn on 6th July 2008. It is drawn each Sunday at 8pm live on 3AW.

Lucky Keno 70

Lucky Keno 70 was first drawn on 1st July 2008. It is drawn twice a day at 2pm and 8pm. An optional add on to this game is Lucky Hi Lo

Lucky Lines

Lucky Lines was first drawn on 1st July 2008. It is drawn daily at 7pm.

Wednesday Gold Lotto

Wednesday Gold Lotto is a statewide lottery game played in Queensland, and administered by Golden Casket, the Queensland lotteries corporation. Started in 1996[10], Wednesday Gold Lotto is played like Saturday Lotto, with games costing 50 cents each plus agent's commission.

The main point of difference being in its unusual First Division system: instead of offering a jackpotting prize pool shared by all Division 1 winners, Wednesday Gold Lotto guarantees a fixed $1 million prize for up to four separate winners in each draw, with the $4 million prize pool only being divided among its winners if more than four match all six numbers in one draw. Unclaimed first division prizes are used to fund future Division 1 prizes, or for other promotional purposes.

Cash 3

Cash 3 is a lottery game played in Western Australia and administered by Lotterywest. The Cash 3 format is also used in several places in the United States. It is drawn every night of the year and the numbers telecast on Channel Seven in Perth, and on GWN in regional Western Australia.

Players select three digits, and may choose to bet on those three digits being drawn in any order, in that specific order, or both. Games can be played for either 50 cents or $1.00, and can be bought up to seven days in advance. Prizes are fixed according to the probability of winning, with the highest possible prize being $500 for a "straight-up" $1 wager.

Draw Lotteries

This section refers to 'traditional' draw style lotteries offered by Australian lottery organisations. In this type of game, a set number of tickets - typically in the low six figures - are offered for sale in each draw. A set of numbers are then drawn (these days by a random number generator) and are awarded prizes, with many consolation prizes often offered.

New South Wales: Lucky Lotteries

Lucky Lotteries is the current brand name given to draw lotteries administered by New South Wales Lotteries. Currently, two lotteries are run under this name: the $2 Jackpot Lottery and the $5 Jackpot Lottery. (Both denominations exclude agent's commission, so a $2 Jackpot Lottery ticket in fact costs $2.15; a $5 ticket costs $5.30.)

Tickets are only available via a "Auto Pick"-style allocation (ie. individual numbers cannot be selected), although those buying multiple tickets have the option of buying a sequential run of numbers or a random selection. Players can also buy a certain number of draws in advance (up to 10 with the $2 lottery, and up to 2 in the $5 lottery). Due to the high demand for draw lottery tickets (and the $2 Jackpot Lottery in particular), it is often the case that a ticket bought today will be for a draw a week or so from today, rather than for the next day. (This has led to New South Wales Lotteries adding disclaimers in recent years stating that any jackpot advertised may have been won by the time your lottery is drawn.) Draws are conducted at the New South Wales Lotteries offices in the morning, and winning numbers are published in some major papers and are available to claim the day after the draw.

In each draw, a first, second and third prize is drawn, as well as a number of smaller prizes down to $10. One-off prizes are awarded to tickets that are one ticket number either side of each cash prize, with a $1,000 cash prize for being one-off first prize, and a number of free tickets for an advance draw of the same lottery for being one-off any other cash prize. (Free tickets are always awarded as a sequential run of numbers.)

A jackpot ticket number is then drawn, separately from the main draw. If the ticket number drawn matches a winning number exactly (one-offs do not count), then they win the jackpot; otherwise, that number wins 10 free tickets for an advance draw and the jackpot increments by a certain amount. In recent years the $2 Jackpot - which is statistically more difficult to win than the "6-from-45" Tattslotto-style games - has reached more than $10 million more than once through continued jackpotting; the record jackpot was in July 2003 when a $13,700,000 prize was won[11]. In late 2008, the draw jackpotted to $16 million.[citation needed]

The differences between the $2 and $5 Jackpot Lotteries can be summarised by the following table (current as to 2006-01-28):

Characteristic $2 Jackpot Lottery $5 Jackpot Lottery
Draw Frequency Typically once a day* On average, once every 2 weeks
Maximum Number of Tickets 225,000 160,000
Total Number of Prizes* 10,147 12,880
First Prize $100,000 $200,000
Minimum Jackpot $500,000 $1,000,000
Jackpot Increment $75,000 $170,000
Odds of Winning Jackpot 1 in 11,827,321 1 in 5,963,195
Odds of Winning Cash Prize 1 in 59.1 1 in 37.3
Odds of Winning Any Prize 1 in 19.7 1 in 12.4
  • Draw Frequency: Multiple draws of the $2 Jackpot Lottery may be conducted on the same day if ticket sales demand it, such as during periods with a high jackpot.
  • Total Number of Prizes: includes one-off prizes and one prize for a non-winning jackpot ticket number.

Former Games

New South Wales Lotteries have also conducted a number of $10 draw lotteries in the past, although none are currently conducted. The most recent $10 lottery conducted was called Lucky 7, which replaced the Million Dollar Lottery (a non-jackpotting draw lottery that was otherwise similar to the $2 and $5 games) before it in 1996 and continued until 2001[12]. Each $10 ticket was entered for five consecutive weekly draws.

Three separate numbers were drawn, named after the number of digits in each winning number: Lucky 7 (with numbers ranging from 1000000-1999999), Lucky 6 (100000-449999) and Lucky 3 (000-999). Prizes were awarded in a similar manner to Super 66, with a $1 million prize offered for matching the Lucky 7 number exactly, while consolation prizes were awarded for matching the last digits of the other numbers - as few as three digits for the Lucky 6, or two digits for the Lucky 3 number.

Queensland: Casket

Casket (or the $2 Casket) is the name given to the draw lottery administered by Queensland's lottery operator, Golden Casket. The name of the game dates back to the first Queensland draw lotteries - with cash prizes originally prohibited by law, the first prize was awarded as a casket of gold valued at a certain amount, which was then immediately bought back from winners for its cash value[13].

Draws usually take place about seven times a year (the draw dates of which are fixed in advance), and a maximum of 110,000 tickets (at $2 each) are sold for each draw. Specific numbers can be selected by the player when buying a Casket ticket (as long as the number has not already been selected), or otherwise automatically allocated through a Quick Pick.

Each draw has a first prize of $100,000, and consolation prizes are drawn to as low as $5. There is no jackpot component. One-off prizes are also drawn, although unlike New South Wales these are paid in cash, with the most common prize being $2 for being one-off any the numbers outside the first three prizes. There are 7,089 prizes awarded in each $2 Casket draw (including one-off prizes), making the odds of winning any prize around 1 in 15.5.


South Australia: LuckySA Lottery

The first LuckySA Lottery draw was launched in June 2007[14], and conducted on 2008-01-02. This $5 draw lottery [15] offered a top prize of $500,000 and a total of 18 prize-winning numbers (down to $50) out of a maximum of 200,000 tickets. It is not yet clear how often the LuckySA Lottery will be drawn.

Former Lottery Games

SA Lotto

SA Lotto, previously known as Cross Lotto or X Lotto, was a statewide lottery game played only in South Australia, and administered by South Australian Lotteries. At its winding up, the game was played twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. Games of SA Lotto cost 30 cents plus agent's commission, and offered a $400,000 guaranteed minimum prize for Division One. SA Lotto was replaced with an expanded version of NSW Lotto on 2006-05-01; the game is simply marketed as Lotto, in line with the Saturday version, replacing the SA Lotto brand.

The draw format was the same as for the Saturday draw, with six winning numbers and two supplementary numbers drawn from 45. SA Lotto was notable in that there were six divisions instead of five, with an additional division for games with four matching winning numbers, plus a supplementary number. The First Division pool was last increased, from $300,000 to $400,000, in November 2003, at the same time as the re-introduction of a mid-week draw on Wednesdays, which had previously been replaced by Powerball[4].

Wednesday Tattslotto

Wednesday Tattslotto was a product of Tattersalls and was played in their territories (Victoria, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory). Started in February 2000, six winning numbers and two supplementary numbers are drawn from 40 balls - less than the Saturday version of the game. Each game cost 50 cents plus agent's commission. As with Tatts Keno and Tatts 2, Tattersalls were not permitted to operate these games under the Victorian government licensing regime which commenced on 1 July 2008.

Prize divisions were the same as Saturday Tattslotto, with a minimum First Division prize of $100,000 - the odds of winning were 1 in 3,838,380, or about twice as likely as the Saturday draw. However, they were slightly easier to win due to the reduced number of balls used.

Tatts 2

Tatts 2 was a Tattersalls product played only in its territories. It is one of the simplest games that can be played. A player selected 2 numbers from (1-99) in each game; which cost 55c. Each night at about 7:00 two numbers from (1-99) were drawn.

Those players matching either number won a fixed prize of $3. Those matching both numbers then shared the remainder of the prize pool, with a minimum prize of $500. In some draws (usually once a week), both the 1 Number prize and the 2 Number minimum prize were doubled. The odds of matching both numbers with a single entry is 1 in 4,851.

There was the provision for a jackpot for the 2 Number prize, which could jackpot for five weeks before being rolled down into the 1 Number dividend. However jackpots very rarely occurred.

Tatts Keno

Tatts Keno was administered by Tattersalls and played in most areas that offer their lottery products (Victoria, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory) - Tatts Keno could not be played in the Northern Territory. Tatts Keno was a nightly game, and entries could vary from 3 to 10 spots.

Tatts Keno offerred one jackpot prize, for matching all numbers from a Spot 10 ticket. The minimum jackpot prize was $250,000, however this often increased to over $1 million as it tended to take a large number of draws for the jackpot to be won.

Instants (Scratchies)

Most Australian lottery companies offer "Scratchies" or instants which can be purchased at outlets. Player scratch and try to match numbers, complete puzzles or reveal codes to obtain a prize. Instants come in many varieties, usually at $1, $2, $3, $4, $5 and $10 prize levels. Although games are often shared between lottery companies, scratchies purchased in one Australian state are not often exchangeable in another.

Superdraw

A Superdraw is the term given to a Saturday Lotto draw with a much larger guaranteed jackpot pool than usual. Members of the Australian Lotto Bloc use part of their revenue from normal weekly draws to fund these special draws, which occur seven times a year. In the days of the "Second Draw", Superdraw pools - like regular first division pools - were split evenly between the two draws (usually $8 million each at the time), however now all the funds are pooled into the one draw, resulting in a higher headline figure.

In recent years Superdraws have seen guaranteed First Division prize pools of around $20 million. Since 1999, the last Superdraw of each year is often known as a "Megadraw" - its guaranteed First Division pool is larger still, with the 2005 draw's First Division pool amassing $32 million. The end-of-year Megadraw - which began as a "Millennium Megadraw" on 1999-12-31 - is conducted on the last Saturday of the year, or on New Year's Eve if it falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The last "Megadraw" occurred on Saturday 3rd January 2009, worth $30 Million.

A Superdraw is supposedly better value for money; because the prize pool is greater than the relative odds and cost of entry. However on saying that it is still extremely hard to win and many people buy more lotto on Superdraws because they feel the odds are better when they are actually the same.

References

  1. ^ Golden Casket Lottery Corporation (2007). Golden Casket corporate information. Accessed on 2008-08-29.
  2. ^ New South Wales Lotteries (2006). Monday and Wednesday Lotto is on the move. Flyer explaining the expansion of NSW Lotto to South Australia and Western Australia.
  3. ^ Tattersalls Limited (2006). Results History: Super 7's Oz Lotto. Retrieved on 2006-03-03.
  4. ^ a b South Australian Lotteries Commission (2005). SA Lotteries History. Retrieved on 2006-02-11.
  5. ^ South Australian Lotteries. Super 66: Learn To Play. Accessed on 2008-01-12.
  6. ^ South Australian Lotteries Commission (2005). State Lotteries Act 1966: Lotteries (The Pools) Rules. Retrieved on 2006-02-03.
  7. ^ South Australian Lotteries Commission. The Pools: Lucky Numbers. Retrieved on 2006-02-03. (A list of number frequencies in The Pools since Draw 201.)
  8. ^ Tattersalls Limited (August 2005). The Pools Rules. Retrieved on 2006-02-03.
  9. ^ State of Western Australia. Lotteries Commission (Soccer Pools) Rules 1996. Retrieved on 2006-02-03.
  10. ^ Golden Casket Lottery Corporation. Golden Casket Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed on 2008-01-12.
  11. ^ New South Wales Lotteries (2005-08-31). $2 Jackpot Lottery won at $12.275 million – second highest ever. Retrieved on 2006-01-28.
  12. ^ New South Wales Lotteries (2004). New South Wales Lotteries 2004 annual report. Retrieved on 2006-01-28.
  13. ^ Golden Casket Lottery Corporation (2005?). About Golden Casket Lottery Corporation, Queensland. Retrieved on 2006-02-11.
  14. ^ South Australian Lotteries (2007-06-08). Media release: New lottery based on tradition of old. Accessed on 2008-01-12.
  15. ^ South Australian Lotteries (2007). SA Lotteries - Games - LuckySA Lottery. Accessed on 2008-01-12.

See also

External links

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