Lotteries in Australia
Encyclopedia
Lotteries in Australia include various lottery
related products licensed by Australia
n 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, pooling their entries and winnings. For example, Tattersall's 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 by state. The minimum age to purchase lottery products is 18.
In August 2008, at a homecoming ceremony for Australian Olympic athletes, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
said he was considering a UK-style national lottery to fund Australia's Olympic sports.
n 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
; as X Lotto in South Australia
and as Lotto or Saturday Lotto in New South Wales
, and Western Australia
.
In the absence of poker machines, the state government of Victoria
awarded Tattersall's the right to conduct a weekly lottery to raise additional revenue to compliment the health system. The first Tattslotto draw, with a first division prize of A$50,000, was on 24 June 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 were mechanically drawn from a transparent 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 to slightly decrease the chances at winning a prize. 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 A$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 80s, 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", "Pick Quick", "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 greater 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 often shared between multiple winners (for example 4 winners each receive $1 million), with regular $20 million or $30 million "Superdraws" taking place approximately 7 times a year. If there is no division 1 winner in Tattslotto it jackpots to $8 million but this rarely happens. A minimum of two standard games must be purchased at a cost of A$0.50 cents per game, plus agent's commission.
The following prize divisions can be won:
. It started life as a New South Wales
-only game administered by New South Wales Lotteries, with its first draw on . Its current logo (as promoted in its home state) features a large red "1" Lotto ball, originally referred to as "The Big One". NSW Lotto was the only lotto game played in the state until the introduction of Oz Lotto in 1994 - New South Wales being the last state to join Saturday Lotto, in 2000.
NSW Lotto began expanding interstate on , when the lotteries commissions in South Australia and Western Australia started selling tickets, replacing SA Lotto in the process. From , Tattersall's started selling Monday and Wednesday Lotto to its territories - having earlier lost the right to run Wednesday Tattslotto after June. Queensland's Golden Casket does not participate in this game, and instead plays Wednesday Gold Lotto.
In South Australia, this game is known as X Lotto - being its historical brand in that state. The name returned with the Monday 17 May 2010 draw (after being previously branded as simply "Lotto"), coinciding with a new lotteries system - one change of which was the ability to again recognise crosses (as opposed to vertical markings) on the Lotto entry form.
Since April 2004, the game has been identical to Saturday Lotto: six winning numbers and two supplementary numbers are drawn from 45 balls, and its five winning divisions are identical. Entries cost $0.40 per game plus agent's commission.
Both Monday and Wednesday draws carry a Division 1 prize of $1 million, and increases by that amount if not claimed. Occasional Monday night "superdraws" are also conducted, with a $5 million Division 1 pool.
Originally, the game was the same as Saturday Lotto, requiring six numbers to be picked out of 45. However, starting , a seventh number began to be drawn, greatly lengthening the odds of winning Division 1 (close, but not longer, than that of Powerball). In line with this change, branding for Oz Lotto changed in many states, to emphasise the seventh ball (including new names, such as Super 7's Oz Lotto in Tatts regions, and Oz 7 Lotto in Queensland). Due to the introduction of a seventh number, Oz Lotto provides a very poor return for the high entry cost per ticket. The return per entry is less than 40.0% (or $0.40 return for the $1 entry cost) at Oz Lotto's starting jackpot of $2,000,000.
Oz Lotto currently holds the record for the largest Australian lotto jackpot prize. Originally guaranteed at $90 million, two winners (from Queensland and South Australia) shared a Division 1 pool of $106,549,984.76 in the draw on .
Although the draw now requires seven numbers to be selected, the minimum prize level (of 3 winning numbers and one of the supplementary numbers) was unchanged, thus leading to seven prize divisions:
game. The game is administered by Tattersall's, and syndicated to all states through the Australian Lotto Bloc. Draws take place on Thursday nights, with the first draw held on . Each Powerball game costs 65 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:
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 in New South Wales and South Australia as "Power45", in Queensland and Tatts' states 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 tax
able, its players do not pay agents' commission, so wagers are always a multiple of US$1.
Powerball's largest jackpot prize to date is $80 million, which was shared between two tickets (in Victoria and New South Wales) on - only weeks after Oz Lotto set the current record of more than $106 million.
are run by two lottery organisations: South Australian Lotteries
and Intralot
. Tattersall's previously offered Tatts Keno until the end of June 2008, at which point it lost its Victorian government licence to run the game. It has been replaced by the Intralot-run Lucky Keno.
Since November 1997, SA Lotteries has syndicated Keno to the Australian Capital Territory
's ACTTAB, where it is marketed as ACTTAB Keno.
In May 2010, a "Keno Coin Toss" side-bet feature was added to Keno, which pay on which half of the board ("Heads": numbers 1-40; "Tails": numbers 41-80 - each paying $2 per $1 bet) has more drawn numbers, or whether they are equal, with ten numbers drawn in each half ("Evens" - paying $4 per $1 bet).
400,000, and a "bonus" wager offered a jackpot which increased this to a minimum of $1 million.
Starting from (Draw 1245), Lucky Keno was changed to an 20-from-80 game drawn once a day, with a fixed A$2 million prize for Spot 10/Match 10 - matching the previous maximum jackpot prize of its predecessor, Tatts Keno. Wagers can be made with between 3 and 10 "spotted" numbers.
As Lucky Keno 70, a "Hi-Lo" bet was also available, which won if 13 or more numbers fell on the correctly predicted half of the available balls (Low: numbers 1-35; High: numbers 36-70). The bonus wager and the Hi-Lo game is no longer available since .
, through its ownership of Jupiters Limited
, runs Keno draws through their casinos in New South Wales and Queensland, and also other gaming venues in these states and in Victoria. SKYCITY Darwin
runs NT Keno on behalf of venues in the Northern Territory.
Both these games run continuously (every 3-3.5 minutes), and offer jackpots for each level between 7 and 10 spots (NT Keno also has a Spot 6 jackpot). Both games also have a high/low option called Heads or Tails?, which pre-date and are played identically to the current "Coin Toss" feature in SA Lotteries' Keno. Some NSW venues also offer a Keno Racing game, which groups each line of 10 numbers as a "runner" in a "race" of eight, with positions based on the number and timing of numbers drawn; traditional horse-racing bets are offered such as "Win", "Place", "Trifecta" and so on.
font; this logo is still seen on the Trackside tickets. Trackside results can also be viewed on SKYtext teletext channels 698 and 699, however this can seemingly only be viewed inside TAB venues, along with the other SKYtext racing results (previously, Seven Network
used to host teletext
, but cancelled the service on 30 September 2009, leaving only channel 801 open for closed captions
).
(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. A six-digit "winning number" is drawn, and players win prizes by matching either its first or last digits.
It is intended as an "add-on" game, in that most states require that a Super 66 entry can only be bought in conjunction with another game (usually Saturday Lotto, although some states allow buying Super 66 with other lotto games). Super 66 entries are usually computer-generated (SA Lotteries also allows selection through an entry form), although some states allow registered players to record their favourite Super 66 numbers and play them like in other games.
To win First Division, players must match the winning number with their entry exactly. Otherwise, fixed consolation prizes are won if at least the first two or last two digits match. Using 123456 as an example drawn number, there are five divisions:
The First Division prize can jackpot for 25 consecutive weeks (as of ). On the 26th draw with no winners, the jackpot is "rolled down" to the next highest division with winners.
) is a national lotto-type game, administered by SA Lotteries
. Rather than being drawn at random, winning numbers are selected based on the results of association football matches, either in Australia (typically state leagues) or the northern hemisphere depending on the time of year. Six winning numbers are selected from 38, but only one supplementary number. Draws close on Saturday afternoon where Australian games are used, or Saturday evening in the case of Northern Hemisphere match weeks.
Matches are drawn from a match list and numbered, currently 1-60. Those numbered 1-38 are the ones generally used, with the remainder being reserve matches, which replace any matches from the first 38 which are postponed or otherwise voided. Once all game results are known, games are ranked in this order, from highest to lowest:
Once the games have been ranked, the numbers of the six highest-ranked games become the winning numbers, with the seventh becoming the supplementary. In the case of any ties (i.e. two games with the same score), the higher game number is ranked higher (i.e. game 38 highest, 1 lowest).
Where reserve matches are required, they are used in order starting from 39, and substitute voided matches starting from lowest to highest. Where less than 38 matches in total are played, state rules vary as to whether the remaining winning numbers are drawn from a barrel, or whether to cancel the draw entirely and re-enter all entries into the next Pools draw.
The Pools offers the same five divisions as Saturday Lotto; the odds of winning Division One with a single game are 1 in 2,760,681. The Pools usually has a minimum first division prize of $75,000, but jackpots often.
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 the first four balls drawn in order from the corresponding Lotto draw. To win a prize, players must match at least one of their selected balls in the same position as the winning numbers (e.g. player's 2nd number matchies winning 2nd number, etc.). Numbers can be selected manually or through computer "auto-pick". Entries can also be "boxed", producing 24 standard games allowing the numbers to be matched in any order.
There are four prize divisions, named after the number of balls correctly matched in their 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 with each draw, depending on sales. 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.
, and administered by Golden Casket
, the Queensland lotteries corporation. Started in 1996, 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.
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.
Alongside Lucky Keno (covered under "Keno" above), games conducted by Intralot include:
.
Entries cost $1.10 each (including agent's commission), with a minimum purchase of 3 games, and can only be purchased via "quick pick". Prizes are won for matching the four corners, or a diagonal cross, within the first 25 numbers, or a "full house" within 50 numbers (with odds of 1:212,085). A jackpot "snowball" prize (minimum $500,000) is won if a "full house" is made within 44 numbers (odds of 1:14,638,344).
In the original incarnation, the diagonal cross was allowed to be made within 27 numbers, the corners within 28, and further numbers would be drawn until the "full house" prize was won.
All tickets are "auto-picked" by the computer and are usually allocated sequentially, but those buying 5 numbers or less can have their numbers selected at random. Tickets can be purchased up to 10 draws in advance for the $2 lottery, and two draws for the $5 lottery.
Draws are conducted soon after all tickets are sold at the NSW Lotteries offices, and prizes can be claimed the day after; summaries are often printed in major newspapers. For the $2 lottery, on average one draw occurs each morning at the NSW Lotteries offices, and sometimes more than one. The lesser demand for the $5 lottery means that a number of weeks often passes between draws. Due to the delay between selling tickets and drawing them (particularly for the $2 lottery), a ticket purchased today may drawn several days from today; by that time, the jackpot amount advertised may have already been won by an earlier draw. NSW Lotteries now adds a disclaimer to this effect when advertising these lotteries.
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.A jackpot ticket can only be one of the previous tickets drawn which means you must be drawn twice to actually win a jackpot prize 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 highest jackpot win to date in the $2 Jackpot Lottery is $16,320,000, won on .
The differences between the $2 and $5 Jackpot Lotteries can be summarised by the following table (current as to ):
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.
'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.
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.
, 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 ; the game is simply marketed as Lotto, in line with the Saturday version, replacing the SA Lotto brand. (The X Lotto brand was replaced with Lotto and SA Lotto in 1999, since crosses on entry forms were no longer accepted - but was reinstated in May 2010.)
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.
, 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.
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 was 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.
, 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 offered 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. Tatts Keno was replaced by Intralot's Lucky Keno 70 from .
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 $1.10, $2, $3, $4, $5 and $10 price levels. Although games are often shared between lottery companies, scratchies purchased in one Australian state are not often exchangeable in another.
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 - is conducted on or around New Year's Eve
; First Division pools in these draws are generally $30 million or more.
Since the expansion of New South Wales' Monday and Wednesday Lotto interstate, Superdraws have also appeared on Monday Lotto, where a First Division pool of $5 million is offered. As a single-state game NSW Lotteries ran more occasional promotions, such as "Anniversary Weeks" based around the anniversary of NSW Lotto's beginnings in November 1979.
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
related products licensed by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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:
- Tatts Group Limited, which operates under the "Tatts" brand in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, and the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, as well as managing Queensland's Golden Casket Lottery Corporation (which it took over from the Queensland government in 2007) and from , New South Wales Lotteries in NSWNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the ACTAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
; - Intralot AustraliaIntralotIntralot is a Greek company that supplies integrated gaming, transaction processing systems, game content ,sports betting management and Interactive Gaming Services, to state-licensed gaming organizations worldwide. The company acts both as a lottery vendor and a lottery operator...
, which operates under "Intralot" in Victoria and Tasmania; and - state government-owned corporations, including South Australian LotteriesSouth Australian LotteriesSouth Australian Lotteries is a lottery company that operates in the Australian state of South Australia. It is owned by the South Australian Government. SA Lotteries syndicates national games and has its own games...
; and LotterywestLotterywestLotterywest, formerly the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, is an Australian lotteries corporation run by the State Government of Western Australia. Lotterywest sells lottery tickets and "instant win" scratchcards through a network of newsagents and other authorised retailers...
, operating in Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
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
Bloc
Bloc may refer to:* Eastern Bloc, a former group of countries in Europe* Voting bloc, a group of voters voting together* Trade bloc, a type of intergovernmental agreement* Bloc voting , several types of voting systems...
to jointly conduct the national games, pooling their entries and winnings. For example, Tattersall's 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 by state. The minimum age to purchase lottery products is 18.
In August 2008, at a homecoming ceremony for Australian Olympic athletes, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
said he was considering a UK-style national lottery to fund Australia's Olympic sports.
Saturday Lotto
Saturday Lotto is a national Saturday night draw conducted by Tattersall's, and is syndicated to all AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n states and territories through the Australian Lotto Bloc. The game is marketed as Tattslotto in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
; as Gold Lotto in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
; as X Lotto in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and as Lotto or Saturday Lotto in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
In the absence of poker machines, the state government of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
awarded Tattersall's the right to conduct a weekly lottery to raise additional revenue to compliment the health system. The first Tattslotto draw, with a first division prize of A$50,000, was on 24 June 1972, televised on HSV-7
HSV-7
HSV is a television station in Melbourne. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, and its first and oldest station, having been launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne....
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 were mechanically drawn from a transparent 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 to slightly decrease the chances at winning a prize. 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 A$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 80s, 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", "Pick Quick", "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 greater 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 often shared between multiple winners (for example 4 winners each receive $1 million), with regular $20 million or $30 million "Superdraws" taking place approximately 7 times a year. If there is no division 1 winner in Tattslotto it jackpots to $8 million but this rarely happens. A minimum of two standard games must be purchased at a cost of A$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 36,689 |
| 4th Division | 4 | 1 in 733 |
| 5th Division | 3 + one or both supplementary | 1 in 297 |
| 6th Division | 2 or 1 + 2 supplementary numbers | 1 in 144 |
| Any Prize | 1 in 85 | |
Monday & Wednesday Lotto
Monday & Wednesday Lotto is a lotto game played in all states and territories except QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It started life as a New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
-only game administered by New South Wales Lotteries, with its first draw on . Its current logo (as promoted in its home state) features a large red "1" Lotto ball, originally referred to as "The Big One". NSW Lotto was the only lotto game played in the state until the introduction of Oz Lotto in 1994 - New South Wales being the last state to join Saturday Lotto, in 2000.
NSW Lotto began expanding interstate on , when the lotteries commissions in South Australia and Western Australia started selling tickets, replacing SA Lotto in the process. From , Tattersall's started selling Monday and Wednesday Lotto to its territories - having earlier lost the right to run Wednesday Tattslotto after June. Queensland's Golden Casket does not participate in this game, and instead plays Wednesday Gold Lotto.
In South Australia, this game is known as X Lotto - being its historical brand in that state. The name returned with the Monday 17 May 2010 draw (after being previously branded as simply "Lotto"), coinciding with a new lotteries system - one change of which was the ability to again recognise crosses (as opposed to vertical markings) on the Lotto entry form.
Since April 2004, the game has been identical to Saturday Lotto: six winning numbers and two supplementary numbers are drawn from 45 balls, and its five winning divisions are identical. Entries cost $0.40 per game plus agent's commission.
Both Monday and Wednesday draws carry a Division 1 prize of $1 million, and increases by that amount if not claimed. Occasional Monday night "superdraws" are also conducted, with a $5 million Division 1 pool.
Changes
NSW Lotto has seen a number of changes since its introduction in 1979:- Originally a Monday-only game, a second "mid-week" draw was added on . Originally on Wednesday, this was moved to Thursday between 1989 and 1996. It was returned to Wednesday following the introduction of Powerball on Thursday nights.
- Originally a 40-ball game, the game was first expanded to 44 balls, and then to the current 45. The latest change, introduced on , brought the NSW game in line with Saturday Lotto.
- A second supplementary number was added on .
- NSW Lotto previously offered a "Double Up" option for an extra $0.15 per game, which doubled any winning Division 2 to 5 prizes. This was eliminated by the time Tattersall's joined the game.
- From until :
- Divisions 4 and 5 had fixed prizes of $20 and $10, respectively.
- Division 1 did not jackpot, and instead a "cash rolldown" applied: if there was no Division 1 winner, all Division 2 to 5 prizes were doubled. (Where Double Up was entered, the rolldown did not double the Double Up portion of the prize, effectively "tripling up" the original prize.)
Oz Lotto
Oz Lotto is a national lottery game, administered by Tattersall's and played on Tuesday nights. It was introduced on http://www.in2play.com.au/Info.htm and promoted as the first fully national lotto game, at a time when New South Wales was not a part of Saturday Lotto. Its base price of $1.00 per standard game (plus agent's commission) has not changed since its inception.Originally, the game was the same as Saturday Lotto, requiring six numbers to be picked out of 45. However, starting , a seventh number began to be drawn, greatly lengthening the odds of winning Division 1 (close, but not longer, than that of Powerball). In line with this change, branding for Oz Lotto changed in many states, to emphasise the seventh ball (including new names, such as Super 7's Oz Lotto in Tatts regions, and Oz 7 Lotto in Queensland). Due to the introduction of a seventh number, Oz Lotto provides a very poor return for the high entry cost per ticket. The return per entry is less than 40.0% (or $0.40 return for the $1 entry cost) at Oz Lotto's starting jackpot of $2,000,000.
Oz Lotto currently holds the record for the largest Australian lotto jackpot prize. Originally guaranteed at $90 million, two winners (from Queensland and South Australia) shared a Division 1 pool of $106,549,984.76 in the draw on .
Although the draw now requires seven numbers to be selected, the minimum prize level (of 3 winning numbers and one of the supplementary numbers) was unchanged, thus leading to seven prize divisions:
| 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 + one or both supplementary | 1 in 29,602 |
| 5th Division | 5 | 1 in 3,430 |
| 6th Division | 4 | 1 in 154 |
| 7th Division | 3 + one or both supplementary | 1 in 87 |
| Any Prize | 1 in 55 | |
Powerball
Powerball is a lottery game modelled on the highly successful American PowerballPowerball
Powerball is an American lottery game sold in 44 jurisdictions as a shared jackpot game. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association , a non-profit organization formed by an agreement with lotteries. Powerball is a game whose advertised jackpot starts at $20 million and can roll into...
game. The game is administered by Tattersall's, and syndicated to all states through the Australian Lotto Bloc. Draws take place on Thursday nights, with the first draw held on . Each Powerball game costs 65 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 in New South Wales and South Australia as "Power45", in Queensland and Tatts' states 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 tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
able, its players do not pay agents' commission, so wagers are always a multiple of US$1.
Powerball's largest jackpot prize to date is $80 million, which was shared between two tickets (in Victoria and New South Wales) on - only weeks after Oz Lotto set the current record of more than $106 million.
Keno
Games of kenoKeno
Keno is a lottery or bingo gambling game often played at modern casinos, and is also offered as a game in some state lotteries. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a "bubble" containing 80 balls which determine the ball draw result. Each ball is imprinted...
are run by two lottery organisations: South Australian Lotteries
South Australian Lotteries
South Australian Lotteries is a lottery company that operates in the Australian state of South Australia. It is owned by the South Australian Government. SA Lotteries syndicates national games and has its own games...
and Intralot
Intralot
Intralot is a Greek company that supplies integrated gaming, transaction processing systems, game content ,sports betting management and Interactive Gaming Services, to state-licensed gaming organizations worldwide. The company acts both as a lottery vendor and a lottery operator...
. Tattersall's previously offered Tatts Keno until the end of June 2008, at which point it lost its Victorian government licence to run the game. It has been replaced by the Intralot-run Lucky Keno.
SA Lotteries Keno
SA Lotteries' Keno operates on a continuous basis of one draw every 3.5 minutes, with draws closing 40 seconds before each draw. Results appear on monitors located at most lotteries sales outlets. 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).Since November 1997, SA Lotteries has syndicated Keno to the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
's ACTTAB, where it is marketed as ACTTAB Keno.
In May 2010, a "Keno Coin Toss" side-bet feature was added to Keno, which pay on which half of the board ("Heads": numbers 1-40; "Tails": numbers 41-80 - each paying $2 per $1 bet) has more drawn numbers, or whether they are equal, with ten numbers drawn in each half ("Evens" - paying $4 per $1 bet).
Lucky Keno
Lucky Keno is a keno game operated by Intralot, and played in their territories of Victoria and Tasmania. It is drawn daily at 8:00pm (Melbourne time). The game started as Lucky Keno 70, with 20 numbers drawn from 70 (instead of the traditional 80) twice a day. The original game had a Spot 10/Match 10 prize of $Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
400,000, and a "bonus" wager offered a jackpot which increased this to a minimum of $1 million.
Starting from (Draw 1245), Lucky Keno was changed to an 20-from-80 game drawn once a day, with a fixed A$2 million prize for Spot 10/Match 10 - matching the previous maximum jackpot prize of its predecessor, Tatts Keno. Wagers can be made with between 3 and 10 "spotted" numbers.
As Lucky Keno 70, a "Hi-Lo" bet was also available, which won if 13 or more numbers fell on the correctly predicted half of the available balls (Low: numbers 1-35; High: numbers 36-70). The bonus wager and the Hi-Lo game is no longer available since .
Other Operators
Keno is also popular in clubs, hotels and casinos. Tabcorp HoldingsTabcorp Holdings
Tabcorp Holdings is an Australian company with interests in gaming, wagering and related media. It was formed through the privatisation of the Victorian Totalisator Agency Board in 1994. The TAB ran all off-track betting on horse racing, greyhound racing, and harness racing in Victoria, as well...
, through its ownership of Jupiters Limited
Conrad Jupiters
Jupiters Hotel and Casino was Queensland's first casino and hotel complex, which is located in the suburb of Broadbeach on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The casino is situated next to the Nerang River and is operated by Echo Entertainment Group...
, runs Keno draws through their casinos in New South Wales and Queensland, and also other gaming venues in these states and in Victoria. SKYCITY Darwin
SKYCITY Darwin
SKYCITY Darwin is a casino located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the only casino in Darwin.- History :The casino was originally granted a licence in 1979 and opened at its current premises in 1983. Until 2004 it was known as the MGM Grand Darwin. The SKYCITY Entertainment Group...
runs NT Keno on behalf of venues in the Northern Territory.
Both these games run continuously (every 3-3.5 minutes), and offer jackpots for each level between 7 and 10 spots (NT Keno also has a Spot 6 jackpot). Both games also have a high/low option called Heads or Tails?, which pre-date and are played identically to the current "Coin Toss" feature in SA Lotteries' Keno. Some NSW venues also offer a Keno Racing game, which groups each line of 10 numbers as a "runner" in a "race" of eight, with positions based on the number and timing of numbers drawn; traditional horse-racing bets are offered such as "Win", "Place", "Trifecta" and so on.
Trackside
There is also a computerised racing game is known as Trackside, where players can also bet on a Win, Place, Quinella or Trifecta. Trackside has twelve runners in different racing modes: Thoroughbreds, Harness, Hurdles and Greyhounds. The Trackside odds are fixed and do not change regardless of how many people are playing. Trackside is operated by Tabcorp Holdings and is run inside TAB venues. Its original tag-line was Win real money on unreal horses, but when greyhound races were introduced, the tag-line was dropped and the logo changed to a 'T' in a green circle with the word TRACKSIDE written in a different font. The former logo featured a cartoon horse and the name TRACKSIDE written in the Ad Lib (typeface)Ad Lib (typeface)
Ad Lib is a decorative typeface that was designed in 1961 by Freeman Craw. It was extremely popular from the early- to mid-1960s, and is often used today to evoke that era.It was used in the Pink Panther titles.See also: Samples of display typefaces...
font; this logo is still seen on the Trackside tickets. Trackside results can also be viewed on SKYtext teletext channels 698 and 699, however this can seemingly only be viewed inside TAB venues, along with the other SKYtext racing results (previously, Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
used to host teletext
Austext
Austext is the former Australian teletext service based in Brisbane, Queensland. The production was carried and operated by the Seven Network and its affiliates over most of Australia. It carried news, finance information, weather, lottery results, TV guide and other information...
, but cancelled the service on 30 September 2009, leaving only channel 801 open for closed captions
Closed captioning
Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it...
).
Super 66
Super 66 is an Australian lottery game played in all states except New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. 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. A six-digit "winning number" is drawn, and players win prizes by matching either its first or last digits.
It is intended as an "add-on" game, in that most states require that a Super 66 entry can only be bought in conjunction with another game (usually Saturday Lotto, although some states allow buying Super 66 with other lotto games). Super 66 entries are usually computer-generated (SA Lotteries also allows selection through an entry form), although some states allow registered players to record their favourite Super 66 numbers and play them like in other games.
To win First Division, players must match the winning number with their entry exactly. Otherwise, fixed consolation prizes are won if at least the first two or last two digits match. 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 | ||
The First Division prize can jackpot for 25 consecutive weeks (as of ). On the 26th draw with no winners, the jackpot is "rolled down" to the next highest division with winners.
Soccer Pools
The Australian Soccer Pools (usually The Pools, or as 6 From 38 Pools in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
) is a national lotto-type game, administered by SA Lotteries
South Australian Lotteries
South Australian Lotteries is a lottery company that operates in the Australian state of South Australia. It is owned by the South Australian Government. SA Lotteries syndicates national games and has its own games...
. Rather than being drawn at random, winning numbers are selected based on the results of association football matches, either in Australia (typically state leagues) or the northern hemisphere depending on the time of year. Six winning numbers are selected from 38, but only one supplementary number. Draws close on Saturday afternoon where Australian games are used, or Saturday evening in the case of Northern Hemisphere match weeks.
Matches are drawn from a match list and numbered, currently 1-60. Those numbered 1-38 are the ones generally used, with the remainder being reserve matches, which replace any matches from the first 38 which are postponed or otherwise voided. Once all game results are known, games are ranked in this order, from highest to lowest:
- Drawn games, with higher scoring draws ranking higher (e.g. a 3-3 result will rank higher than 2-2), and scoreless draws (0-0) ranking lowest;
- Away team wins, with scores with a smaller goal difference ranking higher (e.g. a 2-3 result will rank higher than 1-3), followed by total goals scored (e.g. 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.
Once the games have been ranked, the numbers of the six highest-ranked games become the winning numbers, with the seventh becoming the supplementary. In the case of any ties (i.e. two games with the same score), the higher game number is ranked higher (i.e. game 38 highest, 1 lowest).
Where reserve matches are required, they are used in order starting from 39, and substitute voided matches starting from lowest to highest. Where less than 38 matches in total are played, state rules vary as to whether the remaining winning numbers are drawn from a barrel, or whether to cancel the draw entirely and re-enter all entries into the next Pools draw.
The Pools offers the same five divisions as Saturday Lotto; the odds of winning Division One with a single game are 1 in 2,760,681. 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 WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal 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 the first four balls drawn in order from the corresponding Lotto draw. To win a prize, players must match at least one of their selected balls in the same position as the winning numbers (e.g. player's 2nd number matchies winning 2nd number, etc.). Numbers can be selected manually or through computer "auto-pick". Entries can also be "boxed", producing 24 standard games allowing the numbers to be matched in any order.
There are four prize divisions, named after the number of balls correctly matched in their position:
- 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 with each draw, depending on sales. 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
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with their national Lotto game.
Wednesday Gold Lotto
Wednesday Gold Lotto is a statewide lottery game played in QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and administered by Golden Casket
Golden Casket
Golden Casket is the public limited lottery corporation in Queensland trading on ASX, Australia. It sells lottery tickets and Instant Scratch-Its tickets through newsagents and other convenience stores. Lottery draws are televised on Channel Seven four nights a week.Golden Casket makes a net...
, the Queensland lotteries corporation. Started in 1996, 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 AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and administered by Lotterywest
Lotterywest
Lotterywest, formerly the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, is an Australian lotteries corporation run by the State Government of Western Australia. Lotterywest sells lottery tickets and "instant win" scratchcards through a network of newsagents and other authorised retailers...
. The Cash 3 format is also used in several places in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is drawn every night of the year and the numbers telecast on Channel Seven
TVW-7
TVW is a television station broadcasting in Perth, Western Australia, wholly owned by the Seven Network. It was the first television station in Western Australia, commencing service on 16 October 1959. It broadcasts analogue on VHF 7 and digital on VHF 6 from Bickley located in the Perth Hills...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and on GWN
Golden West Network
GWN7 is an Australian television network owned by the Prime Media Group that is based in Bunbury, Western Australia. The Golden West Network launched on 10 March 1967 as BTW-3 in Bunbury, and has since expanded to cover regional and remote Western Australia, servicing all areas except metropolitan...
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.
Intralot
From , Intralot was introduced into Victoria following changes to lottery licencing by the Victorian Government, and was subsequently introduced into Tasmania. After originally branding its games under the name The Luck Factory, Intralot now brands its lotteries using its own name.Alongside Lucky Keno (covered under "Keno" above), games conducted by Intralot include:
Lucky Bingo Star
First drawn on , and drawn each Sunday at 8pm. Although known officially in rules and Intralot's licence as TV Bingo, the draw is currently broadcast live on radio instead, through 3AW3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
.
Entries cost $1.10 each (including agent's commission), with a minimum purchase of 3 games, and can only be purchased via "quick pick". Prizes are won for matching the four corners, or a diagonal cross, within the first 25 numbers, or a "full house" within 50 numbers (with odds of 1:212,085). A jackpot "snowball" prize (minimum $500,000) is won if a "full house" is made within 44 numbers (odds of 1:14,638,344).
In the original incarnation, the diagonal cross was allowed to be made within 27 numbers, the corners within 28, and further numbers would be drawn until the "full house" prize was won.
Lucky Lines
First drawn on , and drawn daily at 7pm. Games cost $1.10 each (including agent's commission), and requires the selection of numbers in a 3x3 grid, with the centre square provided "free", and five numbers to be selected in each other square, starting from numbers 1-5 in the top-left, up to 36-40 in the bottom-right. Prizes are won for how many lines of three numbers (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) are matched, with a jackpot (minimum $9,000) for matching all eight numbers and therefore, all eight lines. Known as Cross and Match in Intralot's licence, and the official rules.Lucky 5 Red or Black
First drawn on , and drawn daily at 7:30pm. Games cost $0.55 each (including agent's commission) with a minimum of two games. Five numbers from 35 are drawn, plus either "red" or "black". A jackpot (minimum $50,000) is won for matching all five numbers plus the correct colour, with fixed minor prizes down to four numbers, or three with the correct colour.Lucky 3
First drawn on , and similar to Lotterywest's Cash 3 game above: a three-digit number is drawn each night at 6:30pm. Games cost $1.10 each (including agent's commission). Exact matches of the number win a fixed $500 prize; matches of the number in "any order" win a fixed $20 prize. Unlike Cash 3, the "any order" wins are a consolation prize to the "exact order" major prize, rather than a separate bet.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.)All tickets are "auto-picked" by the computer and are usually allocated sequentially, but those buying 5 numbers or less can have their numbers selected at random. Tickets can be purchased up to 10 draws in advance for the $2 lottery, and two draws for the $5 lottery.
Draws are conducted soon after all tickets are sold at the NSW Lotteries offices, and prizes can be claimed the day after; summaries are often printed in major newspapers. For the $2 lottery, on average one draw occurs each morning at the NSW Lotteries offices, and sometimes more than one. The lesser demand for the $5 lottery means that a number of weeks often passes between draws. Due to the delay between selling tickets and drawing them (particularly for the $2 lottery), a ticket purchased today may drawn several days from today; by that time, the jackpot amount advertised may have already been won by an earlier draw. NSW Lotteries now adds a disclaimer to this effect when advertising these lotteries.
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.A jackpot ticket can only be one of the previous tickets drawn which means you must be drawn twice to actually win a jackpot prize 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 highest jackpot win to date in the $2 Jackpot Lottery is $16,320,000, won on .
The differences between the $2 and $5 Jackpot Lotteries can be summarised by the following table (current as to ):
| Characteristic | $2 Jackpot Lottery | $5 Jackpot Lottery |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Number of Tickets | 225,000 | 180,000 |
| Total Number of Prizes* | 9,646 | 11,425 |
| First Prize | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| Minimum Jackpot | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Jackpot Increment | $110,000 | $250,000 |
| Odds of Winning Jackpot | 1 in 15,746,501 | 1 in 8,508,403 |
| Odds of Winning Cash Prize | 1 in 70 | 1 in 47.2 |
| Odds of Winning Any Prize | 1 in 19.7 | 1 in 15.8 |
- 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. 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) in 1996 and continued until 2001. 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 QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's lottery operator, Golden Casket
Golden Casket
Golden Casket is the public limited lottery corporation in Queensland trading on ASX, Australia. It sells lottery tickets and Instant Scratch-Its tickets through newsagents and other convenience stores. Lottery draws are televised on Channel Seven four nights a week.Golden Casket makes a net...
. 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.
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
SA Lotteries conducted one LuckySA Lottery draw, launched in June 2007, and conducted on . This $5 draw lottery 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. As of 2010, no further draws have been conducted.SA Lotto
SA Lotto, previously known as Cross Lotto or X Lotto, was a statewide lottery game played only in South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and administered by South Australian Lotteries
South Australian Lotteries
South Australian Lotteries is a lottery company that operates in the Australian state of South Australia. It is owned by the South Australian Government. SA Lotteries syndicates national games and has its own games...
. 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 ; the game is simply marketed as Lotto, in line with the Saturday version, replacing the SA Lotto brand. (The X Lotto brand was replaced with Lotto and SA Lotto in 1999, since crosses on entry forms were no longer accepted - but was reinstated in May 2010.)
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.
Wednesday Tattslotto
Wednesday Tattslotto was a product of Tattersalls and was played in their territories (VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
). 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 Tattersall's 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 was 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 Tattersall's and played in most areas that offer their lottery products (VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
) - Tatts Keno could not be played in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
. Tatts Keno was a nightly game, and entries could vary from 3 to 10 spots.
Tatts Keno offered 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. Tatts Keno was replaced by Intralot's Lucky Keno 70 from .
Instants (Scratchies)
Most Australian lottery companies offer "Scratchies"Scratchcard
A scratchcard is a small card, often made of thin paper-based card for competitions and plastic to conceal PINs, where one or more areas contain concealed information which can...
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 $1.10, $2, $3, $4, $5 and $10 price 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 - is conducted on or around New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
; First Division pools in these draws are generally $30 million or more.
Since the expansion of New South Wales' Monday and Wednesday Lotto interstate, Superdraws have also appeared on Monday Lotto, where a First Division pool of $5 million is offered. As a single-state game NSW Lotteries ran more occasional promotions, such as "Anniversary Weeks" based around the anniversary of NSW Lotto's beginnings in November 1979.
Online Lottery Sales
Most major state Lotteries have now moved into the online marketplace, with additional sites created by accredited resellers.See also
- Tatts Group Limited
- New South Wales Lotteries
- Golden CasketGolden CasketGolden Casket is the public limited lottery corporation in Queensland trading on ASX, Australia. It sells lottery tickets and Instant Scratch-Its tickets through newsagents and other convenience stores. Lottery draws are televised on Channel Seven four nights a week.Golden Casket makes a net...
- South Australian LotteriesSouth Australian LotteriesSouth Australian Lotteries is a lottery company that operates in the Australian state of South Australia. It is owned by the South Australian Government. SA Lotteries syndicates national games and has its own games...
- LotterywestLotterywestLotterywest, formerly the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, is an Australian lotteries corporation run by the State Government of Western Australia. Lotterywest sells lottery tickets and "instant win" scratchcards through a network of newsagents and other authorised retailers...
- LotteryLotteryA lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
- GamblingGamblingGambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...