Lotteries in Australia

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, not-for-profit and private sector companies. Most major Lotteries have now moved into the online marketplace.

Major lotteries

As of February 2015, the major players in the lotteries industry include:

• Tatts Group Limited, the only official Government licensed operator in Australia. It operates under the "Tatts" brand in Victoria, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory. It also manages Queensland's Golden Casket Lottery Corporation (which it took over from the Queensland government in 2007^[1]), New South Wales Lotteries in NSW and the ACT^[2] and South Australian Lotteries in South Australia and
• Intralot Australia, which operates under "Intralot" in Tasmania;
• The publicly listed Jumbo Interactive, an online re-seller of lotteries operating as Ozlotteries.
• The privately owned company Netlotto, an online re-seller of lotteries via the www.netlotto.com.au website.

From 2007 to 2014 Intralot Australia held a lottery licence to sell Instant Scratch-its, Keno and bingo tickets in Victoria. The licence was sold to Tatts Group on October 2014.^[3]

State government-owned corporations were once a major sector in the industry. However, with Tatts taking over operation of all state-owned lotteries (though the states still retain legal ownership), the only remaining state owned-and-operated lottery in Australia is Lotterywest in Western Australia.

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.

On June 1, 2016 Tattersall's created a national lottery brand called ‘the Lott’. The brand encompasses all its jurisdictional lottery brands under this single entity. Corresponding with the change in branding, online lottery purchases were moved from Tatts.com to the new official lotteries website https://thelott.com.

Australian lotteries are subject to many regulations, which generally vary by state. The minimum age to purchase lottery products is 18 in all states except for Western Australia, where the age is lowered to 16.^[4]

Lotto

Saturday Lotto

Saturday Lotto is a national Saturday night draw conducted by Tattersall's, and is 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; 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 Victorian state government awarded Tattersall's the right to conduct a weekly lottery to raise additional revenue to complement the state's health system funding. 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 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$0.60 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 an estimated 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 "Superdraws" taking place approximately 6-7 times a year.^[5] In addition, there are Megadraws (usually around Christmas/New Year) with jackpots of around $30 million. 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$0.60 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. It started life as a New South Wales-only game administered by New South Wales Lotteries, with its first draw on 5 November 1979. 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 1 May 2006, when the lotteries commissions in South Australia and Western Australia started selling tickets,^[6] replacing SA Lotto in the process. From 13 October 2008, 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 began selling tickets in Monday & Wednesday Lotto (maintaining the Gold Lotto brand) on 21 October 2013.^[7]

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.^[8]

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 $0.50 per game plus agent's commission.

Both Monday and Wednesday draws carry a Division 1 prize of $1 million for each winner.^[9] 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:^[10]

• Originally a Monday-only game, a second "mid-week" draw was added on 21 November 1984. 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 19 April 2004, brought the NSW game in line with Saturday Lotto.
• A second supplementary number was added on 20 August 1990.
• 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 19 April 2004 until 1 May 2006:
  • 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.)
• From 26 February 2012^[9]
  • Division 1 has a fixed prize of $1 million for each winner.
  • Division 1 no longer jackpots.
  • Division 6 added.
• Televised Lotto draws were shown only on the Nine Network's GO! Channel during the coverage of the London Olympics from July–August 2012, they continued to air on the Nine Network up until they aired for the last time on 30 December 2012. From 1 January 2013, Televised Lotto draws began to air solely on GO! as part of changes to the classification code of practice.

Oz Lotto

Oz Lotto is a national lottery game, administered by Tattersall's and played on Tuesday nights. It was introduced on 26 February 1994 and promoted as the first fully national lotto game, at a time when New South Wales was not a part of Saturday Lotto. Each game costs $1.20.

Originally, the game was the same as Saturday Lotto, requiring six numbers to be picked out of 45. However, starting 18 October 2005, 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. However, as of 2012, the game has reverted to the branding of Oz Lotto in these regions). Oz Lotto guarantees a minimum division one prize pool of $2 million.

Oz Lotto currently holds the record for the largest Australian lotto jackpot prize. Originally guaranteed at $100 million, four winners shared a Division 1 pool of $111,972,151.04 in the draw on 6 November 2012.^[11]

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 Powerball 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 23 May 1996. Each Powerball game costs 85 cents plus agent's commission, with most states requiring standard games be bought four at a time.

Powerball uses two barrels to determine its winning numbers: six numbers are drawn at random from a barrel of 40 (standard winning numbers), then one number, the namesake Powerball, is drawn at random from a separate barrel of 20. To win first division the player needs to have all six 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 six 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	6 + Powerball	1 in 76,767,600
2nd Division	6	1 in 4,040,400
3rd Division	5 + Powerball	1 in 376,312
4th Division	5	1 in 19,806
5th Division	4 + Powerball	1 in 9,123
6th Division	3 + Powerball	1 in 641
7th Division	4	1 in 480
8th Division	2 + Powerball	1 in 110

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 20 individual games. This is known in New South Wales, South Australia, 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 taxable, its players do not pay agents' commission, so wagers are always a multiple of US$2.

Powerball's largest jackpot prize to date is $80 million, which was shared between two tickets (in Victoria and New South Wales) on 30 July 2009.^[12]

Keno

Games of keno are run by one lottery organisation: South Australian Lotteries. 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's ACTTAB,^[13] 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).

Other Operators

Keno is also popular in clubs, hotels and casinos. Tabcorp Holdings, 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.

Set For Life

Set For Life is currently Australia's newest lottery. Its inaugural draw was held on Friday 7 August 2015. The game was originally announced in February 2015.

Tatts Chief Executive Robbie Cook told the Sydney Morning Herald^[14] at the time that "it's everyday dreaming. It's not somebody looking to stop working and hang up their shoes." He also told the publication that the game was specifically aimed at, and designed for, a younger audience, primarily those aged between 20 and 40. The game was based on similar lotteries outside of Australia, such as Cash4Life in the US.

Game Structure

Set For Life differs significantly from other Australian lotteries, in that the top prize is not paid out in one lump sum, but rather as a fixed sum of $20,000 AUD per month over the course of 20 years. Other prize divisions are paid in full, however. There are eight prize tiers in total and draws are held every single day at 9pm AEST.

To play you pick a "Set" of eight numbers from a range of one to 37.^[15] This set will then be entered into the next seven days draws and you must play a minimum of two sets to participate.

Two bonus numbers are drawn after the main eight numbers, giving ten numbers drawn in total. These numbers are used to determine other prizes. To win the jackpot, and get $20,000 AUD paid out each month for life, you must match all eight regular numbers.

Trackside

There is also a computerised racing game is known as Trackside,^[16] where players can also bet on a Win, Place, Quinella or Trifecta, and recently First Fours. 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. Note that greyhound races still use twelve runners to match the horse races, unlike regular greyhound races which always have eight runners in a race (unless eight are not available). The former logo featured a cartoon horse and the name TRACKSIDE written in the Ad Lib (typeface) font. 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). Recently, the Trackside system has been updated to allow Flexi Trifecta and Flexi First Four bets, where picking multiple runners for each position will give a percentage of the total win (for example, if runner numbers 1 and 2 are picked first and second respectively, and the user picks both 3+4 for third place for a $1 bet, they will receive 50% of the dividend of the 1+2+3 or 1+2+4 trifecta if won). As of December 2012, Flexi bets could only be placed via the EasyBet terminal (EBT) machines, however paper Trackside tickets containing Flexi Trifecta and First Four options have since been produced. During a system update in 2014, the hurdle races were removed, and races have become more frequent, being every three minutes instead of every four minutes. The minimum bet per game is 50 cents, unlike Keno which is $1 per game. There are also "mystery" bets, where the computer can randomly pick the first three or four runners in a boxed trifecta or first four bet. These tickets are a fixed price of $3 and $5 respectively.

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 after the main Tattslotto draw. Super 66 costs $1.10 per game. 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 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 20 January 2007^[17]). 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 branded as The Pools or Soccer Pools) 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. It was previously branded as 6 From 38 Pools in New South Wales, but the state now uses the national The Pools brand.

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:^[18]

• 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,^[18] or whether to cancel the draw entirely and re-enter all entries into the next Pools draw.^[19][20]

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 $60,000, 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 1995 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 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 – 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 with their national Lotto game.

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.

Lucky Lotteries

Lucky Lotteries is the current brand name given to draw lotteries administered by Tattersalls, after originally being administered by New South Wales Lotteries. Currently, two lotteries are run under this name: Super Jackpot and Mega Jackpot. (Both denominations exclude agent's commission.) Since March 2015, the lotteries have been available in Tattersalls jurisdictions.

All tickets are "auto-picked" by the computer and are usually allocated sequentially, but those buying 10 numbers or less can have their numbers selected at random. Tickets can be purchased up to 10 draws in advance for Super Jackpot and two draws for Mega Jackpot.

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 Super Jackpot, on average one draw occurs each morning at the NSW Lotteries offices, and sometimes more than one. The lesser demand for Mega Jackpot means that a number of weeks often passes between draws. Due to the delay between selling tickets and drawing them (particularly for Super Jackpot), 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 6 October 2009.^[21] The highest jackpot win to date in the $5 Jackpot Lottery is $38.185 million won on 22 November 2011.^[22]

The differences between the $2 and $5 Jackpot Lotteries can be summarised by the following table (current as to 17 March 2010):

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	$105,000	$235,000
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.^[23] 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.

South Australia: LuckySA Lottery

SA Lotteries conducted one LuckySA Lottery draw, launched in June 2007,^[24] and conducted on 2 January 2008. This $5 draw lottery^[25] 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.

Former Lottery Games

W

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 1 May 2006; 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.^[8])

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.^[13]

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, Tatts Scratchies 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.

Wednesday Gold Lotto

Wednesday Gold Lotto was a statewide lottery game played in Queensland, and administered by Golden Casket, the Queensland Lotteries Corporation. Started in 1996,^[26] Wednesday Gold Lotto was 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 guaranteed 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 were used to fund future Division 1 prizes, or for other promotional purposes.

The final Queensland-only Wednesday Gold Lotto draw was held on 16 October 2013, with Golden Casket joining the national Monday & Wednesday Lotto draws (branded Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto) from 21 October 2013.

Casket

Casket (or the $2 Casket) was 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.^[27] The first Casket draw was held on 14 June 1917, with the final draw (Draw 301) held on 3 April 2013.^[28]

Draws were held about seven times a year (the draw dates of which are fixed in advance), and a maximum of 110,000 tickets (at $2 each) were sold for each draw. Specific numbers could 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 had a first prize of $100,000, and consolation prizes were drawn to as low as $5. There was no jackpot component. One-off prizes were also drawn, although unlike New South Wales these were paid in cash, with the most common prize being $2 for being one-off any the numbers outside the first three prizes. There were 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.

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 (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 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 1 July 2008.

Intralot

From 1 July 2008, Intralot was introduced into Victoria following changes to lottery licensing 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. However, Intralot announced on 25 October 2014, that they would cease operating in Victoria,^[29] with effect from 1 February 2015.

Games that were conducted by Intralot include:

Lucky Bingo Star

First drawn on 6 July 2008, and drawn each Sunday at 8pm. Although known officially in rules and Intralot's licence as TV Bingo,^[30] the draw is currently broadcast live on radio instead, through 3AW.

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.^[31]

Lucky Lines

First drawn on 1 July 2008, 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.^[32]

Lucky 5 Red or Black

First drawn on 1 June 2009, 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 1 June 2009, 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.

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 $400,000, and a "bonus" wager offered a jackpot which increased this to a minimum of $1 million.

Starting from 15 March 2010 (Draw 1245), Lucky Keno was changed to a 20-from-80 game drawn once a day, with a fixed A$2 million prize for Spot 10/Match 10^[33] – 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 15 March 2010.

Instants (Scratchies)

All Australian lottery companies offer "Scratchies" or instants which can be purchased at outlets. Players scratch and try to match numbers, complete puzzles or reveal codes to obtain a prize. Instants come in many varieties, usually at $1, $1.10, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10, $15 and $20 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 2006 Megadraw's First Division pool amassing $33 million.^[34] The end-of-year Megadraw – which began as a "Millennium Megadraw" on 31 December 1999 – 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.

Prize Home Lottery

A Prize Home Lottery is a lottery run by charitable organizations, such as the Returned and Services League of Australia, Surf Life Saving Australia, Mater Health Services, RSPCA Australia and Royal Melbourne Hospital. The main attraction of these lotteries are the prize homes,^[35] often a brand new designer home. These lotteries are often valued at over a 1 million dollars, making winners instant millionaires. Along with a new house, first prize often includes a new car, brand new white and brown goods.

The funds raised from these lotteries are used to support disadvantaged men, woman, children and their families. Organizations such as the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Heart Foundation use the funds raised to research solutions for modern illnesses.

See also

• New South Wales Lotteries
• South Australian Lotteries
• Golden Casket
• Tatts Lottery
• Tatts Group
• Lotterywest
• Netlotto

References

External links

• Tatts Group
• Tatts
• the Lott