Mark Six Increases Odds, Prizes
Change is afoot for Hong Kong's Mark Six lottery, including removal of the $38 million prize cap.
The Hong Kong Lotteries Board is making a number of adjustments to the lottery, which is operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Effective July 4, the seven winning numbers will be drawn from a pot of 49 numbers instead of 47 numbers, pushing the odds of winning from one in 10.8 million to one in 14 million.
To sweeten the deal, however, as well as to attract more repeat players, the $38 million prize limit is to be lifted to allow for jackpots of up to $100 million. In addition, the fourth, fifth and sixth prizes are to be increased to $4,800, $320 and $160 from $4,500, $300 and $150. A seventh place prize of $20 will also be added for players who choose three of the winning numbers. When purchased from a machine, each ticket costs $20.
A Jockey Club spokeswoman said the changes were designed to maintain the lottery's turnover and increase its appeal to the public. University of Hong Kong statistics expert Paul Yip Siu-fai said the average punter doesn't stand any more chance of striking it rich, though.
"While people's overall chances of winning improve because of the additional seventh prize, the probability of hitting the jackpot is reduced," he said. "But it doesn't make much difference really as it's hard to win the jackpot anyway."
Indian State Plans Online Lottery
The Indian state of Rajasthan is planning to launch an online lottery, reports the new site HindustanTimes.com.
Rajasthan's government shuttered its lottery in 1998, calling the game a curse on its citizens. A change of heart was apparently achieved when the government realized its need for funding of social security programs.
The online lottery will be operated by a private company, which has not been chosen yet. The Indian state Sikkim already offers an online lottery.
Lottery Could Come to Vote in North Carolina
Budget shortfalls could tempt North Carolina legislators to enact a statewide lottery this year.
The legislature is facing its toughest budget squeeze in decades as sources of revenue become scarce after last year's increased taxes, reports the Associated Press. House Speaker Jim Black said a lottery bill could be introduced within the next two weeks. The proposal may necessitate a statewide referendum.
The North Carolina Lottery for Education Coalition is planning a campaign based on personal contacts, emails and advertisements to drum up support for a statewide lottery, which it believes would provide needed funding for higher education and school construction.
Mark Erwin, a former U.S. ambassador who now is chairman of the coalition, said North Carolina is desperately in need of more cash for statewide education.
Erwin estimates that North Carolina residents will spend $250 million this year on lottery tickets in Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina.
Camelot Results Show National Lottery Sales Down
Sales for the United Kingdom's National Lottery fell three percent during the year ending March 31, although during the second half of the fiscal period sales stayed on par with the previous year's results.
According to Camelot Group's most recent unaudited financial results, National Lottery Instants sales rose 5.9 percent to £579 million, and on-line ticket sales totaled £4,256 million.
During the first half of the year, ticket sales were down 6.9 percent; in the second half, however, that figure improved somewhat to a decrease in 1.2 percent. The National Lottery was able to return £1,342 million to charities and provide £580
million to the government in taxes. The group's profit before taxes was £57.8 million compared to £61.1 million the previous year.
Intralot Establishes U.S. Office
Intralot, a leading supplier of online lottery systems in Europe and South America, in May opened a United States office in Atlanta.
The company, based in Athens, Greece, said its first order of business in Atlanta is to meet with representatives of the Georgia Lottery Corp., whose lottery operations contract is up for bid for the first time since 1993.
Intralot USA's Atlanta office will consist of a 60,000 square-foot facility in Gwinnett County that will house corporate offices, technical development, operational support staff and a lottery demonstration area.