NSW Lotto
We all want to win the lottery and then blow it all on making our wildest financial dreams come true, so we have decided to take a look at one major organisation behind some of the biggest lotteries in Australia.
NSW Lotteries is responsible for conducting and syndicating many of the nation’s popular lotteries including Lotto, OZ Lotto, Powerball, and more, all of which we detail below in order see what lottery can make our dreams come true the quickest.
About NSW Lotteries
NSW Lotteries was established in 1930 and for four decades it was operated solely by the NSW Government. However, in 2010 the Tatts Group, an organisation responsible for lotteries all over Australia took over with a 40 year licence.
It is important to note that NSW Lotteries operates under the Public Lotteries Act 1996, which ensures responsible gambling, including that minors are unable to play any of the lotteries, which we detail below.
NSW Lotteries outlets
Players can purchase their tickets at both a NSW Lotteries Outlet, which there are over 1600 of, or go online at a site like OzLotteries.com or Lottoland.com and sign up to buy tickets this way.
You can also check the results online of every lottery we mention below, excluding the scratch cards of course, regardless if you have purchased from an outlet or online – though online will tell you instantly if you are a winner by logging in, saving you from checking your ticket number by number.
There is also an Autoplay option online where you can detail a specific amount or specific draw and provided you have enough money in your online account you can automatically buy a ticket into the draw.
Lotto
The Lotto, a lottery run by the NSW Lotteries, takes place every Monday and Wednesday. It sees players picking six numbers from 45 for a chance to win a minimum $1 million jackpot. There are also events that take place throughout the year which can see the prize pool doubled.
There is a Saturday Lotto draw too, which is almost identical to the Monday and Wednesday draws, however it is run by the Tatts Group and is known elsewhere in Australia as Gold Lotto, or Tattslotto, depending where you are located. It’s more expensive to enter, despite following the same format as detailed above, but this is the case because it’s a nationwide lottery and the prize pool is larger.
Each draw features a QuickPick option which sees player’s specified number of numbers randomly chosen for them, convenient for those who don’t have any set lucky numbers they’d prefer to bet with.
A standard six game equivalent, using QuickPick for Monday or Wednesday nights sets you back $3.60, which is the same price as picking six numbers yourself. Players can opt to buy a ticket combo featuring both Monday and Wednesday night draws in one and for a standard six game this ticket cost is $7.20, while a Saturday night only ticket costs $4.30 for a standard six game.
Lotto Strike
Lotto Strike is a unique add on to Lotto, the game we detail above. The main aim is to guess the first four numbers and their order correctly. This game can be added on to any Monday, Wednesday or Saturday game.
Ticket prices can be found via our links. It costs $1.10 for one panel of four numbers, though more or less can be filled in and prices changed accordingly.
Players win by meeting the aforementioned criteria but they can also win by having three, two or one of the first four lotto numbers in the exact order.
The prize pool isn’t as big and it can be divided by up multiple winners, but it is a fun add on to Lotto if you want to change gameplay up a bit.
Lucky Lotteries
While Lucky Lotteries is syndicated by NSW Lotteries it is actually run by the Tatts Group and is a nationwide lottery and is a good option for those who do not want to share the major prize, as the winner takes the entire jackpot in Lucky Lotteries.
There are two Lucky Lotteries including the Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot, which is also known as the $2 jackpot, and the Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot, which is also known as the $5 jackpot. There are a set amount of tickets available for each game and once all have been sold the numbers are drawn and the winners are paid accordingly.
Players can pick random tickets or sequential tickets, and how many tickets they wish to buy. While they are known as the $2 and $5 lotteries, the two have a 10% fee tacked on and cost $2.20 and $5.50 per ticket, respectively.
Oz Lotto
Oz Lotto is also syndicated by NSW Lotteries but run by the Tatts Group and conducted nationwide, meaning the prize pool is bigger than the aforementioned lotteries. Oz Lottos minimum jackpot is $2 million, while it can end up getting to over $50 million.
Players need to pick seven numbers out of 45 and have them in by 8:30pm every Tuesday for that week’s draw. If you get seven matching numbers you win the Division 1 prize, whatever the jackpot may have gotten to.
Ticket prices are a bit more expensive, for example a standard six game is $7.20 and that is compared to the aforementioned price for a standard six game in Lotto of $3.60, though this is because as mentioned before it is nationwide and it has a bigger prize pool.
All the information about Oz Lotto and ticket prices can be found via our links on this page – head to OzLotteries.com for further information.
Powerball
Powerball is another lottery which is run by the Tatts Group but syndicated by NSW Lotteries, making it another nationwide lottery. The minimum jackpot is more than Oz Lotto too, with it beginning at $3 million and the potential to jackpot well over $50 million.
Players need to pick six numbers and then another number which is the Powerball. The results are then determined using two barrels, with the first barrel seeing six numbers drawn from 40, and the second barrel seeing one drawn from 20 for the Powerball. In order to win the Division 1 prize (the jackpot prize) players need to get all six numbers correct along with the Powerball.
There are eight Division prizes meaning you can win even if you don’t get all six numbers right, with the Division 8 (the smallest prize) requiring players to only get two numbers and the Powerball correct.
Additionally, the tickets are a bit more expensive than Lotto but are less than Oz Lotto, with a standard six game costing $5.55, with the rest of the prices under ‘Ticket Prices’.
6 from 38 Pools
This lottery is another nationwide lottery, and is syndicated as 6 from 38 Pools in NSW. It can be known as ‘The Pools’ in other states and territories, such as SA.
It is a lottery game where you pick the numbers, with the results based on soccer matches that are playing in Australia, Europe and around the world, rather than being determined by numbers drawn from a barrel like the aforementioned lotteries. If you aren’t a big soccer fan, or don’t follow it closely enough the QuickPick option is available.
Players pick six numbers out of 38 and the winning numbers are determined by how the results rank, for example if there is a draw that ranks the highest, while the home team wins sees the lowest ranking. Then the six highest matches are the winning numbers in association to the ‘Match List numbers. The supplementary number is then determined by the match ranked seventh highest.
The tickets are quite cheap too with a standard six game just $3.30. View the rest of the ticket prices here.
Instant Scratchies
NSW Lotteries also sells an array of physical scratchies games, under the name Instant Scratch-Its.
Their price ranges from $1.10 to $15 and incorporate fun games and themes, with prizes ranging from free tickets, small cash amounts such as $2, $5, $20, etc., and then huge prizes of up to $1 million, instantly.
These are still considered lotteries, but more instantaneous from the time they have been purchased. They have been randomly distributed so there isn’t any way you can improve your odds by buying them from certain outlets.
Playing in a NSW lotteries syndicate
Another more affordable way to participate in one of the NSW lotteries is to enter a lottery syndicate. Entering a syndicate means you can afford to buy more tickets to each lottery draw, thus increasing your chances of winning.
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