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The little-known $84m lottery jackpot that could go off any day

Olivia Lambert
Updated

While there has been plenty of hype about the recent huge jackpots of Powerball and 0z Lotto, one of Australia’s oldest lotteries has been quietly rolling along to eye-watering levels.

The Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot, has been building since January 2017 and this week passed $84 million.

The jackpot on offer far exceeds its previous highest level of $38.185 million in 2011.

And the nature of the jackpot lottery means there will be only one winner, not shared like Lotto and Powerball prizes often are.

When the jackpot does go off it could be the second-biggest individual win in Australia’s history after a Sydney woman won a record-breaking $107.5 million in Powerball in January this year.

What are Lucky Lotteries?

There are two Lucky Lotteries to be played – the Super Jackpot ($2.20) and the Mega Jackpot ($5.50).

The lotteries are a raffle-style game. In both draws there are a number of different cash and consolation prizes to be won and a chance to win the jackpot prize.

The Super Jackpot is cheaper to enter but there are 270,000 tickets to be purchased in the lottery.

A man holds a Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot ticket in front of travel magazines.
Only 200,000 tickets can be purchased per Mega Jackpot draw, with the chance of winning $84 million. Source: The Lott

There is a higher chance of winning a prize in the Mega Jackpot, with 200,000 tickets sold per draw. The Mega Jackpot prize has soared to $84 million while the Super Jackpot is currently at more than $2 million.

Each lottery is drawn as soon as all tickets in a draw are sold.

How do you win Lucky Lotteries?

According to The Lott, there are more than 4000 guaranteed prizes from free tickets to $200,000 in the Mega Jackpot.

In each game there are two draws, one to find the winners of the guaranteed prizes and another to find if anybody is lucky enough to take home the jackpot prize.

This picture shows a pile of Australian money as the Lucy Lotteries jackpot grows to $84 million.
One Aussie could be $84 million richer if they win the Mega Jackpot. Source: Getty

Anybody who has the number on their ticket drawn will win a guaranteed prize.

Then in the second draw if a winning number is drawn a second time the jackpot is won.

“If the selected jackpot ticket hasn’t already won a cash prize in that draw, then the top prize jackpots,” The Lott said.

Spokesman Matt Hart told Yahoo News Australia the jackpot increases by $240,000 each game if it wasn’t won.

Why is the Mega Jackpot so high?

Mr Hart said it was rare to have the Lucky Lotteries game with such a high jackpot.

“It’s been quietly growing in the background,” he said.

“Normally the jackpot doesn’t get this high – it seems to go off every two years.”

In 2013 the prize hit about $30 million but in January, 2017 it reached just $7.4 million before it was won.

This picture shows a woman about to mark a Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot ticket.
A cash prize of $200,000 is guaranteed to be won every Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot game. Source: The Lott

The current draw reached $51 million in April, so the number of tickets bought for draws has fast been increasing, meaning the prize has constantly been jackpotting.

“At the moment we’re having two draws a weekday whereas before we were having them about one a week,” Mr Hart said.

The Lucky Lotteries started in NSW in the 1930s and only expanded into all other Australian states except for WA in the last decade.

“It’s the next big thing on the horizon and could go off any day,” Mr Hart said.

If gambling is a problem for you go to Gambling Help Online or call 1800 858 858.

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