Over the past five years, the Public Welfare Lottery has created 956 multimillionaires with one super lucky winner hitting the jackpot twice, lottery manager Taipei Fubon Bank (
One hundred and eighty-six punters have walked away with cash prizes of more than NT$100 million from Big Lotto (大樂透) and Lotto (樂透彩). Another 775 won prizes worth more than NT$10 million.
The largest cash prize ever awarded was NT$825,527,180 (US$25,309,720).
Taipei Fubon Bank's five-year contract with the government to manage the lotteries will expire at the end of this year. The last issue of its lottery draw will be broadcast live on TV next Friday.
Taiwan Lottery Co (台灣彩券公司), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控), will take over from Taipei Fubon Bank as the nation's exclusive Public Welfare Lottery manager, starting on Jan. 1, for the next seven years.
Based on a survey of the 956 fortune's favorites, the Taipei Fubon Bank found that men surpassed women as lottery winners at 70 percent to 30 percent. Most winners were aged between 40 and 49, with the eldest 90 years old and the youngest 19.
As of Monday, the Lotto games featuring 42 and 38 numbers have accumulated sales of NT$195.77 billion and Big Lotto tickets have made NT$104.4 billion. On average Taiwanese spend NT$2,610 each year to try their luck.
The Taipei Fubon survey revealed some tips for those yearning for the big prize.
More than 51 percent of the jackpot winners chose their own numbers, instead of leaving a computer randomizer to do the job.
Some superstitious punters said messages obtained in dreams and divine guidance helped them get the right combination.
Also, 62 percent were patient investors, buying lottery tickets every issue. Ten people got the big prize in their very first ticket purchase.
Before claiming their stacks of cash, most winners carefully placed the winning tickets in cabinets or desks, and a handful hid them under pillows, in books or in their household shrines.
The most amusing hiding place was inside a mopstick, the bank said, citing one winner's survey.
Thinking about early retirement? Only 2.2 percent actually gave up their job after winning while 77 percent said they wouldn't quit.
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