Lotto, the most popular lottery game in NSW and the ACT, turns 30 this week.
To celebrate, NSW Lotteries is running a promotion from Sunday 8 November to Monday 9 November where players will get eight free Monday and Wednesday Lotto standard game entries with every 36 game Monday and Wednesday Lotto Megapick entry they purchase.
“In its 30-year history Lotto has made more than 950 NSW and ACT players millionaires and has paid more than $6 billion in prizes. It is great to be celebrating 30 years of making dreams come true for so many of our players,” NSW Lotteries Director of Marketing and Sales, Mark Carter said today.
The first Lotto draw was conducted at Channel Nine’s Sydney studios on 5 November 1979 with hosts Mike Walsh and Karen Pini. Since then the draw has been hosted by an impressive line-up of Channel Nine celebrities.
How would NSW residents spend a $1 million Lotto win?
Research conducted in 2008 showed that the majority of NSW residents claim they would spend a $1 million Lotto win sensibly.
Most players would pay off debt or invest in the future. Approximately 17% of people said they would help out family and friends and 14% said they would use the money to buy their dream home.
Lotto’s History
Twice weekly Lotto draws were introduced in November 1984. The second draw was originally televised on Wednesday night before a move to Thursday night in 1989. The mid week Lotto draw returned to Wednesday night in 1996 when Powerball was launched. Saturday Lotto was launched in December 2000.
In April 2006 Monday and Wednesday Lotto became a multi-state game and now also operates in South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
Lotto guarantees a minium division one prize of $1 million for every Monday and Wednesday draw and a minimum of $4 million is offered every Saturday with up to $30 million or more offered in Monday and Saturday Lotto Superdraw events throughout the year.
