Saturday Lotto Guide

They call it "Tattslotto" in Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania. It's called "X Lotto" in South Australia, "Gold Lotto" in Queensland and just plain Lotto or Saturday Lotto in Western Australia and New South Wales. It's a game with many names, but it refers to the same thing: Australia's weekly Saturday draw.

Saturday Lotto allows players to choose different numbers to be able to win at least $3 million in the weekly draw. There are various game modes available. The first one is the Standard Entry mode wherein the player can choose six numbers per game panel. The selected numbers can either be inputted manually or via Autopick. The Autopick option lets the computer decide randomly which numbers the player need to watch out on the weekly draw. There is also the Multiweek Entry mode for players who wish to make advance bets on digits. Players choose from 2, 5, 10, or 25 week advanced bets - perfect for those who do not want to keep coming back to the lotto agent to place their weekly number selections.

Then there is also the Systems Entry mode. This lets the player select more than six numbers to use in the Saturday Lotto. Players can choose from seven up to eighteen numbers. This gives a better chance to win the draw. Of course the costs of these system entries vary due to the higher probability of winning the lottery. A total of five divisions cover the Saturday Lotto Guide. The top division gives the jackpot prize and is achieved by getting all six winning numbers. Lesser prizes can also be taken home by getting the other combinations found on the different divisions.

When Can I Play Saturday Lotto?

Saturday Lotto and its variations are played every Saturday. Its draw time depends on the state lottery. For example:

• For NSW Lotteries and its resellers, the draw happens at 8:30pm (AEDT).
• For Tattersalls, the draw is at 7:30pm, but the results are generally available by 9:00pm (AEST)

To be sure, check your lottery ticket to see when your game is drawn. Draw close times depend on the state lottery as well.

• For Oz Lotteries, an NSW Lotteries reseller, draw close time is at 6:30pm (AEDT).
• For Tattersalls and Golden Casket, entries close at 7:30pm (6:30pm DST).

Ask your state lottery about your area's draw close time.

How to Play Saturday Lotto

Here's how you can participate:

1. Buy a ticket.
   • Reminder: Prices vary, depending on the state lottery.
     • Tattersalls has its own detailed price list, which you can view here.
     • See the Lotterywest price list here.
     • The SA Lotteries price list can be accessed here.
     • The Golden Casket price list is shown here.
     • The NSW Lotteries the prices can be seen here.
2. You can then either select your own set of regular and supplementary numbers, or ask the retailer/website for randomly generated ones.
3. There are three ways you can play Saturday Lotto:
   • Playing a standard game is done by selecting six regular numbers and two "supplementary" numbers from a selection numbered 1 to 45. Eight will be randomly selected by the lottery company. If your numbers match the ones selected by the lottery company, you win the game.
   • You can also try playing multi-week entries for other days of the week, using the same numbers for several weeks at a time.
   • A "systems entry" lets you choose more numbers per game. Since you choose more numbers, your chances of winning increases.

Numbers Required

Here are the odds of winning Powerball, split into seven "divisions":

History

Saturday Lotto is the granddaddy of lotteries in Australia. It was the first of its kind in the country. Tattslotto is based on those old European-style lotteries where six numbers were chosen out of 40 in a regular game. However, starting June 6, 1985, the current format of six numbers from 45 was introduced to reduce the odds of winning. The first Tattslotto draw was held on June 24, 1972. At that time, the first division prize was AUD50,000.

Fun Fact

Using the Reserve Bank of Australia's Inflation Calculator, the original AUD50,000 first division prize should be worth around AUD 451,772.15 in 2011. Interestingly, the current first division prize, as of 2012, is worth AUD4 million each week.