$30m riding on Mark Six relaunch
The revamped Mark Six lottery will be launched tomorrow with a first prize fund that could reach $30 million, the Jockey Club said.
The new draw will feature 49 numbers, compared to the current 47. The club said a $20 million snowball from previous draws will be carried forward to tomorrow, giving the first prize winner the chance to claim more than $30 million, based on an estimate of the prize pool.
The addition of the numbers 48 and 49 will reduce the chances of winning the first prize from one in 10.8 million to one in 14 million.
Punters will also have a chance to win a new seventh prize of $20 if they pick three winning numbers, while the $38 million cap on the first prize will be removed. Winnings will be based on the amount of money in the pool fund.
The cap was introduced in 1992 to prevent syndicates from buying up every combination of numbers.
The fourth, fifth and sixth prizes will also be increased to $4,800, $320 and $160 - from $4,500, $300 and $150.
The Jockey Club said the revamp was part of a regular move by the Lotteries Board to maintain turnover and make the lottery more appealing.
