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Year-end jumbo lottery tickets went on sale across Japan on Wednesday, drawing long lines at sales booths. One billion yen in prize money is up for grabs, with the top prize being 700 million yen.
As usual, the biggest line was at Tokyo’s Nishi-Ginza where more than 600 people were already waiting when the booth opened at 8:30 a.m. Throughout the day, the waiting time averaged 90 minutes. The Nishi-Ginza booth is popular because it has sold a number of winning tickets in the past.
The first person in line was a company employee from Katsushika Ward in Tokyo. He said he had got there at 5 a.m. He said if he won a substantial amount of prize money, he would buy a camper van and explore Japan.
Tickets for a Jumbo Mini Lottery also went on sale, with 50 million yen in prize money.
Lottery tickets, which cost 300 yen, will be sold through Dec 21 and winning numbers will be announced on Dec 31.
For details on the prize money allocation, click here.
© Japan Today
25 Comments
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ozellis
The odds are terrible. Go to a track, play Pachinko, go to Vegas. All of these options are a lot better.
That said, I have wasted probably about 300,000 yen over the years. Yep, I am an idiot.
Yubaru
There is a HELL of a lot more than 1 billion yen up for grabs! Even the article says the "top" prize is 700 million yen.
If only buy the tickets that are not in sequence, the top prize is 700 million. You have to buy the sequential numbered packs (10 in each pack) for the potential of winning the 1 billion, as you need three tickets in a row, the one prior to the winning number and the one following it as well.
Just hitting those alone are worth 150 Million times 2 (300 Million) which gives the grand total of 1 billion yen!
There are 23 possible 700 Million yen winners!
1等700,000,000円23本
1等の前後賞150,000,000円46本
1等の組違い賞100,000円4,577本
2等10,000,000円69本
3等1,000,000円2,300本
4等100,000円46,000本
5等10,000円920,000本
6等3,000円4,600,000本
7等300円46,000,000本
年末ラッキー賞20,000円46,000本
Well over 30 BILLION is up for grabs!
THIS is the link!
https://www.takarakuji-official.jp/special/nj2019/product/product.html
Ken Holcomb
Very high odds that are stacked against the average ticket buyer. But the odds of winning anything without buying a ticket are nil.
cleo
There are more people in Tokyo to buy tickets, so more winning tickets sold in absolute numbers. It doesn’t mean the odds are any better.
The greater metropolitan area accounts for roughly a third of the population of Japan.
commanteer
That's the nice thing about winning in Japan (not that it's ever likely top happen to any of us). The winner stays anonymous. It might be hard for some people to keep it to themselves, but it's the best thing to do. I would hope my wife tells me if she wins, though!
Toshihiro
may the odds be in your favor
mmwkdw
It may be a "stupid waste of money", but, if you have 300 yen to spare on frivolous things then, by buying a ticket you have a chance, whereas not buying you clearly have zero chance.
Spending 300 yen on "Hope", has a lot of value, especially if you understand that it's only that, and don't get upset when you win nothing. I really hope that an unfortunate needy homeless person/family gives up buying alcohol for 2 days, and buys a single ticket, and then wins the top prize... now that, would be a news story to tell and follow their fortunes thereafter ....
Anyway, you can think of it like not being too different from throwing 300 yen into the Shrine on New Year's day and making a wish for something....
krustytheclown
I am risking 300 yen.
The government is risking 700,000,000 yen.
I like my chances.
Serrano
may the odds be in your favor
I'm going to win THIS time - I can feel it! i told the lady at the lottery booth that it was very important that I win. She replied "I'll see what I can do."
Cricky
It's as traditional as a plastic orange with some papers tied to it. And really just ¥1 billion thats a lot for Japan but compared to other OECD countries where it's a multi weekly thing.
Do the hustle
But, where is the logic? The more tickets sold means the less chance you have.
Strangerland
Some people are mistaking what is being purchased here. They aren’t buying an expectation of profit, they are buying hope, and a temporary dream
Yrral
Less than 10 lousy dollars, come on
garypen
Right? You can't even buy one decent yacht for that.
Jens Zier
Stupid waste of money! goes back playing fate grand order on mobile
JeffLee
700 mil yen as the top prize is kinda pathetic for a lottery of this size.
nandakandamanda
I won 200 yen on a scratch card and 1,300 yen on the previous lottery, collecting my 1,500 yen today. Yay!
The lady at the little window was very persuasive, so I reached into my pocket and bought 10 Jumbo tickets ('renban', = sequential) and 10 Jumbo Mini ('bara' = random numbers), oh, and five scratch cards, coming to JPY 7,000 all told.
Well, now I am Y5,500 down, but with a warm fuzzy dream in the back of my mind until the first week of January! :8)
Middleoftheroad
A guy my dad used to work with way back, won $200 million in the lotto, went from a poor mountain man to a rich mountain man, but never changed, everyone around him did, but he stayed the same. I don't think I would want to win a large amount, all the old friends and distant relatives that would all of a sudden be visiting you and asking you for something would just be a nightmare!
Good luck to you if you do buy a stack, but be careful of what you wish for, and remember not to tell anyone you won!!
mike1492
A rich man has a canopy over his bed; a poor man has a can of peas under his bed. Can foreigners play?
Yubaru
Only said by someone who knows little or nothing of Japanese culture and society!
Rather than have ONE winner, it is set up to give more potential winners, here 23, and numerous other smaller prizes.
No to mention that this is TAX FREE as well. Winners do not pay income tax on the winnings and receive it free and clear. However any interest made in the years following have to be paid as income tax. Yet with interest rates at close to zero, even at that amount, the taxes would be negligible!
There is a HELL of a lot more money than this being won yearly. The end of year lottery is the most famous, but there are numerous others during the course of any given year being held, Spring, and Summer as well, that have close to the same amount being won.
The end of year bonuses, the New Year coming, etc etc, people like to take their chances!
rgcivilian1
I have played this game for many years up and down Japan, the most winning on larger parts are in the Tokyo area. The lowest percentile has always been Aomori Prefecture. With almost 0 winners in big lottery's. So like the rest I went to where the odds favor a win, Tokyo. Second to Tokyo is Yokoham area followed by Kyushu then Osaka. If your in the Tohoku area save your money and buy something worthwhile or like someone posted go play Panchinko.
Yrral
Less than 10 million lousy dollar, somebody in the US won 1.5 billion dollars
Akie
Poor people buy lotteries, rich people buy palaces.
Yubaru
The government is risking nothing, as the lottery is not run by them.