Hong Kong Mark Six is arguably the most popular lottery available in Hong Kong.
In fact, the lottery regularly sells more tickets for a single draw than the population of the city.
In this guide, we will look at why this draw is so popular and what makes so many people flock to buy Hong Kong Mark Six tickets online.
About Hong Kong Mark Six
Started back in 1975, the game is one of the oldest in Hong Kong.
It began using a mechanical ball system and only changed to the modern Smartplay International Halogen II method of drawing numbers in December 2010.
It is offered by Hong Kong Jockey Club. This club is a non-profit organisation that operates many of the betting, racing and lottery games in the city.
It is also incredibly involved in community and is one of the biggest philanthropic organisations in operation in the region.
Hong Kong Mark Six Draws
There are three draws held each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 9:30 pm HKT and are presided over by plenty of officials.
If the Sunday draw is scheduled at the same time as a horse racing event, the draw will be brought forward to Saturday.
This includes a Justice of the Peace who is there to ensure that the draw occurs fairly.
At the time of the draw, six numbers are drawn to determine the jackpot winner. After this, an additional number, called the Extra, is drawn that is used to determine the second, fourth and sixth-tier prize winners.
In addition to the weekly draws, the lottery hosts draws known as Snowball draws. These occur on special holidays and generally offer much higher prizes than the regular draws.
How to Play Hong Kong Mark Six
Like many other lotteries such as Canada Lotto 6/49, Hong Kong Mark Six uses a simple single-matrix (6/49) system.
This means that you will need to only choose six numbers from the pool ranging from 1 to 49. There is a quick pick option available that allows a random number generator to choose your numbers for you.
To win the jackpot, players must match all six numbers.
When bought within Hong Kong, a single line of play costs around HK $10 (approximately US $1.29).
There is an option to get tickets cheaper by purchasing a Partial Unit Investment (PUI) ticket. These cost HK $5 (around US $0.64).
Buying a PUI ticket may save you money initially. However, any winnings that you claim on the ticket will have 50% deducted. This means that it could end costing you more than you may like.
Hong Kong Mark Six Prizes and Odds
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 13,983,816. While these aren’t the greatest odds we’ve ever seen, they are on par with the odds offered by most 6/49 lotto games.
For these odds, you could win the minimum jackpot of HK $8 million (estimated US $1.03 million). This jackpot rolls over each time that it goes unclaimed and could lead to massive jackpots.
In addition to this great jackpot, there are six additional prize tiers that you can win on.
These all have much better odds of winning, even through the prizes aren’t as great.
The full prize breakdown for the seven prize tiers is listed below:
Numbers Matched | Odds of Winning | Estimated Prize |
6 | 1 in 13,983,816 | Jackpot (HK$8 million minimum) |
5 + Extra | 1 in 2,330,636 | HK $1,664,380 |
5 | 1 in 55,491 | HK $82,510 |
4 + Bonus | 1 in 22,197 | HK $9,600 |
4 | 1 in 1,083 | HK $640 |
3 + Bonus | 1 in 812 | HK $320 |
3 | 1 in 61 | HK $40 |
Claiming Hong Kong Mark Six Prizes
Any prize up to HK $1 million can be claimed at any of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s off-course betting branches. These prizes are offered either as cash or as a cheque.
Prizes that are higher than HK $1 million will need to be claimed at the headquarters of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. As usual, there will be a quick verification process to complete when claiming your prize.
Thankfully, there is no tax levied on any winnings. This means that you can keep any winnings that you are entitled to claim.
You must, however, ensure that you claim your winnings within 60 days of the draw. Any winnings not claimed by this deadline are forfeited.
Notable Hong Kong Mark Six Winners
Because the jackpot for this great lottery rolls over each time it is not claimed, there have been some impressive jackpots won in the past. Some of these have occurred on Snowball draw days.
These big jackpots include:
September 13, 2014: HK $164.49 million (~US $21.18 million)
May 12, 2011: HK $133.5 million (~US $17.19 million)
September 28, 2017: HK $86.8 million (~US $11.17 million)
Hong Kong Mark Six-Should You Play?
Absolutely. This great lottery has become an institution in Hong Kong, and there is little reason to wonder why.
With a very simple method of play, it can be played by just about anyone.
Add to this the Snowball draws, PUI ticket purchases, decent odds of winning and great jackpots and this lottery becomes even harder to say no to.
So, in summary, if you haven't yet, we highly recommend you try playing Mark Six.
Darcy