Lotto China is an online lottery that is open to residents of China and many other countries.
It has a respectable guaranteed jackpot, two draws per week and a unique prize structure.
In this guide, we’ll explore what other features make this game special and show how you can buy Lotto China tickets online.
About Lotto China
Lotto China is a game that was developed for Chinese players, though it is also available in other parts of the world.
Tickets are sold exclusively online and not through any physical lottery retailers. Players can buy tickets at www.lotto.cn or through popular online lottery websites.
Players must be at least 18 years old to buy tickets.
In addition to the standard draws, Lotto China has occasional Lucky Draws. Lucky Draws do not take place at any specific time of the year, but are announced a few weeks in advance.
Lotto China Draws
Lotto China is a bi-weekly draw.
Draws are held every Tuesday and Friday at 16:30 CET.
Players can buy tickets up until 16:20 CET on draw day. Any tickets purchased after the cut-off will be for the following draw.
A total of seven balls are randomly selected during the draw-six main numbers and one bonus number, called the Fú Ball.
Numbers are selected using an insured Random Number Generator (iRNG).
Lotto China occasionally has Lucky Draws, which have larger jackpots than the regular draws. There is no difference between a standard draw and a Lucky Draw other than the jackpot.
How to Play Lotto China
Lotto China is a double-matrix game.
Players first choose six numbers from a range of 1 through 50. They must then choose a bonus number, called the Fú Ball, from a range of 1 through 5.
To win the jackpot, players must match all six main numbers as well as the Fú Ball.
Players must buy lottery tickets online for Lotto China. There is no way to purchase tickets from any vendors in person.
Like most games, players can either choose their own numbers or select the Quick Pick option.
Players can also choose to purchase a subscription so that they do not miss out on any draws.
A standard ticket costs only ¥3.90, or €0.50 from most sites, though some may charge an additional fee.
Lotto China Prizes and Odds
Lotto China has 12 prize tiers-though the secondary prizes are all pretty disappointing.
All prizes for this game are fixed, including the jackpot.
The jackpot prize is a decent ¥3.9 million. Unfortunately, it does not roll over and is split amongst all winners if there is more than one.
All secondary prizes, even the second-highest, are ¥3.90, a free bet, or both.
The odds of winning the jackpot are pretty tough at 1 in 79,453,500, especially considering the fixed jackpot.
The odds of winning the second-highest prizes are 1 in 19,863,375. This is pretty disappointing, considering the prize for beating those odds is only ¥3.90.
Many lottery games have better odds than even the second-highest tier and award prizes in the hundreds of thousands or even millions.
For example, Canada Lotto 6/49 has jackpot odds of 1 in 13,983,816 and a minimum guaranteed jackpot of $3 million CAD.
One way that Lotto China makes up for this is through the great overall odds of 1 in 3. That means players have a good chance of winning either a free play or getting back the cost of their ticket.
The breakdown of each of the prize tiers is as follows:
Numbers Matched | Odds of Winning | Winnings |
6 + Fú Ball | 1 in 79,453,500 | ¥3.9 million Jackpot |
6 | 1 in 19,863,375 | ¥3.90 |
5 + Fú Ball | 1 in 300,960 | ¥3.90 + Free Bet |
5 | 1 in 75,240 | ¥3.90 |
4 + Fú Ball | 1 in 5,599 | ¥3.90 + Free Bet |
4 | 1 in 1,399 | ¥3.90 |
3 + Fú Ball | 1 in 299 | ¥3.90 + Free Bet |
3 | 1 in 74 | ¥3.90 |
2 + Fú Ball | 1 in 39 | ¥3.90 + Free Bet |
2 | 1 in 10 | ¥3.90 |
1 + Fú Ball | 1 in 12 | Free Bet |
0 + Fú Ball | 1 in 11 | Free Bet |
Claiming Lotto China Prizes
While Lotto China results are posted online, lucky winners are notified by email.
Jackpot winners will receive a phone call from an agent who will help them through the claiming process.
The agent will confirm some personal information such as age and address before wiring the money to the winner.
Prizes take approximately four weeks to arrive in the winner’s bank account.
All secondary prizes are automatically credited to the winner’s online account where they purchased the ticket.
Notable Lotto China Winners
As Lotto China has a fixed jackpot, all winners receive the same ¥3.9 million prize.
However, the most notable winners would be those who won one of the Lucky Draws, which can have jackpots of up to ¥38.99 million.
Lotto China-Should You Play?
Lotto China is a unique game that has both positives and negatives.
While it certainly doesn’t have the best jackpot odds or prizes, it does have some of the best overall odds.
If you’re looking for a low-cost, low-risk game but aren’t looking to win millions, this could be for you.
But for most players, including ourselves, we just can’t recommend it.
Gabriella