The OzPort Lottery
WHERE & WHEN
- The Lottery Counter is on floor 2 of the OzPort department store, with the bank, interior shop and bridal shop.
- Summer and winter: tickets on sale. Spring and autumn: results, and you cash in last season's tickets.
- The draw happens at the season change. When the next sales season starts, any ticket still in your bag turns into Scrap Paper.
- From 1998 the counter says the lottery is ending, but the code doesn't actually stop sales.
BUYING
- 100 G a ticket. Each one needs a free bag slot.
- Up to 3 tickets a season.
- You pick the number: any 4 digits, 0000–9999. Nothing stops you picking the same number on all three.
PRIZES
| Prize | Your ticket… | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | matches the winning number | 100,000 G |
| 2nd | is one above or below it | 50,000 G |
| 3rd | is the winning number reversed (1234 → 4321) | 10,000 G |
| 4th | matches the last 3 digits | 1,000 G |
| 5th | matches the last 2 digits | 100 G |
Each ticket wins its best prize only. Take the money as cash, have it wired to the bank (savings earn 3% a season) or donate it.
HOW THE DRAW IS RIGGED
The winning number is built from two 2-digit halves. Each half has a 2-in-3 chance of being copied from a number the game already has: your three tickets or the last winning number. The two halves are never the same.
- Best play: buy all three tickets with the same number. Use the previous winning number (shown at the counter in the results season) when its two halves are different.
- A number with matching halves, like 1212, can never win 1st.
- The first draw of the game is a gift: the last two digits are always copied from one of your tickets, so every ticket wins at least 5th. In scenario C the game starts in summer 1991, so buy before autumn 1991.
| Strategy | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 ticket | 100 G |
| 3 tickets, different numbers | 300 G |
| 3 tickets, same number | 300 G |
| 3 tickets = last winning number | 300 G |
| First draw, 1 ticket | 100 G |
| First draw, 3 same tickets | 300 G |