TOTO is a legalized form of lottery

Lottery

A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...

 sold in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, known by different names elsewhere. Singapore Pools

Singapore Pools

Singapore Pools is the only legal lottery operator in Singapore, incorporated in 1968 to curb illegal gambling. It provides a legal avenue for betting in Singapore....

 is the only legal lottery operator in Singapore. It was established on 23 May 1968 to control widespread illegal gambling

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 in Singapore during the 1960s.

TOTO is a popular form of gambling in Singapore. In February 2005, a survey

Opinion poll

An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...

 conducted by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports] (MCYS) indicated that 58% of the Singapore residents surveyed had participated in at least one form of gambling activity over the past year. Among those surveyed, TOTO rated the second most popular type of gambling activity, after 4-Digits

4-Digits

4-Digits is a lottery in Singapore and Malaysia. Individuals play by choosing any number from 0000 to 9999. Then, 23 winning numbers are drawn each time. If one of the numbers matches the one that the player has bought, a prize is won. A draw is conducted to select these winning numbers...

. The average monthly median betting amount of those surveyed who bought TOTO was placed at S$

Singapore dollar

The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

48.

TOTO can be purchased from any of the 300 Singapore Pools outlets across Singapore. Draws are conducted every Monday and Thursday. The “live” TOTO draw can be viewed at the Singapore Pools Main Branch at 1 Selegie Road, #01-01, Paradiz Centre. The profits from TOTO go to the Singapore Totaliser Board (the owner of Singapore Pools) which uses the money for charity

Charity (practice)

The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...

 and other worthy causes.

Method of Play

A buyer picks at least six numbers, each on a basis of 1 to 45. The winning numbers drawn include six numbers plus an additional number. Four or more numbers on a ticket matching the seven numbers drawn qualifies the buyer for a cash prize. The prize money escalates with the increase in numbers matched.

The maximum allowed matching numbers is six. Thus, if six numbers on the TOTO ticket matches the six numbers drawn, the jackpot (Group 1) prize is won.

Placing

There are 4 different ways to place bets:

QuickPick	The computer randomly selects 6 numbers from 1 to 45 for the buyer. No bet slip is required.
Ordinary Bet	The buyer selects 6 numbers from 1 to 45 by marking on a bet slip.
System Bet	The buyer selects 7 to 12 numbers from 1 to 45 by marking on a bet slip. For example, a System 9 bet is a selection of 9 numbers.
System Roll	The buyer selects only 5 numbers from 1 to 45. The 6th number is assigned by the computer based on the remaining 40 numbers.

Bet Slip

Front view of TOTO Bet Slip





Back view of TOTO Bet Slip

Bet Cost

Bet Type	Number of Ordinary Bet combinations	Cost
Ordinary	1	S$0.5
System 7	7	S$3.50
System 8	28	S$14.00
System 9	84	S$42.00
System 10	210	S$105.00
System 11	462	S$231.00
System 12	924	S$462.00
System Roll	40	S$20.00

The minimum bet amount is S$1.00 per bet ticket. This could make up of either two Ordinary bets for one draw or one Ordinary bet for two consecutive draws. Bets can also be placed by bet amounts. The computer automatically sells the buyer the maximum number of bets for the bet type placed. The balance amount is placed on the next lowest bet type.

Result Ticket

Front and back view of TOTO Result Ticket

Prizes

The TOTO prizes form 54% of the total TOTO sales for each draw. The prize

Prize

A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. Official prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them...

 pool is divided between 6 prize groups. The minimum guaranteed amount for Group 1 Prize is S$500,000.

Prize Group	Winning Numbers Matched	Prize Amount
1	6 numbers	33% of prize pool
2	5 numbers plus the additional number	13% of prize pool
3	5 numbers	13% of prize pool
4	4 numbers plus the additional number	13% of prize pool
5	4 numbers	S$30 per winning combination
6	3 numbers plus the additional number	S$20 per winning combination

History of TOTO

TOTO was first sold in a simple, manual version in 1968. Tickets were purchased from small stand-alone booths across Singapore.

• 9 June 1968 – A manual version of TOTO is launched.
• 1981 – “Snowballing” is introduced to TOTO. This allows the top prize to increase from draw to draw. The system entry mode is introduced so multiple bets can be made on a single coupon.
• 19 May 1986 – TOTO is offered as a computerized on-line game based on a ‘5 out-of 49’ format.
• 1988 – TOTO is changed from a ‘5 out-of 49’ format to a ‘6 out-of 42’ format. The top prize is set at a minimum of S$300,000.
• 1 July 1997 – TOTO is changed to a ‘6 out-of 45’ format. The Group 1 prize is increased to a guaranteed minimum amount of S$500,000.
• 30 Dec 1999 – 6 lucky winners share the Group 1 jackpot of S$10.5 million in the TOTO Millennium Draw.
• 10 February 2000 – TOTO’s first annual Hongbao Draw is conducted. The Jackpot Prize marks a S$11 million record.
• 6 October 2006 – A special TOTO Mooncake
  Mooncake
  Mooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival / Zhongqiu Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching; mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings...
  
  Draw is held with a S$5 million jackpot.

External links

• Official Toto Results and Number Frequency Tools
• It all about statistic of TOTO games