The lotteries and bets have existed since the time of the Hebrews, Egyptians, Hindus, Chinese, and Romans. Thousands of people around the world bet daily in the hope of winning the lottery. The Japanese are no different.
Some see lotteries as a waste of money, others play casually, but there are those who fully dedicate themselves and are rewarded for using mathematical strategies. No matter where you fit in, today we will see some curiosities about the lotteries of Japan and Brazil.
Previously, we wrote an article talking about gambling in Japan, but in this article, we will specifically talk about the lotteries in Japan.
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Lotteries in Brazil
In Brazil, the lottery emerged in 1784, in Vila Rica, the former capital of Minas Gerais. After that, lotteries spread throughout the country. The first regulation in Brazil was published on April 27, 1844.
In 1961, President Jânio Quadros determined that the Federal Government would be the only responsible party for conducting lotteries in the country and that the drawing system would be managed by the Caixa Econômica Federal.
It was in 1996 that one of the most famous games in Brazil emerged, the beloved Mega Sena, which takes place twice a week. Only in 2008 did the famous Mega da Virada appear, which occurs on December 31.
In Brazil, there are generally about 10 types of games. Some have been discontinued, but we can usually list the following modalities in Brazil:
- Mega-Sena;
- Timemania;
- Lotofácil;
- Lotomania;
- Dupla Sena;
- Quina;
- Lotogol;
- Loteca;
- Loteria Federal;
- Dia de Sorte;
There are other lotteries that were discontinued due to fraud, such as toto bola, or the famous scratch cards of Instant Lottery that were discontinued due to a federal decree.
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How do some people play the lottery?
Both in the West and in Japan, people have the habit of playing lucky numbers, numbers they dreamed of, or other things. In Japan, the culture of luck prevails greatly due to their Shinto and Buddhist beliefs.
Some use lottery generators, perform advanced calculations, and use real strategies in order to win, even if they are small prizes. There are people who live solely from betting.
Once, I stood in line at a lottery outlet to pay a bill, and the woman spent almost an hour filling out about 100 lottery tickets. She was probably determined to win.
Takarakuji – Lottery in Japan
Takarakuji [宝くじ] is the name given to the Japanese Lottery, where takara [宝] means treasure and [くじ] means lottery. In other words, literally “Treasure Lottery.”
Unlike Brazil, where it is more common to buy tickets and scratch cards at lottery outlets, in Japan you can buy them at the city hall, convenience stores, specialized points called takarakuji, and also at convenience stores.
The prices of tickets for lottery games usually range from 100 to 500 yen, and prizes can exceed 100,000 yen. Below we can see the different types of lottery games that exist in Japan:
Nenmatsu Jumbo Takarakuji – The largest lottery in Japan that takes place on the last day of the year, similar to Mega da Virada. Tickets are sold in sealed packages without selecting numbers.
Jumbo Green, Jumbo Dream, and Jumbo Summer – In addition to the New Year’s lottery, there are 3 other jumbo lotteries that occur in: March (Green), June (Dream), and August (Summer).
Mini Lotto – The ticket costs ¥ 200, and the games take place on Tuesdays. In this game, you choose 5 numbers from 1 to 31, and a bonus number is randomly selected by the machine.
Numbers 4 – You need to choose a number between 0000 and 9999. Those who guess the number can win up to more than one million yen.
Numbers 3 – You choose a number between 000 and 999. The draw takes place during the week at 6:45 PM. Those who guess the number can win up to ¥ 80,000. The ticket usually costs 200 yen.
Loto 6 and 7 – 06 or 07 main digits are drawn, quite similar to Mini Lotto.
Sukuratchi – These are scratch cards with instant prizes. Tickets usually cost between ¥ 100 (Lucky 3) and ¥ 200 (Puzzles Scratch, Mrs. Happy Link, and Scratch Lottery).
Kuji no Hi – Drawing Day
When you buy Takarakuji tickets, at any time of the year, keep them until the next September 2, even if you haven’t won anything.
On this date, mini prizes are drawn, and it is called kuji no hi [くじの日]. If you have the drawn number on one or more tickets, you win a small prize.
If your number is drawn, just go to the nearest lottery outlet or request the hagaki (postcard) to choose one of the prize options for the year.
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