A record HK$138 million ($7.7 million) Mark Six jackpot from the Hong Kong Jockey Club was split between two winning tickets, after off-course betting stations were swarmed in anticipation.
According to media reports, the Central betting branch saw wait times of over 40 minutes for ticket purchases on Tuesday.
This comes after a recent January 2nd draw saw no first prize winners, after the prize reached HK$100 million ($12.86 million).
The HK$138 million figure is the highest in the history of Hong Kong’s Mark Six lottery.
Each of the main winners won HK$69.23 million ($8.9 million), while 14 winners got the second prize, totaling HK$844,560 ($108,600) per ticket. Total betting for this Mark Six reached about HK$328.8 million ($42.28 million) due to the intense interest.
During the 2023/2024 season, the HKJC registered HK$304.9 billion ($39.23 billion) in bets from customers, with HK$8.5 billion ($1.1 billion) bet on the Mark Six Lottery, a yearly rise of 13.3 percent.
Revenue from the lottery totaled HK$3.9 billion ($501.73 million) during the period.
The HKJC operates Hong Kong’s only horse race and football betting, alongside the Mark Six lottery. The HKJC has been the authorized operator of the Mark Six lottery since 1975.
