TOTO

DEFINITION

A lottery gaming activity in Singapore.

ETYMOLOGY

• The Mandarin term “多多” is a transliteration of the English term “TOTO”, which is a combination of the English words “totalisator” and “lotto”.
• In the 1960s, illegal gambling syndicates were rife in Singapore. Under such a background, Singapore Pools Limited was established in 1968 as Singapore’s legal gaming operator. In the same year, Singapore Pools launched TOTO, which became the first lottery game in the company\'s history.
• When it was first launched, TOTO bettors had to bet on five out of 49 numbers. In June 1988, the number of options has been reduced to 42 selectable numbers, of which bettors had to choose six.
• After 1 June 1997, the number of selectable numbers was changed to 45. TOTO bettors had to bet on six out of 45 numbers, and would win a prize if they had chosen at least three of the winning numbers. The prize amount was dependent on the number of winning numbers chosen.
• In October 2014, the number of selectable numbers was reverted to 49. Bettors could bet on seven numbers (six numbers and one additional number).
• Singapore Pools launches a TOTO Hong Bao Draw over the Chinese New Year period, with huge prizes of up to $10 million.
• Today, the winning TOTO numbers are drawn on Mondays and Thursdays.

SAMPLE SENTENCE

According to the rules of TOTO, if there is no winner for the Jackpot for three consecutive draws, the jackpot amount will be paid to the winners in a cascade draw. (Lianhe Zaobao, 26/08/2019)

TERMS USED IN OTHER REGIONS

六合彩 (Hong Kong)