Mark Six

The first iteration of Mark Six, known as in Chinese (), was launched on 5 September 1975, in an effort to battle the then-popular tse fa () illegal lottery draws. First iteration The first iteration of Mark Six was a 6-out-of-14 drawing, with a guaranteed jackpot of HK$120,000. At the time, winning the Mark Six jackpot would allow a person to buy an apartment flat in Tsim Sha Tsui, which cost, on average, HK$80,000. The 2nd prize requires the winner to select five of the six winning numbers, in the order the numbers are drawn. On 6 July 1976, The game was revamped to a 6-out-of-36 format, ==The game==

The game is a 6-out-of-49 lottery-style game, with seven prize levels. the final number for each Mark Six drawing, known as the special number in Chinese () and the extra number in English, is drawn out of the same machine as the other six numbers drawn. If nobody wins the 1st and 2nd prizes, the money that would have been paid out for the prizes will be added to a Jackpot (多寶獎) in the next draw. If there are winners of the first prize, these winners take the jackpot fund as well. If again there is no winner, the process continues until there is, and in such cases 1st division winnings can build up to about HKD$100 million (compared to the normal HKD$8 million 1st division prize), as seen several times in 2004, 2005, 2016. For each draw, a certain percentage (see below for details) of the entry money is deducted and placed into a Snowball Pool. On selected draws, the Snowball Pool is added to the 1st division prize as well. These draws are known as Snowball Draws (金多寶). The HKJC decides which draws are snowball draws. Usually the date is chosen to match a public holiday or festival, and the draw is named accordingly. These draws are very popular due to their large 1st division prizes. Each unit of numbers costs HK$10, which, following a big price cut in 1976 and subsequent price increases over the years, is at the same level as when the first drawing was held in 1975. == Prize ==

Prize allocations are governed by rules established by HKJC Lotteries, which operates the Mark Six lottery. Prizes for 1st to 3rd division wins are calculated based on a complex formula, with a guaranteed minimum prize fund for 1st division prizes. Prizes below 3rd division wins are fixed at a certain amount, and do not change. Notes ==Drawings==

Since 2004, Mark Six drawings are held three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday, and either Saturday or Sunday. That arrangement was later expanded to include both Saturdays and Sundays, to be held on a day with no horse races scheduled. Drawings have also been delayed due to computer errors at betting stations that prevent tickets from being sold. Since the first Mark Six drawing, HKJC has used four different generation of lottery machines to draw the winning numbers. The first machine was flown in to Hong Kong from Germany, Fairness To ensure the draw's fairness, a number of measures are taken. Employees with HKJC's security and customer service departments will strictly check and test all materials used for the draw, from boxing to transport. Balls used in the draw are also measured, weighed, and examined by X-Ray on a regular basis, and both the balls and the draw machine is locked in a safe location following each draw. ==Broadcast==

Mark Six drawings have been televised on either of Hong Kong's terrestrial television networks throughout its history. Save for a period between 1997 and 2001, Asia Television was the sole terrestrial broadcaster of Mark Six lottery drawings until July 2015. The televised drawings are known to be amongst the most viewed programmes for ATV, a station that has suffered from low ratings for decades. The televised drawings are known for featuring the song "Inkpot" by Dutch band Shocking Blue as its background music. ==Probability of win==

The probability of winning the first prize is noted to be 1 in 13,983,816, and the odds of winning any of the prizes is noted to be 1 in 54, which is higher than other lotteries in other parts of the world. ==Allocation of bets==

In addition to the 54% deduction of the bets made to from the Prize Fund, proceeds from the total amount of bets made are also allocated to various taxes and causes. Lottery duty 25% of the total amount of bets made are paid out to the Government of Hong Kong in the form of a lottery duty. Lotteries Fund 15% of the total amount of bets made are deposited into a Lotteries Fund used for financing social welfare capital projects. and the Mark Six has raised over HK$20 billion for the Lotteries Fund from 1976 to 2016. In the 2016–2017 fiscal year, Mark Six drawings contributed approximately HK$1.276 billion to the Lotteries Fund. Commission 6% of the total amount of bets made are paid out to the HKJC as commission, which is used to cover various operating costs. ==Popularity==

According to a 2012 report by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau, 56% of the 2,024 people surveyed said they had made bets on the Mark Six. ==References==