New Year's Wish is 'Lotto 1st Prize'
"I Endure the Week Looking Forward to Saturday"
Lottery Sales Surge Amid Economic Hardship
Projected Sales This Year 7.29 Trillion Won...Record High
"For Lunar New Year gifts to relatives, instead of heavy tuna and ham sets, I plan to give lottery tickets. I purchased 100,000 won worth."
When asked about hopes and wishes for the new year, many people name 'winning the lottery first prize,' making the lottery sales peak around the end and beginning of the year. Every week, more than 10 first prize winners emerge, driven by the hope that they might be the new year's lucky one. Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the reporter visited the 'Lotto hotspot' in Yeongdeungpo-gu, where the store doors were wide open despite the cold weather due to the long queue of people waiting to buy lottery tickets.
When asked about their New Year's hopes and wishes, many people mention "winning the first prize in the lottery," making the lottery sales peak around the end and beginning of the year. The photo is not directly related to the article.
At the Yeongdeungpo-gu lotto store, known as one of the top 10 nationwide lotto hotspots, employee Park Sang-il (49) said, "As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches, more customers buy lottery tickets hoping for good fortune in the new year," adding, "Many people buy multiple tickets to gift lottery tickets to their relatives during the holiday." The glass window was plastered with huge stickers certifying 18 first prizes and 57 second prizes. The total lotto winnings sold here have accumulated to about 38 billion won. Six months ago, the 18th first prize winner (draw 1079) also came from this place.
Inside the store, employees worked in pairs to handle the influx of customers. Since credit cards are not accepted and only cash payments are allowed, with most purchases made in 10,000 or 50,000 won increments without change, the payment process did not take much time. On the wall table, there were sign pens and papers to mark numbers, but since it is known that "automatic picks have a higher chance than manual," many people mechanically shouted "automatic" and paid when it was their turn.
A popular lottery spot in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Around 8 p.m. on the 6th, citizens are lining up to buy lottery tickets. Photo by Hyunju Park phj0325@
Employee Park said, "Besides lotto, we also sell pension lottery tickets and scratch-off tickets like Speedo, but lotto is the most purchased," adding, "Scratch-off tickets are popular among young people because the results come out immediately and are fun." Mr. Park, in his 70s, who runs another nearby lottery store, also said, "There are more customers after the new year," adding, "Young people buy a lot, and older people also buy. There is no age limit for lottery." He hinted, "Automatic picks win much more often. Manual picks are hard to win unless you have a good dream. All our first prize winners were automatic." This place has produced 3 first prize and 12 second prize winners.
Around 7 p.m. on the 6th, a citizen is purchasing a lottery ticket at a popular lottery spot in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunju Park phj0325@
Many people deliberately come from afar after checking the 'Lotto hotspots' map circulating online. Some of the nationally recognized lotto hotspots include ▲ 'Spa Convenience Store' in Nowon-gu, Seoul ▲ 'Lotto King' in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul ▲ 'Lotto Lounge' in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi ▲ 'Buil Car Service' in Dong-gu, Busan ▲ 'First Prize Lottery Convenience Store' in Dalseo-gu, Daegu ▲ 'Mokhwa Rest Area' in Sacheon-si, Gyeongnam.
The odds of winning the first prize are 1 in 8,150,000. Although the chance of being struck by lightning and dying while walking on the street is higher, people who buy lotto tickets spend their week waiting for the draw at 8:35 p.m. on Saturday. Office worker Kim Dong-hyuk (50), who buys 10,000 won worth of lotto tickets every week and checks the numbers after Monday meetings, said, "I don't buy it just to win, but having the lottery in mind during tough times at work often gives me comfort," adding, "Even though I know the odds are low, I buy lottery tickets because the economy is tough and life is hard, so I want to lean on something."
Lottery sales have been increasing every year. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance's Lottery Commission estimates this year's lottery sales to reach a record high of 7.2918 trillion won. This is an increase of 548.9 billion won (8.1%) compared to last year's estimate of 6.7429 trillion won. Lottery sales, which were 979.6 billion won in 2002, jumped to 4.2342 trillion won in 2003 and 3.4595 trillion won in 2004. In 2020, when COVID-19 occurred, sales exceeded 5 trillion won (5.4152 trillion won). According to the Lottery Commission, low-income groups have significantly increased their lottery spending. Households in the bottom 20% income bracket increased their lottery spending by 27.4% last year compared to the previous year, while the top 20% income group's spending increased by 7.0%.
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