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日本語/Japanese  Sun 10/21 23:08 JST
If you are living in Japan and have a lousy job that pays peanuts - or if you are an English language teacher at Nova not being payed at all, you need to either read my previous article on how to get a decent job in Japan or go for the lottery.

I think the format of the lottery here is the same in other countries - I remember the UK having this format. You get a machine readable bit of paper where you use a pen to etch in your wanted numbers.
Previous weeks numbers - for those who want to calculate and work out what this weeks numbers will be.
A device to generate numbers when your birth date and door number dont seem to be getting results.
Some Japanese lottery facts n figures below.
  • You don't have to hit all numbers to get something - I think 3 numbers get you something like 1,000 yen.
  • The lottery is so popular over here that you can even buy numbers at an ATM like Mizuho Bank.
  • The largest payout that I have been able to look up so far has been 400,000,000 yen back in 2000.
  • The money generated from the lottery business is usually allocated to the prefecture where the lottery was purchased which is why you may see "buy your lottery in Miyagi prefecture!" signs.
  • There are other forms of lottery where you just buy a ticket which has a number on it - winning numbers are published on the net and newspapers.
  • At the end of the year, the Japanese traditionally send a postcard to people they know as a new year greeting. Most of these postcards will have a lottery number.
Some lottery commercials below - love the sentai one ^^;
Categories
Polls
FEARtactics in Canada
Student
Registered on 2007/06/18 12:17
Yep, lottery here is just like lottery in Japan... Pick a set of numbers and hope they match ^^!
(ID #60470) Posted on 2007/10/21 23:22
syrix in U.S.
student
Registered on 2007/03/21 09:30
Gambling is illegal where I live so there is no "legal" gambling here.  
(ID #60472) Posted on 2007/10/21 23:49
animes in cephiro
mahou kishi
Registered on 2007/01/23 14:30
here the lotto is made of corruption and fraud, nobody know who won the lotto so is very easy to fake all
(ID #60477) Posted on 2007/10/22 01:12
Starboykb in Brunei Earth
IT TechGuy
Registered on 2007/05/16 00:05
Alll my family buy lottery. i won once last year in second place. I feel so good that time because i can clear off my debt lol ^^;;. 
(ID #60478) Posted on 2007/10/22 01:28
Shin in Port Swettenham
Aspiring Trap
Registered on 2007/10/20 23:04
No one in my family or my immediate relatives gamble, so I have no what it's like to buy lottery.
(ID #60480) Posted on 2007/10/22 02:04
Barsona in California USA
NEET (no, student...)
Registered on 2007/08/03 08:36
it's illegal to gamble in California...  But there is a loophole called Indian Gaming...  You know, at times America is a hypocritical country...
(ID #60484) Posted on 2007/10/22 02:43
hendrik in jakarta,indonesia
student
Registered on 2007/06/01 04:39
there's no lottery here, or i never seen it yet
(ID #60488) Posted on 2007/10/22 02:53
Alafista OTAKU in Singapore
Policy & Research Officer
Registered on 2006/12/25 11:34
I've tried once on Chinese New Year a few years back, since I didn't win anything I decided that I will never buy again. =P
(ID #60489) Posted on 2007/10/22 02:55
XSportSeeker in Brazil
Hikikomori
Registered on 2007/08/22 05:30
lotery in Brazil is a pretty big thing. And we have all sorts of them... the ones you have to get less points, but gain less money... ones that involves brazilian soccer... others that you have an almost impossible chance of becoming millionaire.
(ID #60498) Posted on 2007/10/22 03:37
Evo_Spec in Alberta, Canada
Registered on 2007/10/21 13:13
no one in my family buys lottery tickets (anymore) but my dad gambles, hard
(ID #60504) Posted on 2007/10/22 04:17
CyruzDraxs in Kelowna, BC, Canada
Web Design & Development
Registered on 2007/09/11 09:43
My entire family has bought lottery tickets every week for 20 years and never won a thing, I randomly decided to buy one lottery ticket about a year ago just for the heck of it and won $100. 

The only time I've ever bought a lottery ticket I won.

...That's just my luck though--if I actually try for something I won't get it, but if I enter a contest out of boredom I will always win.

Maybe I should make sure I'm always bored and then buy more lottery tickets. ;)
(ID #60505) Posted on 2007/10/22 05:37
notfair in Malaysia
Student, ACG Fans
Registered on 2007/08/14 16:34
wow, Lottery also have advertise. My country i cant see any in TV ...
(ID #60506) Posted on 2007/10/22 06:26
McKlain in Spain
Web Designer
Registered on 2007/05/11 17:10
Here in Spain we have a few different kinds of lottery.

This is one of the summer commercials for the "Cupón de la ONCE", it's really funny:

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=GEE4dFd3VQk

And this one is the infamous bald man from the christmas lottery commercials:

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=tUJlD28q_xM
(ID #60509) Posted on 2007/10/22 07:13
Helterran in Dallas, TX
Student who love anime and asian girls=3
Registered on 2007/02/09 12:02
lol I brought lotto lately in U.S.... I was lucky enough to spend $1 and won $150.. by winning 4 number out of 6......

just 1 more # then i could have gotten $250,000!!!!!!!!!!! I was like going insane...

still this is one of the biggest lotto that i won...

i was about to say OMFG when i notice that the first 4 number matches.. almost got all 6.. when i found out that last 2 number didnt match.
(ID #60510) Posted on 2007/10/22 07:57
erGuiri in Las Palmas, Spain
In Spain we pretty much invented the stuff... and it's all "National" (tax free) .. Ask Hector 'Kirai'
(ID #60511) Posted on 2007/10/22 08:18
koy in Luxembourg
Here we also have fast win tickets where you scratch a protected area of the ticket to unveil different symbols. If the ticket has 3 matching symbols you win :) (goes up to half a million euro, depending on the ticket)

And the most popular "normal lottery"(like in Japan) is the "EuroMillions" here. It goes over all of Europe, and some people won over 400milion Euro :)
(ID #60512) Posted on 2007/10/22 09:07
AK-kun in Singapore
Writer.
Registered on 2007/06/19 22:48
Quite similar to the Singaporean system actually. Better known locally as '4D', meaning 'four digits'.

Dad buys twice a week. I remember one incident he forgot to put in our house number, even after mum had reminded him, and it turned out that said number won second place after all. ^_^;;
(ID #60514) Posted on 2007/10/22 10:18
Jamaipanese in Jamaica
overemployed
Registered on 2007/05/28 13:15
the lottery in Jamaica is huge

I buy from time to time but never win -_-
(ID #60525) Posted on 2007/10/22 13:30
Edward in Michigan U.S.A.
Troubleshooter, Universal Exports
Registered on 2006/12/24 12:02
Sounds similar to Lottery in most places here in the states.  I haven't been playing the lottery all that much since I moved back to Michigan.  I'm sure my dad plays all the time.

Ah yes, Nova is living up to it's name...
(ID #60535) Posted on 2007/10/22 15:48
BeLe in Davao, Philippines
.NET/Web Developer
Registered on 2007/01/03 16:36
the lottery is the same over here as well.  my parents gets one every week hoping to be lucky. heheh. i think it's just a waste of money. XD
(ID #60540) Posted on 2007/10/22 16:43
Taaron in Texas
Registered on 2007/08/27 12:42
Sounds similar to the lotto in Texas. Do they have scratch-off tickets in Japan? I find those to be more fun. (Though, the Pac-man tickets always let me down. T_T ) 

And the Sentai commercial was great. Did they actually use bits of the costume? The helmet reminds me of the Megaranger helmet.

T   
(ID #60542) Posted on 2007/10/22 17:34
Boris in USA
Interactive Media Design and Graphic Design
Registered on 2006/12/26 00:12
i buy the ones where its like a crossword puzzle and if you get 3 words you can get some money, but so far i only won $2 one time :( lol
(ID #60547) Posted on 2007/10/22 18:24
D_Blade in Montreal
Non-profit org. volunteering work addict
Registered on 2006/12/31 22:48
My family LOVES to gamble (another diehard stereotype says Asian people are fond of betting money). Casino (slots), lottery, horse races (my father especially) and card games (but not poker) are some of the money games that plague their minds and wallets.

I decided not to follow them and as everyone must have guessed by now (why would I be here otherwise?), I prefer to play videogames, listen to game and anime songs and watch anime episodes when I can. Internet is another big chunck of my life, even if I try to remain as most active and socialize the most possible I can.

I also am aware of the value of money (sometimes too much), so gambling is definitely not an option for me. If you ever see me become money-avid, it will signify that I would have become really brainwashed and have sunk to the very bottom of the abyss of the human mind (just kidding... Gamblers, just don't end broken and get buried by debt loans). XD
(ID #60550) Posted on 2007/10/22 21:31
D_Blade in Montreal
Non-profit org. volunteering work addict
Registered on 2006/12/31 22:48
*broke. Oopsie! Sorry, sorry!

Maybe broken too in fact, if you begin to steal or try something stupid against the mafia or government.
(ID #60551) Posted on 2007/10/22 21:33
JapanAnime in Hilversum, Holland
Student Business Economics
Registered on 2007/08/05 18:23
These forms of lottery are very simillar to the lotteries we have in Holland. The lottery where you fill in your own numbers is called "Lotto" and the one where the numbers are picked for you is called "Staatsloterij" (which is still a property of the Dutch state). Lotto's slogan (translated to English) is "Lotto, the biggest risk of becoming a millionaire" and they have some funny commercials as well. Here are a few commercials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQVgKq7Ee1g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-smXDqV2pU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt-xZ1JY9c8
(ID #60564) Posted on 2007/10/22 23:44
Nathan in Atlanta, GA, USA
student
Registered on 2007/08/22 22:03
My family and I see the lottery as basically a waste of money. Personally, around here I see it as steeling from poor people, however, the lottery is paying for my schooling right now, so I can't bash it too much (not because I won, the lottery here funds certain scholarships). 

So in some ways it's good, in others it's bad. I played it once and wish I had spent that dollar on a Coke or something that I could have actually enjoyed. It's a waste of money. There's a better chance of getting struck by lightning 2 times in a year than winning the lottery. So yeah, I don't play.
(ID #60584) Posted on 2007/10/23 03:29
Henry in Makati, Philippines
anime/cosplay events organizer
Registered on 2006/12/25 19:17
lottery there is the same as here but instead of the money will be given to the prefecture where the ticket was bought, it'll be used by the Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) for charity purposes.

as the prize money gets bigger, more and more people buys lottery tickets and hoping to win and become easy millionaires

the prize money here could get as high as Php xxx,xxx,xxx.00 or almost US$ xx,xxx,xxx.00
(ID #60585) Posted on 2007/10/23 03:32
D_Blade in Montreal
Non-profit org. volunteering work addict
Registered on 2006/12/31 22:48
(I see that my comment here has some typos dispersed to the four winds)

Nathan, the thing is that lottery is not a direct steal. It's more like fishing, with a lure and a hook or the other usual image of the carrot and the stick.

If you are mentally resistant to the sirens of gambling, you're safe. Being realistic, not thinking too much on the big rewards with microscopic success rates or being aware that 1 + 1 + 1  + 1... etc. makes something big in the end can save your hide.

Sadly some are so desperate that instead of saving and trying to improve their situation, they dig their very own grave even quicker. 
The image of the clinics for game addicts in Las Vegas is especially striking. You can lose everything just for the sake of thinking you can be rich with just a stroke. Sad, real sad.
(ID #60598) Posted on 2007/10/23 04:27
tanooki in US
EE
Registered on 2007/03/29 10:50
How much does it cost to buy one ticket? 
In california it costs $1 per ticket you have to be 18 years old and the starting value of the super lotto is like $4,000,000 and I've seen it go up as high as $124,000,000
(ID #60656) Posted on 2007/10/23 18:22
D_Blade in Montreal
Non-profit org. volunteering work addict
Registered on 2006/12/31 22:48
By the way Danny, are you on the gambling side?
(ID #60677) Posted on 2007/10/23 22:21
Danny Choo in Tokyo
Director/代表取締役
Registered on 2006/12/11 11:06
D Blade,
Not really. But I guess starting up a business is a kind of gamble...

Tanooki,
About 100 yen (1 USD)

JapanAnime,
Great commercials!

Taaron,
Scratch off available too.

McKlain,
Some great commercials from Spain too!
(ID #60684) Posted on 2007/10/23 23:05
lin-da-kenobi in Long Beach
college student
Registered on 2007/08/16 02:56
my family buys it from time to time but i don't really like to gamble
(ID #60730) Posted on 2007/10/24 04:14
kousaka in US
student
Registered on 2007/09/02 00:51
playing lottery sucks.  The chances of winning anything are slim and i have wasted money that i could have used on something more meaningful.. like figures.
(ID #60799) Posted on 2007/10/24 21:19
Brisk in Colorado, US
Freelance Opportunist
Registered on 2007/10/25 02:21
Do the prefectures use the money for public works projects? That's the only real good I see coming from it. Stuff for the community like parks and trails. I play every now and then, usually only with a very high jackpot.
But the odds aren't very good, especially when your highest odds game is pick 5.
(ID #60967) Posted on 2007/10/25 17:02
terry in Singapore
=.=!
Registered on 2007/08/02 23:32
though i don't play lottery.. i have been on much of a look out for lottery in my country and i can say i really looks similar to the system in my country
(ID #61254) Posted on 2007/10/28 13:57
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