You will be amazed to know that in Australia, lotteries were a feature of colonial life from the 1830s onward and were not illegal. The first state-run Lottery did not commence until after the Federation when the Queensland Golden Casket lottery began in 1916.
The Golden Casket was permitted because its proceeds were used for philanthropic purposes. Other states followed with their state-ethnostate-authorised One of the major Australian Lottery organisations, the Golden Casket Lottery Corporation.
Historical Facts
Golden Casket is recognised as the world’s leading lottery organisation by the Queensland Government from 1920 to 2007. On 29 June 2007, Golden Casket Lottery Corporation became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tatts Group. During 2004-2005, Golden Casket had an annual turnover of more than $813 million and returned almost $203.6 million to the Queensland Government to support various community projects for the people of Queensland.
Golden Casket has operated in Queensland since 1916. The first Golden Casket draw Lottery was conceived by the Entertainment Committee of the Queensland Patriotic Fund to raise funds for veterans of World War One.
The historic drawing of the first Casket was conducted on 14 June 1917 and was held at the Brisbane Stadium (Festival Hall). Since cash prizes were prohibited by law, the first prize was a casket of gold valued at £5,000 (the equivalent of 30 years’ salary). This Casket was immediately repurchased from winners for the cash value of the prize. Thus, the word ‘casket’ (a small box of fine workmanship for jewellery and precious items) was enshrined in the name of the Queensland-run lotteries.
The Queensland Government took over running Golden Casket in 1920, and within just one year, Golden Casket’s profits raised two per cent of the Queensland Government’s total budget.
In the early days, Golden Casket had just one Art Union. Over the years, it has increased its frequency and type of games, and today, it gives away more than $400 million in prizes per year through a range of lottery games.
Since 1992, Golden Casket has directed $1.5 million each year to Queensland Health for special projects relating to children’s health. The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Mater Children’s Hospital Trust have received $500,000 yearly. The remainder is allocated to various children’s health projects throughout the State.
The Golden Casket Foundation was officially announced on 18 April 2005 as a key addition to the Queensland Government’s Smart State Policy. Established to fund worthwhile Queensland-based initiatives, the Golden Casket Foundation is envisaged to continue positively impacting the lives of many Queenslanders both now and in the future.
Games at Golden Casket
Golden Casket, nearing its century, has provided entertaining games of chance to Queenslanders and generated much-needed funds for worthwhile community projects all over the State. Golden Casket markets the well-known brands of Gold Lotto, Oz Lotto, Powerball, Instant Scratch-Its and The Pools, which are as much a part of Queensland life as beaches and BBQs.
Gold Lotto
Gold Lotto aims to match as many winning numbers drawn from the barrel as possible with the numbers in a single game on your ticket.
- Gold Lotto has forty-five balls numbered 1 to 45, eight selected randomly during the draw. The first six balls drawn are the “winning numbers”, and the last two drawn are the “supplementary numbers”. You win if you match the right combination of winning and supplementary numbers with your entry.
- Gold Lotto is drawn on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday nights and broadcast at approximately 8:30 pm on 7TWO in Queensland and affiliated regional stations. Results are available online shortly after the draw has been conducted.
- Saturday Gold Lotto offers the chance to share in an estimated $4 Million Division 1 prize pool each Saturday, and Super draws of up to and over $20 Million throughout the year. Saturday Gold Lotto also offers you the chance to play and win $30 Million or more in the special Mega draw event held during Christmas/New Year period.
- Monday and Wednesday, Gold Lotto offers the chance to win a guaranteed $1 Million Division 1 prize for up to four winners (the total is shared if there are more than four winners).
- QuickPicks are perfect if you are playing lotto for the first time because your numbers are generated at random for you. QuickPicks are available in the following sizes: Regular QuickPick – 12 Games, Super QuickPick – 18 Games, Mega QuickPick – 24 Games, Jumbo QuickPick – 36 Games, Maxi QuickPick – 50 Games.
- You can mark your favourite numbers on a coupon: Take a Gold Lotto coupon at your local Golden Casket Outlet or select your numbers when you buy Gold Lotto online. Mark 6 numbers in each game panel, and Play 4 – 18 game panels.
- System Entry allows you to play more numbers per game for a greater chance to win. For example, you need all six winning numbers to win Division 1 in Gold Lotto. To increase your chances of winning, you could play a System 9, which means you can choose nine numbers for that game rather than the usual six, giving you 84 equivalent games. Have a Gold Lotto coupon; Mark 7 – 20 numbers in each game panel (e.g. mark 9 numbers for a System 9 Entry, etc). Play 1 – 50 games on a QuickPick, Play 1 – 18 games on a marked coupon, Mark the “System/Pick” check box on your coupon or select this option when you buy Gold Lotto online.
- In Pick entry, you can guarantee yourself either one or two of the winning numbers required to win that game. For example, if you play a Pick 4 Entry for Gold Lotto, you are guaranteed two out of the six winning numbers, and you only have to pick the remaining four in that game panel. Take a Gold Lotto coupon, and for a Pick 4 entry, mark 4 numbers in each game panel (it gives you 2 out of the 6 winning numbers). For a Pick 5 entry – mark 5 numbers in each game panel (gives you 1 out of the 6 winning numbers). Play 1 – 50 games on a QuickPick and 1 – 18 games on a marked coupon.
- When playing a Standard, System or Pick Entry, if you have marked only a few game panels and want to play a bigger entry, all you have to do is ask for a Top Up. The remaining game panels are randomly generated as standard games up to 12, 18, 24, 36 or 50 games. Inform your Retailer of how many games you want to top up to, or if you are purchasing online, you can select the ‘QuickPick row’ or ‘QuickPick un-filled games’ options to Top Up a Standard, System or Pick Entry.
- If you don’t want to miss getting your Gold Lotto entry in, have a Multi-week entry! It allows you to play the same numbers in your favourite Gold Lotto game for 2 to 10 weeks.
- Also, try a Gold Lotto Superdraw. Entries for specific draws are available up to 10 weeks before any lotto draw date.
- Winners Circle members can store up to 50 sets of favourite games and numbers on their Winners Circle card. Present your card at your local Golden Casket Outlet and ask to play a Favorite. You can record any marked coupon or QuickPick entry as a favourite. Online members can also save Favorites for use when buying online. Favourites recorded to a Winners Circle card, linked to an online account, can be played online and in-store at a Golden Casket Outlet.
Powerball
This game guarantees a minimum division one prize pool of $3 million every Thursday and can jackpot to $50 million or more; Powerball could give you the power to change it all.
6 balls are drawn from 40 balls numbered 1 to 40 from the first barrel, and 1 Powerball is drawn from 20 balls numbered 1 to 20 from the second barrel.
To win the first division, you need to match all 6 winning numbers plus the Powerball in a single game. Powerball is drawn on Thursday nights and broadcast at approximately 8:30 pm on 7TWO in Queensland and affiliated regional stations (check your local TV guide).
- When you play a PowerHit Entry, you’re guaranteed the winning Powerball number. Like a System entry, a PowerHit gives you more chances to win multiple prize divisions.
- With a PowerHit, to win Division 1, you only need to match the first six winning numbers.
- A PowerHit40 entry is equivalent to 40 standard Powerball games.
- You can buy in-store at your local Golden Casket outlet. Ask for a PowerHit40 QuickPick, or you can have a Powerball coupon and mark at least two game panels, ensuring that you also mark the “PowerHit” box in each corresponding Powerball panel.
- You can buy online. Choose a PowerHit40 entry and add it to your card, or choose your own favourite numbers across the number of games you have selected.
Oz Lotto
- Oz Lotto for Australians is BIG jackpots guaranteeing a minimum division one prize pool of $ 2 million and can jackpot to $50 million or more!
- Every Tuesday night, 9 balls are randomly drawn from forty-five balls numbered 1 to 45. The first seven balls drawn are the “winning numbers”, and the last two are the “supplementary numbers.”
- To win the first division, you must match 7 numbers in a single game with the 7 winning numbers from the draw.
- Oz Lotto is drawn each Tuesday night and broadcast at approximately 8:30 pm on 7TWO in Queensland and affiliated regional stations (check your local TV guide).
Lucky Lotteries
Lucky Lottery is a jackpot game in which the winner takes the lot. Both the Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot game and the Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot game have a set number of tickets to be sold. Once all the tickets in a draw are sold, the draw for that particular game can take place.
- To buy a ticket, complete a Lucky Lotteries entry coupon, buy online or ask your Golden Casket retailer for a Lucky Lotteries ticket.
- Once you have decided whether you want to play the Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot or Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot game, to play Lucky Lotteries is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3
- Choose numbers in either random or sequential order
- Choose how many numbers you’d like: 1 – 10 random or up to 2000 sequential
- Choose which draw you want to enter: current or 1 – 10 advance draws for Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot or current or 1 – 2 advance draws for Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot.
The Pools
If you’re a soccer fanatic, The Pools is your product. Each week, various European and Australian soccer matches are assigned a number from 1 to 38. The Pool’s six winning numbers are based on the results of those matches played. “Drawn” is when both teams score the same number of goals. To win, you must select which of the week’s matches will end with a drawn result.
Super 66
Super 66 gives you a chance to win whenever you play Saturday or Wednesday Gold Lotto, Oz Lotto, Powerball or The Pools. You can add a Super 66 entry to your QuickPick entry or on your marked coupon, which costs just $1.10 per game. When you play, a six-digit number is randomly generated for you, compiled from numbers 0 – 9. Six balls are drawn every Saturday night after the Gold Lotto draw, and the more numbers you match in order, the more you win.
Buying Ticket
You can buy the Oz Lotto, Powerball and Gold Lotto entries online directly from the website. Register yourself online with easy single steps.
- To register online, you must be 18 years of age or older and a resident of Queensland. Once you have opened an account, you can deposit and make online purchases whenever you wish.
- No minimum account balance or spending requirements exist, and tickets are the same price at Golden Casket retail shops.
- Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive a welcome email with your member login details. You can also check your entire transaction history online through your account.
- If you have funds in your lotto account, you can buy a QuickPick in 60 seconds, play favourites (including favourites on your Winners Circle card), and buy them all from a single page.
- You can also transfer funds into an account using BPay or with Visa or MasterCard through a secure payment gateway.
- If you win from an online purchase, you will be emailed and informed automatically. Your money will be deposited directly into your lotto account, usually the next day.
- All your online transaction is secured.
- When you join, provide your Winners Circle card number. You can view all your Retail transaction history, have prizes paid into your online account, and pay your card fees online.
- All members are required to confirm their age and identity before being able to withdraw funds from their accounts. You have 90 days to verify your account, which you can do quickly and easily online.
Winners Circle Card
Winners Circle is the membership program that gives you the safest way to play. It offers you next-day automatic prize payments direct to your online account. Use your card to add your favourites and participate in the weekly bonus draw.
- Every time you use your Winners Circle card in-store, and if you’ve won a prize, you will automatically receive your prize cheque or have to deposit the prize money into your online lottery account or bank account four weeks after the last draw on the ticket.
- If you have a Winners Circle card and you lose a registered ticket or your card, a security ‘stop’ can be placed on your ticket, preventing it from being paid to someone else, provided it hasn’t already been claimed.
- Link your Winners Circle card to your online account for online access to view your ticket and prize history (including unclaimed retail prizes), set up online prize payments, keep your details up to date, check your tickets, and pay your card membership fees.
- Exclusive to Winners Circle members, five lucky members each win $5,000 in the Bonus Draws every week. There’s $1.3 million in bonus prizes given to Winners Circle members yearly. Using your Winners Circle card when you play lotto, you’ll automatically receive one entry in a draw for every $1 you spend. Online purchases are also eligible, where members have an active Winners Circle membership linked to their online lottery account.
- Join online, and you’ll get an account with a linked Winners Circle card. You can also pay your Winners Circle membership fees online. You can pay your membership fees for one, two, three, or five years.
- You can also pick up an application form in-store. Your Winners Circle card will be delivered within 21 days and all cards come with a convenient key ring card that works like a Winners Circle card.
Claiming Prize
- For Winners Circle members, it’s easy to check if they’ve won a prize. Have their card scanned in-store at a Golden Casket Outlet, and the gaming terminal will let them know if they have any unclaimed prizes.
- All prizes less than $1,500 and Lucky Lotteries free tickets can be claimed at any Golden Casket Outlet selling lotto games by presenting your Winners Circle card with your winning ticket.
- Prizes less than $1,500 and Lucky Lotteries free tickets may be claimed at any Golden Casket Outlet that sells lotto games or Instant Scratch-Its tickets. At their discretion, some outlets may pay prizes higher than $1,500 (up to the outlet’s payout limit authorised by Caskett.
- Prizes $1,500 and over may be claimed in person at Golden Casket Lottery Corporation, 87 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland 4102. These prizes will be paid by cheque or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). To collect your prize in person at Golden Casket, you will need The original lotto ticket or Instant Scratch-Its ticket and Signature identification such as a driver’s Licence or Passport.
- If claiming all or part of a prize from a winning lotto ticket registered to a Winners Circle card on someone else’s behalf, you will also need a signed letter of authorisation identification for the claimant and the registered player(s).
- First-division prizes and Lucky Lotteries jackpot prizes are only available for payment from the first business day two weeks following the draw. All lower division prizes (excluding Lucky Lotteries) are available from 8:30 am on the next business day after the draw. Street address: 87 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba QLD 4102 Business hours: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday Or Call Golden Casket on 131 868 during business hours: 8 am – 5 pm – Monday to Saturday, 8 am – 2 pm – Sunday.
- You can also download and complete the Prize Claim Form, ensuring the details from your winning lotto tickets and Instant Scratch-Its tickets are included. Your ticket number is at the very top of your lotto ticket, and the Draw number and date (where applicable) are just under the final game.
- For Instant Scratch-Its tickets, the game code is just under the ticket’s value, and the Ticket Validation Barcode number is directly underneath the barcode at the top of the ticket.
- Include the completed Prize Claim Form in an envelope with the ORIGINAL winning lotto tickets and Instant Scratch-Its tickets, remembering to keep copies for your records. If you claim an Instant Scratch-Its ticket, provide your name, address, and signature on the back. Affix a postage stamp and post to Administration Locked Bag 7 Coorparoo DC Qld 4151
- Alternatively, you can pick up a Prize Claim Form at your local Golden Casket Outlet and complete it by following the same steps. Your prize payment should be processed and paid within 10 working days of receipt of your claim form by Golden Casket or after the necessary waiting periods as listed.
- If your lotto ticket (except Instant Scratch-Its tickets) is not registered to a Winners Circle card, you will need to complete a Lost or Damaged Ticket Search form. This will assist us in locating your ticket in our lottery system. There is a fee associated with this search.
- Even though Saturday Gold Lotto, Monday and Wednesday Gold Lotto, Oz Lotto, Powerball, The Pools, Super 66 and Lucky Lotteries tickets can be purchased in multiple states, prizes can only be claimed within the State where the entry was initially purchased. Instant Scratch-Its can be claimed in Queensland, Tasmania or the Northern Territory.