The Australian lottery market offers a wide variety of games with different odds and jackpot sizes. Lotteries are very popular in Australia, with over 70% of adults playing at least one lottery game per year. With so many lottery games available, one common question is: which game provides the best odds for winning a prize? This article will examine the games with the best odds in the major Australian lotteries. We’ll look at the two national lottery games, Saturday Lotto and Powerball, as well as some of the state-based lotteries. Calculating the odds for different prize divisions and comparing the probability of winning across different games provides insights into which lottery truly gives players the best chance of winning.
Saturday Lotto
Saturday Lotto is a national lottery game run by The Lott in all Australian states except New South Wales. It offers a minimum $4 million jackpot each Saturday night that can jackpot to $30 million or more if not won. Here are the odds of winning the different prize divisions in Saturday Lotto:
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 (Jackpot) | 8,145,060 |
| Division 2 | 663,398 |
| Division 3 | 36,693 |
| Division 4 | 814 |
| Division 5 | 85 |
| Division 6 | 37 |
To win the Saturday Lotto jackpot (Division 1), you need to match all 6 winning numbers in a single game panel. The odds of hitting Division 1 are 1 in 8,145,060 for each standard game.
The Division 2 prize is won by matching 5 of the 6 winning numbers plus one or both supplementary numbers. This occurs in 1 out of every 663,398 games on average.
Matching 5 of the 6 winning numbers wins Division 3, which has odds of 1 in 36,693 per game.
Division 4 is won by having 4 of the 6 winning numbers, which happens about 1 in 814 games.
For Division 5, you need just 3 of the 6 numbers, giving odds of 1 in 85.
Finally, Division 6 is won by matching either 2 of the 6 winning numbers plus both supplementary numbers or just 1 of the 6 winning numbers plus both supplementaries. This occurs in approximately 1 out of every 37 games.
As you can see, the odds get progressively better as you move down the prize divisions. Saturday Lotto gives you a 1 in 85 chance of winning something back in Division 5, which is reasonable compared to other lottery games. But you realistically need to match at least 5 main numbers to have a shot at any significant prize money.
Powerball
Powerball is Australia’s huge national lottery game offered by The Lott in every state and territory. It holds the record for the biggest ever Australian lottery jackpot of $150 million. Here are the odds of winning in Powerball:
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 (Jackpot) | 134,490,400 |
| Division 2 | 3,384,200 |
| Division 3 | 478,768 |
| Division 4 | 36,689 |
| Division 5 | 34,646 |
| Division 6 | 1,345 |
| Division 7 | 100 |
| Division 8 | 37 |
Powerball has much longer odds than Saturday Lotto. To win the Division 1 jackpot, you need to match all 7 winning numbers (6 main numbers plus the Powerball). Doing this occurs in only 1 out of 134,490,400 games on average.
The Division 2 prize is won by matching the 6 main numbers but missing the Powerball. This still has incredibly long odds of 1 in 3,384,200 per game.
Matching 5 main numbers plus the Powerball wins Division 3, with chances of 1 in 478,768.
Division 4 is won by matching 5 main numbers (missing the Powerball) at odds of 1 in 36,689.
Matching 4 main numbers plus the Powerball wins Division 5, which happens about 1 in 34,646 games.
The odds then get shorter in the lower divisions. Division 6 is won by having 4 main numbers and no Powerball at 1 in 1,345.
Division 7 occurs by matching 3 main numbers plus the Powerball at odds of 1 in 100.
Finally, Division 8 is matching 2 main numbers plus the Powerball in 1 out of every 37 games.
As you can see, Powerball has some incredibly long odds due to the extra Powerball number needed to win the jackpot. Even matching 5 main numbers usually only wins a third division prize, unless you can also get the Powerball. But Powerball does offer better odds of winning smaller prizes for having just the Powerball number or a couple of main numbers.
New South Wales Lotteries
Saturday Lotto is not available in NSW, which instead has its own line-up of lottery games run by New South Wales Lotteries. Here are the top games and odds:
Saturday Lotto
This works the same was as the national Saturday Lotto game, with identical odds in each division.
Oz Lotto
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 | 45,379,620 |
| Division 2 | 3,775,764 |
| Division 3 | 229,882 |
| Division 4 | 36,689 |
| Division 5 | 2,320 |
| Division 6 | 178 |
| Division 7 | 81 |
Oz Lotto is a national lottery game drawn every Tuesday night with a $5 million minimum jackpot. It works similar to Saturday Lotto but with 7 main numbers instead of 6. The odds of winning Division 1 by matching all 7 numbers are 1 in 45,379,620.
Powerball
Powerball odds are the same nationwide. See details above.
Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| 1st Prize Jackpot | 1,446,656 |
| 2nd Prize | 109,433 |
| 3rd Prize | 31,689 |
| 4th Prize | 437 |
Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot is a NSW Lotteries draw game with a top prize starting at $100,000 and a second prize of $30,000. You need to match 6 out of 45 numbers to win the jackpot. The odds are better than Saturday Lotto at 1 in 1,446,656 to win first prize.
Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| 1st Prize Jackpot | 8,145,060 |
| 2nd Prize | 101,712 |
| 3rd Prize | 10,434 |
| 4th Prize | 206 |
Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot also has a $100,000 minimum first prize but longer odds of 1 in 8,145,060, the same as Saturday Lotto. Matching 6 of 45 numbers wins the jackpot.
TattsLotto
TattsLotto is the Saturday night lottery in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory run by The Lott. It is identical to Saturday Lotto above, with the same winning numbers and division odds nationwide.
Gold Lotto
Gold Lotto is the Wednesday night game in Queensland with the following odds:
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 | 8,145,060 |
| Division 2 | 663,398 |
| Division 3 | 36,689 |
| Division 4 | 814 |
| Division 5 | 85 |
| Division 6 | 37 |
Gold Lotto is essentially identical to Saturday Lotto, with the same number format and division odds. It provides exactly the same chances of winning the jackpot and other prizes.
Set for Life
Set for Life is a national lottery game from The Lott with the following fixed prize structure:
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 | 38,480,000 |
| Division 2 | 240,000 |
| Division 3 | 15,000 |
| Division 4 | 250 |
Instead of a jackpot, the Set for Life top prize is $20,000 per month for 20 years. The odds of winning it by matching all 8 numbers are 1 in 38,480,000. This makes it harder than Saturday Lotto or Powerball, but the prize is guaranteed.
Monday & Wednesday Lotto
These are the principal lotteries in Western Australia, run by Lotterywest. The odds are:
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 | 8,145,060 |
| Division 2 | 667,756 |
| Division 3 | 37,749 |
| Division 4 | 814 |
| Division 5 | 87 |
| Division 6 | 37 |
These Lotto games are essentially the same as Saturday Lotto, with identical Division 1 jackpot odds. Monday & Wednesday Lotto require 6 numbers from 45 for the jackpot.
Saturday Lotto Strike
Most Australian lotteries also offer supplementary “Strike” games on their major draws. These provide another way to win with much better odds.
For Saturday Lotto, you can play the Saturday Lotto Strike game. Here are the odds:
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 | 1,020,504 |
| Division 2 | 19,248 |
| Division 3 | 2,357 |
To win Division 1 you need to match the first 4 ball numbers drawn in exact order. This gives you odds of 1 in 1,020,504. Much shorter than the main Saturday Lotto game!
Division 2 is matching 3 of the 4 numbers in exact sequence at 1 in 19,248. Division 3 is getting 2 in a row at odds of 1 in 2,357.
Oz Lotto Super Jackpot
This is a revived game in NSW Lotteries where you need to match 6 numbers from 40 plus a Super Jackpot number. The odds by division are:
| Prize Division | Odds (1 in) |
| Division 1 | 4,485,898,000 |
| Division 2 | 2,152,904 |
| Division 3 | 77,426 |
| Division 4 | 3,212 |
| Division 5 | 406 |
The tiny odds of 1 in 4.4 billion for the Division 1 jackpot make this the hardest top prize to win in Australia. But the game offers reasonable odds of smaller wins like Division 5 at 1 in 406.
Which game has the best odds of winning?
Based on the official odds, Saturday Lotto Strike Division 3 offers the best chances of any prize division at just 1 in 2,357.
But looking at the major lotto games, Monday & Wednesday Lotto provides the most favorable odds of winning Division 1 at 1 in 8,145,060. This is because Monday & Wednesday Lotto has 45 numbers to choose from, compared to the larger pools in games like Powerball (40 numbers) and Oz Lotto (45 numbers plus Powerball).
So playing Monday & Wednesday Lotto gives you the best shot at an Australian lottery jackpot, while Saturday Lotto Strike Division 3 is your best bet for smaller prize divisions.
Some other games like Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot (1 in 1,446,656) also offer reasonably good odds on their top prizes. And Set for Life has the benefit of guaranteed regular prize payments for 20 years if you manage to defy odds of 1 in 38 million.
Ultimately, playing games with fixed prize structures or smaller number pools helps increase your chances versus multi-state games with huge number matrices like Powerball. But no lottery has genuinely “good” odds, so responsible play is essential.
Conclusion
Winning any lottery jackpot involves defeating odds of many millions to one. But some Australian lotteries do give you a better statistical chance based on their game design and number matrix. Monday & Wednesday Lotto provides the best Division 1 odds at over 8 million to one. But smaller prizes like Saturday Lotto Strike Division 3 have much friendlier odds around 1 in 2,400. Playing lotteries with smaller number sets or supplementary “Strike” games can help increase your chances versus huge national lotteries. Just remember to always play responsibly within your means, as winning remains a very remote outcome in any lottery.