M'sian gamblers go for the big prize

M'sian gamblers go for the big prize

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia's gamblers, with their eyes on the big prize, are putting their money into a numbers game which can turn winners into overnight millionaires, investment analysts said yesterday.

Gamblers, most of them Malaysian Chinese, are turning to the chance of a big payout on a lottery game where the odds of taking out the first prize are one in 3.8 billion.

In a country where Islam is the official religion and gambling is frowned upon, about 14 billion ringgit (US$5.44 billion) is wagered annually on lottery and a traditional four-digit game where winnings are much smaller.

The current lottery jackpot stands at more than two million ringgit ($777,605) as the first prize snowballs after each unsuccessful weekly draw.

By contrast the four-digit game, a longer-running competitor, has a top prize of only 2,200 ringgit ($855) for a one-ringgit bet.