The Joseph Schooling and Pokemon Go fevers will be matched by the zeal of Toto bettors lining up at the Singapore Pools betting stations till tomorrow evening, lured by the $7 million of prize money on offer, Lianhe Wanbao reported.
The stake has risen to that rare amount because there was no winner of the Group 1 prizes – who must have six matched numbers out of six picked – in the last three consecutive draws, said the Chinese evening daily.
According to regulation, the cumulative prize will all go to the Group 1 winner in the fourth draw.
Or, it will be completely withdrawn from the game if no one hits the jackpot.
However, there is a possibility that the prize could be swept away tomorrow night as a Group 2 winner will be allowed to be the beneficiary in the absence of a Group 1 winner.
This is according to a formula called “cascade”, which profits a Group 2 winner, who ordinarily would walk away with a lesser prize with six matched numbers out of seven picked.
The last time a “cascade” prize was given away was on June 6, with two Group 2 winners splitting a sum of $7.88 million, reported Wanbao.
A recent “cascade” record came in January last year when a prize of $9.1 million was shared by two winners.
Three bettors missed the top prize of $4 million on Monday’s draw by a number, but they each took away about $230,000, according to the Singapore Pools.
They placed their bets at stations in Singapore Pools’ head office at Middle Road, the Greenridge Shopping Centre in Bukit Panjang and People’s Park Centre in Chinatown.
myp@sph.com.sg
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