Hong Kong Lottery – Free Flights to Hong Kong
Hong Kong is allowing 500,000 free flights for visitors in an effort to revive tourism that was hit by the pandemic. The offer covers airfare on round-trip economy-class tickets, though the winner must pay for any related surcharges and fees. It also requires the recipient to stay for at least three days. The lottery is part of a campaign launched by the government and Cathay Pacific to get people to return to the city. It will be held by the end of May.
The lottery was first established in 1975, with the aim of preventing illegal lotteries from operating. Initially, the game had a 14-number matrix. To win, players had to guess all six numbers in the correct order. However, this version was not popular and was quickly revamped to a 6/36 matrix in 1976. In 2002, it was changed again to the current 49-number format.
HKJC has a number of measures to ensure the fairness of the draws, including having employees with security and customer service backgrounds checking everything from boxing to transporting the ball used in the draw. The balls are also measured, weighed and examined by X-ray on a regular basis. HKJC officials have even flown in a new machine from Germany to improve the quality of the draws.
The lottery is a popular way to win money in Hong Kong. Its jackpot prizes start off at HK$ 8 million, but can grow incredibly large with 3 potential rollovers every week and no limit to how high the prize can go. It also offers a Smart Pick option, similar to the Lucky Dip option in Europe’s EuroMillions and nearly all US lotteries.