A statement released by the Turkish National Lottery General Directorate said on Tuesday that no one had won the top prize of TL 34.1 million in last Thursday's drawing, and that the jackpot will probably be TL 55 million by this Thursday. According to data provided by lottery officials, the directorate expects total revenue of TL 110 million, TL 42 million of which will be given as the top prize. For the jackpot, going to anybody who has correctly guessed six numbers out of 54, TL 21 million of the prize will be supplied from this week's revenue and the rest will be carried over from last week's unsuccessful drawing for TL 34. In addition TL 21 million will be divided equally among those who have guessed five, four and three lucky numbers out of 54. In the meantime officials also made clear that they do not plan to give the jackpot to players who have guessed only five numbers, and they said the prize will continue to roll over to the next week's drawing until somebody successfully selects six numbers. They also noted that they cannot at present make a change in Super Loto's basic rules. Turkey's national lottery awarded its biggest prize to date last year, with a TL 14.1 million jackpot after 11 weeks of consecutive drawings yielding no successful combinations.
The possibility of winning the top lotto prize is nearly one in 26 million. While many people pin their hopes on hitting the jackpot, state-run lotteries are still an issue of heated debate in Turkey since some regard them as a regressive tax, albeit a voluntary one, as those who are most likely to buy tickets are typically less affluent and willing to spend a relative larger proportion of their money with the expectation of a substantial return on their investment.
