The Oz Lotto is a popular national lottery game in Australia run by Tatts Group. It offers some of the biggest jackpot prizes in the country, with a minimum $4 million jackpot for Tuesday draws and a minimum $10 million jackpot for Saturday draws. With odds of 1 in 45,379,620 of winning the jackpot, the obvious question for many lottery players is: which Oz Lotto game gives you the best chance of winning? Here is a quick look at the key factors to consider when evaluating the relative ease of winning the different Oz Lotto games.
Number of balls drawn
The Oz Lotto uses two drawing machines – one drawing 7 numbered balls from 45 balls, and the other drawing 2 supplementary balls from 45 balls. The 7 main balls determine the winning numbers. The fewer balls to choose from, the better your odds. Tuesday Oz Lotto draws have 45 balls to choose 7 winning numbers from, while Saturday Oz Lotto draws have 45 balls to choose 7 winning numbers plus 2 supplementary numbers from. So purely looking at the number of balls drawn, Tuesday Oz Lotto offers slightly better odds.
Cost of ticket
Tuesday Oz Lotto tickets cost $1.10, while Saturday Oz Lotto tickets cost $2.20 due to the increased jackpot size. So you can buy twice as many Tuesday tickets for the same spend. This doubles your chances of winning on Tuesday compared to Saturday.
Frequency of draws
Tuesday Oz Lotto draws happen once every week, while Saturday Oz Lotto draws happen once per week. So in terms of draw frequency, neither game has an advantage.
Jackpot size
Saturday Oz Lotto jackpots start at $10 million, while Tuesday jackpots start at $4 million. The bigger the jackpot, the more ticket sales there are likely to be, reducing your chances of winning. The Saturday jackpot size tends to result in more ticket sales, so your relative odds are slightly better for Tuesday.
Number of prize divisions
Both Tuesday and Saturday Oz Lotto have 8 prize divisions, offering prizes for matching at least 3 winning numbers up to matching all 7. So no major difference between the two games here.
Probability of multiple winners
The bigger Saturday jackpots increase the chance of multiple winners, further reducing the odds of winning the full jackpot. Tuesday jackpots tend to have fewer winners sharing the top prize.
Odds of winning any prize
The published odds of winning any prize (not just the jackpot) are 1 in 56 for Tuesday Oz Lotto. For Saturday it is 1 in 44 due to the extra supplementary numbers drawn. So for lower division prizes, Saturday offers slightly better odds.
Factors that do not affect odds
Some factors that lottery players often think influence odds of winning do not actually make any difference. These include:
System entries
Some players use system entries that guarantee certain number combinations. However, each number still has exactly the same probability of being drawn, no matter how you combine them into systems.
Distribution of numbers
Analysis of previous draws to see patterns in number frequency does not change the probability for each new draw. Each number still has an equal chance of being drawn.
Consecutive number selection
Selecting consecutive numbers like 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 does not affect your probability of winning. The likelihood is exactly the same as any other number combination.
Quick pick vs manual selection
Allowing the lottery terminal to randomly quick pick your numbers has the same mathematical probability as manually selecting your own numbers.
Retailer where ticket was purchased
All official lottery retailers have equal probability of selling a winning ticket. Where you buy from does not change your odds.
Factors that have minor influence on odds
Some factors may influence jackpot win odds very slightly:
Introduction of new games
When newer lottery games are introduced, such as Monday & Wednesday Lotto, some established games like Saturday Lotto may see a small decline in ticket sales, marginally improving odds.
Jackpot fatigue
In extended sequences without a jackpot winner, fatigue can set in reducing ticket sales. This may improve your chances imperceptibly until the win resets the jackpot.
Major events
Significant events such as large Powerball jackpots can temporarily increase Oz Lotto ticket sales and reduce odds minimally.
Ticket sales outlet
Retailers who sell more tickets may fractionally reduce odds by stimulating extra ticket purchases from potential multi-buyers. But the impact is negligible.
Summary comparison: Tuesday vs Saturday Oz Lotto odds
Here is a summary comparison of the key factors affecting your chances of winning either the Tuesday or Saturday Oz Lotto jackpot:
| Factor | Tuesday Oz Lotto | Saturday Oz Lotto |
| Number of main balls | 45 | 45 |
| Number of supplementary balls | 0 | 2 |
| Ticket cost | $1.10 | $2.20 |
| Jackpot minimum | $4 million | $10 million |
| Draw frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Number of prize divisions | 8 | 8 |
| Odds of winning any prize | 1 in 56 | 1 in 44 |
| Multiple jackpot winners | Less likely | More likely |
Based on these factors, Tuesday Oz Lotto offers slightly better odds of winning the jackpot than Saturday Oz Lotto:
– Fewer main balls to choose from
– No supplementary balls drawn
– Cheaper ticket price allowing more entries
– Smaller minimum jackpot reducing multiple winners
However, the odds are still extremely long in either game, with only a 1 in 45 million+ random chance of matching all 7 winning numbers.
How to genuinely improve your Oz Lotto odds
While Tuesday Oz Lotto gives you marginally better jackpot odds, in the big picture of over 45 million to one the difference is negligible. Any strategy that genuinely improves your chances depends on increasing the number of games you play:
Buy more tickets
The more number combinations you enter, the greater your chances of winning. But this gets expensive and odds only improve fractionally if extra tickets have overlapping numbers.
Join a syndicate
Pooling money and splitting ticket costs in a group syndicate allows you to afford more number combinations. As long as numbers are unique, this measurably increases your odds.
Use system entries
System entries allow you to generate multiple sets of unique numbers from a core selection. So you get more combinations while only picking a handful of numbers yourself.
Use an app to find unplayed numbers
Apps like Jackpot.com analyse previous draws to find numbers that have not come up recently, maximising your number coverage.
Take advantage of special promotions
Limited time promotions may give bonus tickets or discount multi-game purchases, allowing you to afford extra tickets.
Join player loyalty programs
Lottery loyalty programs give players free tickets as rewards, which can provide you additional chances to win.
Should you specifically target Tuesday or Saturday Oz Lotto?
Tuesday Oz Lotto technically gives you slightly better jackpot odds, but the magnitude of improvement is small. Unless you will specifically buy multiple tickets only for Tuesday draws, there is no strong reason to favour it:
Play on both days
Playing Oz Lotto on both Tuesday and Saturday doubles your chances compared to only playing one or the other.
Focus on amount spent
What matters more than draw day is the total number of games you play over time. Concentrate on your overall lottery budget rather than day.
Prefer flexibility? Try Saturday
If jackpot size matters more than marginal odds differences, the higher Saturday prizes may be preferable.
Prefer fixed jackpots? Try Tuesday
If you want more certainty around jackpot amounts, the fixed $4 million Tuesday minimum may appeal more.
Take advantage of promotions
Special deals on either day can make targeted play temporarily more attractive. Otherwise play both days.
Key takeaways
– Tuesday Oz Lotto has slightly better jackpot odds mainly due to lower ticket price and supplementary numbers.
– But the overall odds are still extremely long, so any strategy to genuinely improve chances revolves around increasing number of tickets played.
– There is minimal advantage to specifically targeting Tuesday over Saturday or vice versa. The key is to leverage promotions, syndicates and loyalty programs to play more games over time across both draws.
Conclusion
While Tuesday Oz Lotto offers marginally better odds, the reality is winning any Oz Lotto jackpot involves overcoming odds of 45 million to one. With odds at this scale, it makes little difference which particular draw you play. The only ways to meaningfully improve odds are:
– Play more overall tickets across both Tuesday and Saturday draws
– Use strategies to increase total games played within a budget
– Take advantage of promotions, syndicates and rewards programs to get bonus tickets
Rather than target a specific draw day, concentrate on spending the same amount on Oz Lotto consistently over time. This disciplines your lottery spending, maximises the number of games you can play, and gives you the best shot at beating the long odds.
