Big Sweep

What Big Sweep is

Big Sweep is the brand most people in Sarawak use for the Special Cash Sweep, a state lottery whose products are sold across the state through a network of sales outlets. It is a paper-ticket lottery: you buy a bet, you get a ticket, and the draw decides whether that ticket is worth anything³.

The important thing to understand before you buy is that Big Sweep is not one game. The operator sells a family of products under the Special Cash Sweep name, and the way you play depends on which one you pick. The most familiar is the 4D-style game, where you choose numbers and win when your chosen number matches one of the 23 winning numbers drawn². There are also instant-style products and permutation-based plays, which is why the ticket counter will ask you which game you want rather than simply handing you a ticket.

If you have played lotteries elsewhere in Asia, the shape will feel familiar. What differs is the price, which is fixed and low, and the fact that everything happens inside Sarawak. There is no app, no website checkout and no way to buy from outside the state through official channels.

If you want the fuller picture of how this lottery sits alongside the others in the country, our guide to the lottery in Malaysia covers who can play and how, and the Special Cash Sweep page goes deeper on the products themselves.

How to play: the six-digit entry

Big Sweep's number games are built around picking digits, and the operator's own rules describe 8 ways to play: Standard (Big & Small), Lucky Pick, Permutation, Roll First, Roll Last, Perm Last 3, Perm Front 3 and i-CASH².

The practical difference between them is how much of the number you control and how the winning numbers are matched against it.

• Standard (Big & Small): you pick your number and win when it matches one of the 23 winning numbers drawn².
• Lucky Pick: the system picks for you, which is the fastest option at a busy counter.
• Permutation: you give a set of digits and the operator generates the arrangements, so one selection covers several number combinations.
• Roll First and Roll Last: part of the number is fixed and part rolls, so a single bet covers a spread of numbers.
• Perm Last 3 and Perm Front 3: permutation plays that focus on the last three or first three digits.
• i-CASH: the operator's instant-style product.

If you are used to six-digit games elsewhere, the closest comparison is a pick-your-own number lottery where the draw produces a set of winning numbers and your ticket either matches one or it does not. Japan's BIG works differently: the computer randomly assigns 14 designated matches, with a home win in 90 minutes scored as 1, a loss as 2 and anything else as 0, and the buyer makes no prediction at all⁴. China's Super Lotto asks you to pick numbers from two zones, and its winning condition is written as front zone hits plus back zone hits, so "6+1" means six front zone hits and one back zone hit⁵.

For Big Sweep, the thing to remember at the counter is simple: tell the staff how many bets you want and which of the 8 play types you are using, pay RM1.10 per bet, and take your ticket. Check it before you leave that the numbers printed are the numbers you asked for.

How prizes work and what a bet costs

Big Sweep does not publish a fixed headline jackpot the way some lotteries do. Prizes depend on the draw and the product, and the operator's public pages do not carry a single top-prize figure for the Special Cash Sweep. What is fixed is the cost: RM1.10 per bet, inclusive of 10% State Sales Tax¹.

That means the sensible way to think about Big Sweep prizes is relative rather than absolute. You are paying a little over one ringgit per bet, and the return depends on which product you played and how the draw fell.

Other lotteries in the region publish their top tiers, which gives you a sense of the range at this price point:

A worked example from Japan shows how much these numbers move in practice. In the 1650th BIG draw, the first prize was JPY 600,000,000 to a single winning ticket, while the sixth prize was JPY 540 shared across 27,768 winning tickets⁹. The top of the table and the bottom of the table are the same game on the same day.

For Big Sweep specifically, ask at the outlet which product you are buying and what its prize structure is, because the 8 play types do not all pay the same way².

Where to buy entries

You buy Big Sweep at any Special Cash Sweep Sales Outlet in Sarawak¹. That is the whole of it: outlets are the only sales channel, and there is no online purchase route.

At the counter, the process is straightforward. Tell the staff how many bets you want, choose your play type, pay RM1.10 per bet, and take the printed ticket¹. If you are playing a pick-your-own number game, have your numbers ready before you reach the counter, because the queue moves quickly on draw days.

A few practical points for a first visit:

• Bring cash in ringgit. Bets are RM1.10 each, so small notes and coins are useful.
• Decide your play type first. With 8 options, knowing whether you want Standard, Lucky Pick, Permutation, Roll First, Roll Last, Perm Last 3, Perm Front 3 or i-CASH saves time².
• Check your ticket before leaving. The printed numbers are what you will be paid on.
• Keep the ticket safe. A prize is only payable to the bearer of a valid winning ticket, so a lost or stolen ticket cannot be replaced¹.

If you are comparing this with how other Malaysian operators sell, our pages on how to play 4D in Malaysia and buying 4D tickets online and by app explain the alternatives, and Da Ma Cai and Magnum 4D cover two of the big national operators.

How draws work and how to check results

Special Cash Sweep draws are held on every draw day at 7:00pm at the operator's draw venue, and the draw is open to members of the public¹. If you want to watch, you can.

Results are published on the web portal, www.cashsweep.com.my, after 7pm on every draw day¹. The site also has a result checker where you enter a draw date or a draw number, with additional numbers separated by a space³.

The operator's own page currently shows no upcoming draws³, so if you are planning a trip to an outlet specifically for a draw, check the portal first for the next scheduled date.

For comparison, other lotteries in the region run on tighter schedules. China's Super Lotto draws every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 21:25¹⁰. Singapore Sweep draws monthly on the first Wednesday at 6.30pm⁸. Japan's BIG results can be checked at lottery counters and 7-Eleven stores as well as online¹¹.

If you bought a ticket and want to know whether it won, you have two routes with Big Sweep: check the portal yourself, or take the ticket to an outlet and have it checked. There is no app-based checking for Special Cash Sweep, unlike Vietlott's Mega 6/45, where you can scan your ticket at checkwin machines at points of sale or check on the Vietlott SMS app¹².

Claiming prizes

Claiming is done in person, and the operator says it is preferable that you come personally¹.

Where you claim depends on the amount:

• Prizes up to RM100,000: outstation sales outlets, the Sibu Regional Office on Jln Wong King Huo, or the Miri Regional Office at Bangunan S.S. Chia¹³.
• Prizes of any amount: the Kuching Office at Central Park¹³.
• In general: any Special Cash Sweep Sales Outlet or the offices at Kuching, Sibu and Miri¹³.

Bring the winning ticket. The operator's rules state clearly that a prize is only payable to the bearer of a valid winning ticket, which is why lost or stolen tickets cannot be paid¹. There is no way around this, so treat the ticket the way you would treat cash.

If you are claiming at an outlet rather than an office, it is worth confirming first that the outlet handles payouts, since the higher-value claims are routed to the regional offices and the Kuching office¹³.

For a wider look at how prize claims work with other Malaysian operators, our guide to claiming a 4D or lottery prize in Malaysia walks through the process.