Singapore Lottery

Singapore's lottery scene is unusually tidy: one operator, three games, and clear rules. Whether you are a visitor buying a single TOTO ticket for fun or a resident who plays 4D every week, this page covers what each game is, what it costs, what it pays, and the practical details of buying tickets and claiming prizes.

Singapore Pools: the only legal lottery operator

Singapore Pools is the only legal lottery and sports betting operator in Singapore¹¹. It is also the only operator licensed by the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) to provide remote gambling services, which is why its website and app are the only legal way to bet on lottery games online¹². The company was set up as a not-for-profit entity, and its surplus goes to the community through the Tote Board rather than to shareholders.

Alongside the lottery, Singapore Pools also runs football and motor racing betting and horse racing betting, and the country's two casinos and private club jackpot rooms sit outside its remit. If your interest is wider than the lottery, see our page on gambling in Singapore.

The three lottery games at a glance

All three are parimutuel or fixed-prize games run by Singapore Pools, and all results are published on the Singapore Pools website and mobile app shortly after each draw¹³. Winnings from any of them are not taxable, as they are treated as windfalls rather than income⁸.

TOTO: how the 6-out-of-49 game works

TOTO asks you to pick 6 numbers out of 49, and the draw produces 6 winning numbers plus 1 additional number¹. Match at least 3 of the winning numbers and you win a prize¹⁴. The prize pool for each draw is 54% of total sales, split across prize groups, with the top group (matching all 6 numbers) taking 38% of the pool with a guaranteed minimum of S$1,000,000¹⁴.

Draws are held twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays at 6.30pm¹. Sales close at 6pm on draw day, or 9pm if the current draw is a cascade draw, meaning one where a jackpot has rolled down from a previous draw¹⁵. If there is no winner for the jackpot by the fourth draw, the jackpot goes to the next winning prize level rather than rolling over again¹⁶.

For a full walkthrough of the game, prize groups and worked examples, see our dedicated page on TOTO.

Ways to bet on TOTO

TOTO offers more bet types than a plain 6-number entry. At outlets you can place Self Pick or Quick Pick bets for the current draw, or for two or four consecutive draws¹⁵. The bet types are:

• Ordinary: pick 6 numbers, the basic S$1 entry¹
• System 7 to System 12: pick 7 to 12 numbers, covering more combinations¹
• System Roll: pick 5 numbers plus a "rolling" number that stands in for any remaining number¹
• iTOTO: a System entry split into shares, so you buy a fraction of a larger entry¹
• Group TOTO: split a System entry with friends or family¹
• TOTO MATCH: straight bets on matching fewer numbers, such as MATCH 2, MATCH 3 or MATCH 4¹⁵

Online, with a Singapore Pools Account, you can place Self Pick bets for Ordinary, System Entry and System Roll for the current draw, plus Quick Pick bets by bet type or bet amount⁵. Account holders can also subscribe to TOTO, so the same numbers are entered automatically draw after draw, a feature exclusive to the account¹⁷.

4D: prizes, bet types and draw days

4D is a 4-digit game: pick a number from 0000 to 9999 and match it against the numbers drawn. Draws are held on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and sales close at 6pm on draw day¹⁵. You can bet on the current draw or on up to six consecutive draws, including the current one¹⁵.

The bet types are Ordinary, System Entry (covering all permutations of your number), iBet (a cheaper way to cover permutations, paying less per win) and 4D Roll (fix 3 digits and let one roll)². Online, the same Self Pick bet types are available⁵.

Each draw produces 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prizes plus Starter Prizes and Consolation Prizes². A Big bet on the 1st Prize pays S$2,000 per S$1 bet². There is also a Small bet option that pays only on the top three prizes but at higher amounts. On the first Wednesday of each month, the 4D draw is tied to the Singapore Sweep draw, and the 4D winning numbers are the last four digits of the top 23 winning Singapore Sweep combinations⁴.

Our 4D page goes through the full prize table, bet types and how the monthly tie-in with Singapore Sweep works.

Singapore Sweep: the monthly S$2.3 million draw

Singapore Sweep is a 7-digit sweepstakes game. You buy a ticket carrying a 7-digit number between 1000000 and 4499999, and each monthly draw produces 133 sets of winning 7-digit numbers plus 9 sets of two-digit numbers⁴. Tickets cost S$3 each, inclusive of GST, for a single entry⁴.

The draw takes place at 6.30pm on the first Wednesday of each month³. The headline prizes are:

A ticket can win more than one prize, and you are entitled to all of them⁴. Tickets go on sale from the end of the previous draw until half an hour before the draw⁴. You can buy a full Quick Pick number, or choose your own entry style: with First Digit you select the first digit and the remaining 6 are randomly generated, and with Last 4 Digits you pick the last 4 while the first 3 are generated for you⁴. Singapore Sweep can only be bought at outlets or from Singapore Sweep vendors, not online¹⁵.

Where and how to buy tickets

Singapore Pools sells tickets through its own betting outlets and branches across the island, plus authorized retailers and their appointed vendors⁴. Some retailers offer only Quick Pick entries, and appointed vendors may sell only pre-printed Quick Pick tickets⁴. TOTO and 4D can be bought at outlets using bet slips, or online with a Singapore Pools Account⁵.

At outlets, payment is by cash, ATM card, debit card with NETS function or PayNow⁶. There is no transaction fee for bet placement, online or at outlets⁶. Credit cards are not accepted for bet placement anywhere, retail or online, and Singapore Pools does not allow betting on credit of any kind¹¹.

The mobile app also has an "In-Store" option: you generate a QR code in guest mode, no sign-up required, and scan it at any outlet to complete the bet. This works for sports and lottery bets⁶.

How to claim a prize

Prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date, including weekends and public holidays, and you can start claiming from the day after the draw during outlet opening hours⁷. After 180 days, unclaimed prizes are forfeited and handed to the Tote Board for charitable donations⁷.

How you claim depends on the amount:

• S$5,000 or below: cash at any Singapore Pools outlet, or via PayNow⁷
• Over S$5,000: a check at the head office at 210 Middle Road, or PayNow at any outlet up to S$20,000, or PayNow at head office up to S$200,000⁷

For check claims at head office, bring the winning ticket plus photo ID: your NRIC if you are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, or your passport if you are a foreigner. The name on the ID must match your bank records⁷. For PayNow claims, your PayNow must be registered to your NRIC number; PayNow accounts linked only to a mobile phone number are not accepted⁷.

Tickets are bearer tickets, which means anyone holding a valid winning ticket can claim the prize, so treat your ticket like cash⁷. A winning ticket must be undamaged, unspoiled and free of graffiti to be paid⁷. If you find a winning ticket, hand it to the police; claiming a prize with someone else's ticket and keeping the money is a criminal offense⁷. If you bet through a Singapore Pools Account, prizes are generally credited to your account within 12 hours after results are confirmed, with no ticket to worry about⁷.

One timing quirk: after 6.05pm, a prize cannot be claimed on the same day if your multi-draw ticket still has undrawn dates left on it⁷.

Playing online: the Singapore Pools Account and mobile app

A Singapore Pools Account lets you place lottery, sports and horse racing bets online and by phone, and track your transactions⁵. To register you must be at least 21, provide a local mobile number and a Singapore residential address, and you can sign up through the online form or SingPass Myinfo on the website or app¹⁰. Login requires a one-time password sent to your registered mobile phone¹⁰.

The account can only be used for online and phone betting, not at outlets⁶. Account holders may only place bets from within Singapore; betting through foreign IP addresses is prohibited, and the website and app, including the registration form, cannot be accessed from overseas¹⁰. So if you are a Singaporean living abroad or a visitor planning ahead, you will need to be physically in Singapore to play.

The mobile app is on the Apple App Store for iOS users, while Android users must download it from the official Singapore Pools website, as it is not on the Google Play Store¹⁸. It needs Android 13 or above or iOS 16 or above, and BETA versions of operating systems are not supported¹⁸. The app covers online betting, lottery results, sports fixtures and results, and the QR code In-Store betting described above; you can also save favorite 4D and TOTO numbers for quicker betting¹⁸. For security, a session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity¹⁸.

For more detail on setting up and using the account, see our page on the Singapore Pools Account.

Rules for players: age, payments and responsible gambling

You must be 18 or older to place a bet or claim a prize at any Singapore Pools outlet, and the company does not accept bets or pay prizes to anyone under that age; if proof of age cannot be satisfied, the bet is void and any prize forfeited⁹. To open a Singapore Pools Account for online play, the minimum age is 21¹⁰. These rules apply equally to citizens, residents and visitors.

All winnings are paid in Singapore dollars only¹¹. Accepted bets generally cannot be canceled once placed¹¹. Winnings are not taxable and do not need to be declared in your income tax return⁸; see our page on tax on gambling winnings in Singapore if you want the details.

Singapore Pools prints a "Play Responsibly" message and helpline on the back of every bet slip and ticket⁹. Customers collecting prizes of S$5,000 or more at headquarters receive financial planning tips and responsible gambling messages as part of the Care for Winners program⁹. If gambling stops being fun, you can exclude yourself from Singapore Pools online betting, casinos and jackpot machine rooms, free of charge, online with SingPass through the NCPG portal or in person at 510 Thomson Road #05-01, SLF Building¹⁹. Our page on gambling help in Singapore lists the full range of support services.