4-D a winner? You bet

4-D is the most popular form of gambling in Singapore

By Mak Mun San

READY TO ROLL: Excitement builds up at the Singapore Pools headquarters as the numbers for the top prizes are rolled out. ST Photos: Desmond Wee    View more photos TWO weeks ago, a four-digit number - 6904 - became the talk of the town. It won both the first and second prizes in the June 27 4-D draw, a one-in-a-100-million chance that this could happen. As punters can bet on any number from 0000 to 9999 from $1 upwards, there are 10,000 possible outcomes, which means that any number has a one-in-a-10,000 chance of winning. For a number to appear twice in the same draw, the probability is 10,000 times 10,000, says a Singapore Pools spokesman, or one in 100 million. The same number coming up twice is not unheard of. On Nov 5 last year, the number 2096 won both the second and third prize. But it is believed that 6904 was the first time a first-second prize windfall has taken place. The beginnings THE 4-D game is believed to have originated in Kedah in 1951, according to a Chinese expert from Penang, Mr Gee Kok Weng, when he gave evidence during a gambling trial in a Singapore court in 1956. A schoolboy decided to raffle his bicycle for 100 $1 tickets, each bearing two digits. The winner would be the one whose ticket number matched the last two digits of the first prize ticket in a Malayan Turf Club sweepstake. ... more The draw 4-D DRAWS are conducted every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday between 6.30 and 7pm at Singapore Pools' main branch at Paradiz Centre. Anyone above the age of 18 can attend the draw. An independent external auditor and five draw officials are involved in the draw process. Before the draw, a specially designed computer is run to randomly select the draw machine and the set of draw balls to be used. A backup machine is also chosen. ... more The winners THE biggest 4-D winner in local history is believed to be a man in his 40s, with a payout of close to $14 million in September 2005. According to Singapore Pools, his winning number, which came in a sudden moment of inspiration, was 5115. The man, who lives in the northern part of Singapore, has been going to the same outlet for almost 20 years to place his bets, says the spokesman. ... more The hot numbers EVER so often, a 'hot number' - which could be a popular date like 0707 or something in the news - will be sold out. This is because Singapore Pools limits its liability by putting a cap on the quantity of bets. ... more The winning ticket A WINNING ticket is cash. This means that Singapore Pools will give out the prize money to anyone who presents a valid ticket. Writing your identity card number on the back of the ticket is not a foolproof way to 'lay claim' on your prize money. This is because punters are usually not asked for their identity cards if the amount is below $5,000. ... more The losers IN 1986, five men were jailed for attempting to rig a 4-D draw held at the Singapore Turf Club. They deceived the club into believing that the drawing of the winning number, 0731, was by chance. ... more It is unclear how many lucky winners there were as Singapore Pools does not reveal such information. Still, the amazing coincidence made headline news and dominated coffee shop gossip for days as excited punters gave their two cents' worth on it. One of them was Mr Henry Tan, who is probably one of the most ardent fans of the 4-D lottery here. Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, the 85-year-old retired businessman will take the MRT, then a bus, from his Jalan Besar home to the Singapore Pools' headquarters at Paradiz Centre in Selegie Road. The hale and hearty man has been doing this without fail since the gaming operator moved its headquarters there in 2000. The reason? To watch the 4-D draw that takes place on those days at 6.30pm. 'I love the excitement of watching the winning numbers being drawn,' he says, eyes dancing. He spends about $80 betting on each draw and says 4-D is 'just a hobby' to him, adding that 'win too much money also no use'. It is anyone's guess how many 4-D punters there are here, but a 2005 survey conducted by the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports provides some clues. It found that 58 per cent of adults in Singapore gamble, with 53 per cent of respondents saying they had played 4-D in the past year. Next came Toto, with 39 per cent participation, and then Singapore Sweep, with 31 per cent. A Singapore Pools spokesman also confirmed that 4-D sales make up over half of the company's business, making it the most popular lottery game among Singaporeans. No figures are available on how much that translates into in terms of takings, but in all, the Ministry of Finance collected about $1.5 billion in betting taxes last year. The spokesman stresses that punters should play responsibly, adding that Singapore Pools already has in place a self-exclusion option for all its account customers since May last year, although no one has signed up yet. Account customers place bets via telephones. 'Due to practical difficulties and the very short transaction time, the self-exclusion option is not available for cash customers,' she adds. Its marketing brochures and posters have also extolled the 'Play Responsibly' message since 2002. Still, all punters dream of how to increase their odds of winning in this game of pure chance. Asked if Singapore Pools had any tips, the spokesman quips: 'This is something we all would want to know.' So in the meantime, punters will continue to look to anything and everything for inspiration, from birthdays and mobile phone numbers to accidents and murders. And in the case of Mr Tan, even the number on the collection slip of the tailored shirt he is wearing can be a potential lucky number. Pointing to his shirt, he says conspiratorially: 'This is 3922. I have numbers for almost everything.' According to Singapore Pools' website, this number has won four times, all consolation and starter prizes. A hot number? It's your bet. munsan@sph.com.sg Do you have any 4-D related stories you'd like to share? Please e-mail 'I love the excitement of watching the winning numbers being drawn' Mr Henry Tan, a regular at 4-D draws Latest comments