RM0.86returned per RM1, on average
The headline figures on an odds table are the first prizes: RM3,500 for Big, RM5,000 for Small, RM8,000 for 4A. They are accurate, but they don't answer the question that matters more: for every ringgit I put in, how much comes back on average?
That takes two pieces of information: how many numbers each prize tier draws, and what each tier pays. The payouts below come from STAR4D's odds table; other betting channels may pay differently, but the method is the same, so you can swap in their figures.
How many numbers a draw produces
Magnum, Da Ma Cai, Sports Toto and the other main pools draw 23 numbers out of the 10,000 from 0000 to 9999:
| Tier | Numbers drawn |
|---|---|
| 1st | 1 |
| 2nd | 1 |
| 3rd | 1 |
| Special | 10 |
| Consolation | 10 |
So any one number has a 1 in 10,000 chance of being the 1st prize and a 10 in 10,000 chance of being a Special.
Big: RM0.86
Big pays on all five tiers. Multiply each payout by the count drawn and add:
- 1st 3,500 × 1 = 3,500
- 2nd 1,200 × 1 = 1,200
- 3rd 600 × 1 = 600
- Special 250 × 10 = 2,500
- Consolation 80 × 10 = 800
That totals 8,600. If you bought RM1 Big on all 10,000 numbers, you would spend RM10,000 and get exactly RM8,600 back whatever was drawn. Per ringgit, that is RM0.86.
One detail people miss: the Special and Consolation prizes together contribute 3,300, more than the 1st prize. Most of what Big gives back comes from those 20 small prizes.
Small: also RM0.86, but a different experience
Small only covers the top three tiers, at higher payouts: 5,000 + 2,400 + 1,200 = 8,600, so again RM0.86.
The difference is how often you win anything. A Big number has a 23 in 10,000 chance per draw; a Small number has 3 in 10,000. At three draws a week:
| Draws per win, on average | Roughly | |
|---|---|---|
| Big | 435 | 2 years 9 months |
| Small | 3,333 | 21 years |
23 winning numbers per draw for Big, 3 for Small; three draws a week
Over the long run both return the same. Small just packs it into fewer, larger wins, so someone who plays a few dozen draws a year may never see one.
Put another way: play the same Big number every draw for a year (156 draws) and there is about a 70% chance you win nothing at all.
4A: RM0.80
4A covers the 1st prize only and pays RM8,000: 8,000 / 10,000 = RM0.80.
The bet with the biggest headline prize has the lowest return. 4B and 4C cover the 2nd and 3rd prizes at the same payout, so they work out the same.
GD Lotto and 9 Lotto: a step down
GD Lotto and 9 Lotto use a different odds table. Same method:
| Big | Small | 4A | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum, Da Ma Cai and other main pools | 0.86 | 0.86 | 0.80 |
| GD Lotto | 0.70 | 0.69 | 0.68 |
| 9 Lotto | 0.71 | 0.70 | 0.70 |
A full bar is RM1.00, breaking even; at this site's odds
That is 15 to 16 sen less per ringgit. Both draw daily, which some people like, but if the aim is to make the same money last longer, the main pools are clearly better.
3D and 2D
3A pays RM840 on a 1st prize and there are 1,000 three-digit combinations, so 840 / 1,000 = RM0.84. 2A pays RM75 across 100 combinations: RM0.75.
What these numbers are good for
Not much, but what they do is concrete:
- Comparing bets. For the same budget, Big and Small give back 6 sen more per ringgit than 4A, and the main pools about 15 sen more than GD Lotto or 9 Lotto.
- Pricing a month of play. RM10 a draw, three draws a week is about RM130 a month; at 0.86, the long-run cost is about RM18 a month. That is a fair estimate of what the entertainment costs.
- Seeing that nothing changes it. Which numbers you pick, BOX or straight, hot numbers or cold ones: none of it moves the figures above, because every number has the same chance of being drawn.
The payouts for every tier are in the odds table. If you find yourself spending more than you meant to, the responsible play page has practical ways to set limits and a helpline.
