Close-up of a wall calendar as a hand wearing a jade bangle circles the 1st in red marker, window-grille shadows across the paper
Illustrative photo

8special draws a year since 2023

Regular 4D draws are on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 7pm. Every so often, though, Magnum, Da Ma Cai, Sports Toto and the other companies hold an extra draw on a Tuesday. People who meet one for the first time often think a website has the date wrong.

The date needs the Finance Ministry's approval

Da Ma Cai says so in the general information on its website: "the Ministry of Finance (MOF) may from time to time grant the Company approval to conduct Special Draws … usually held on Tuesday at 7.00pm".

In other words, a company cannot decide to add a draw by itself. Every one needs the ministry's approval.

They began in 1999

Special draws were started in 1999 by the Barisan Nasional government of the day. According to The Edge, the first ones were held to raise money for victims of the Nipah virus outbreak.

In 2018 the finance minister told Parliament that the proceeds go into a trust fund used for sports, social welfare, culture, health and education. The figures:

Year What the government received from special draws
1999 RM80.4 million
2017 RM238 million
2019 RM113 million
2020 RM72.53 million

From 1999 to 2017 the average was about RM200 million a year. After 2019, with fewer draws, it fell sharply.

For the companies, special draws are not especially profitable. Brokerage analysts note that the companies pay the government an extra 10% of total special draw sales as a special contribution, and that sales on a special draw day are usually 15% to 20% lower than on a regular draw day.

How many a year: it follows the government

The number of special draws is set by the government, and it has changed several times in recent years:

Year Draws Decision
2018 22 —
2019 11 Cut by Pakatan Harapan
2020 8 Pakatan Harapan's cap
2021–2022 22 Restored by Perikatan Nasional
From 2023 8 Unity government
Special draws a year
  • 201822
  • 201911
  • 20208
  • 202122
  • 202222
  • From 20238 a year

2018–2022 from the Finance Ministry's written reply in 2021; from 2023 is the policy announced in December 2022

What our own data shows

This site has a year of results taken from each company's official website (25 October 2025 to 27 October 2026). Magnum held 167 draws in that time: 52 on Wednesdays, 53 on Saturdays, 53 on Sundays, and the other 9 all on Tuesdays.

Special draw Day
2025-10-28 Tuesday
2025-12-30 Tuesday
2026-01-27 Tuesday
2026-02-10 Tuesday
2026-02-17 Tuesday
2026-04-07 Tuesday
2026-07-28 Tuesday
2026-09-01 Tuesday
2026-10-27 Tuesday
Special draws in the past year (all on Tuesdays)
  1. 25/1028
  2. 25/11
  3. 25/1230
  4. 26/0127
  5. 26/021017
  6. 26/03
  7. 26/047
  8. 26/05
  9. 26/06
  10. 26/0728
  11. 26/08
  12. 26/091
  13. 26/1027

The number in each dot is the day of the month; yellow is the most recent (27 October)

A few things stand out:

  • Every one was a Tuesday, without exception.
  • Five companies draw on the same day: Magnum, Da Ma Cai, Sports Toto, Sabah 88 and Cash Sweep match on all 9. A special draw is held by the companies together, not as one company's own event.
  • Singapore has none: Singapore 4D is run by Singapore Pools, whose website says it draws only on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. In the same period it held 158 draws and not one on a Tuesday.
  • 17 February 2026 was the first day of Chinese New Year, and the special draw went ahead that day.
  • GD Lotto and 9 Lotto draw every day, so they have Tuesdays anyway; those are not special draws.

By the end of October, 2026 had seen 7 special draws. If the limit stays at 8 a year, one is left this year; the date is whatever the companies announce on their websites.

What it changes for someone buying numbers

Almost nothing. The numbers, prize tiers and payouts in a special draw are the same as usual, and every number has the same chance. It is simply one more draw: if you are in the habit of buying every draw, a week with a special draw costs you one draw more than usual.

To see when the next one is, check the special draw dates or the draw schedule, or go to the companies' own websites, which list special draw days in advance.

Sources