$12.2m Toto jackpot: How did multiple winners split one bet? iToto explained

SINGAPORE – The night of Nov 6 was a special one for at least 11 people after their

winning Toto bet collectively won the prize pool of $12,286,496

.

But how is it possible for a single bet – in this case, an iToto System 12 entry – to be split by these parties, and just how much do they take home? Will they now be able to afford fish in their economy rice meals?

Here’s a breakdown of the Toto system and how it works.

1. What is Toto?

In 1968, Toto was established as Singapore Pool’s first lottery game.

According to the Singapore Pool’s website, the name was derived from the words “totalisator”, which is a word for an instrument for wagering or betting, and “lotto”.

To participate in a Toto draw, punters pick at least six numbers between 1 and 49 in an entry. This can be done by manually selecting the numbers or allowing the system to randomly generate a set of numbers via an option known as “Quick Pick”.

If one buys only six numbers, the bet is known as an “Ordinary” bet, which costs $1.

However, selecting seven or more numbers, up to a maximum of 12 per bet – known as System 7 for seven numbers, System 8 for eight numbers, and so on – increases the chances of winning, but also the minimum bet cost required.

This is because seven numbers would increase the possible number of combinations in the entry to seven instead of just one, and would therefore cost $7 – a dollar per combination.

As such, a System 8 entry would cost $28 for 28 possible combinations, with a System 12 costing $924.

2. How can I win, and how much?

Toto draws are conducted on Mondays and Thursdays at 6.30pm.

However, if there are three consecutive draws without a jackpot winner, the draw becomes known as a “cascade draw” with a snowballed prize. These draws are conducted at 9.30pm on draw days instead.

In each draw, 54 per cent of sales will be added to the prize pool. The prize pool is for distribution of prizes which may be won in each draw.

Each draw sees six winning numbers and one additional number drawn. Bets which contain at least three winning numbers win a prize.

A bet must have all six winning numbers (not including the additional number) to win the jackpot, or Group 1 prize. This consists of 38 per cent of the total prize pool, with a minimum guaranteed amount of $1 million.

This is followed by Group 2, with five winning numbers plus the additional number for 8 per cent of the prize pool; Group 3, with five winning numbers for 5.5 per cent; and Group 4, with four winning numbers plus the additional number for 3 per cent of the pool.

Groups 5 to 7 carry fixed prizes – $50 for Group 5 winners with four winning numbers, $25 for Group 6 winners with three winning numbers plus the additional number, and $10 for Group 7 winners.

3. What is iToto?

An iToto bet is a single Quick Pick System 12 Entry split into 28 shares, which cost $33 each – the cost of a System 12 Entry of $924 divided by 28.

This also means that the prize amount for each winning iToto unit of that particular entry is divided by 28.

A person can buy multiple shares of the same bet, with the same set of numbers. All 28 units of an existing iToto bet must be sold before a new iToto bet is generated upon demand.

4. What’s the difference between Toto and iToto?

Regular Toto bets are a higher risk option, which costs a lot more for a higher reward, while iToto bets are a lower cost option, which will also see winners take home a lot less than they would have with a regular Toto bet.

If the Group 1 prize is won by only a single regular bet, such as the

$12.3 million Toto jackpot in June won by a single System 7 entry

, this means that whoever bought the ticket is entitled to the full sum.

If there are multiple winning tickets, such as the

three tickets that shared a $12.4 million Toto jackpot on Oct 23

, the prize is split equally among them.

Hypothetically, if two tickets – one being a regular Toto entry and the other being an iToto entry – won the jackpot, the split gets slightly more complex.

For example, if a $4 million jackpot were to be split in such a situation, each ticket would have winnings of $2 million each. The party who bought the regular Toto entry would take home their share of $2 million.

However, the other $2 million would be divided by 28 units among the iToto entry winners, with each walking away with a share of $71,428.60.

5. What is Group Toto, and how is it different from iToto?

In Group Toto, a group of people can share a single regular Toto bet printed on multiple tickets. The cost and prize are divided by the number of tickets created for that bet.

Each ticket has to cost at least $7. This means that if a group of three wish to place a bet together, the bet has to cost at least $21 to meet this minimum amount.

Should one of their tickets win a prize of say, $70,000, the amount would then be split into three, with each person using their ticket to claim the amount of $23,333.40 each.

6. I didn’t win. Where does my money go then?

In the financial year 2024/2025, Singapore Pools

generated $12.7 billion in turnover

.

As it is a fully owned subsidiary of the Tote Board, all surplus generated from Singapore Pools’ operations is channelled to worthy causes in the arts, community development, charity, education, health and sports sectors.

The Tote Board is a statutory board of the Ministry of Finance.

Singapore Pools contributed more than $2.4 million in support to the community, benefiting 230 charities and community initiatives during the 2024/2025 financial year.

Another $1.75 million, raised together with partners, was given to charities.