South Korea has played Lotto 6/45 since December 2002 — every Saturday evening, for just 1,000 won per bet. The format is classic, but the prize structure is unusual: the two lowest tiers pay fixed amounts, and tiers 1 to 3 split the rest by a fixed key. This guide explains what that means for players. As of October 2026.
📋 Korea Lotto 6/45 at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | 6 from 45 + 1 bonus number (from the same pool) |
| Jackpot odds | 1 : 8,145,060 |
| Ticket price | 1,000 won per game (bet) |
| Draw day | Saturday, approx. 8:35 PM Korea Standard Time (KST) |
| Operator | Donghaeng Lottery (동행복권) on behalf of the Korea Lottery Commission |
| Since | 7 December 2002 (South Korea's first nationwide number lottery) |
| Payout rate | 50% of sales go into prizes |
| Record | approx. 40.7 billion won jackpot in 2003 |
A jackpot chance of 1 : 8.1 million is about 17 times better than tier 1 of Lotto 6aus49 (1 : 139,838,160 including the Superzahl), because the number field covers only 45 instead of 49 numbers and in Germany the Superzahl must match as well. In return there are only five prize tiers, and with two matches or fewer there is nothing to win.
🎯 How Korea Lotto 6/45 Works, Step by Step
The process
- Choose 6 numbers from 1 to 45 — manually, automatically or semi-automatically.
- Each bet ("game") costs 1,000 won; sales close at 8:00 PM on the draw day.
- On Saturdays around 8:35 PM 6 main numbers are drawn, followed by one bonus number.
- Compare your bet with the main numbers; the bonus number only counts with 5 matches.
- If the 1st rank has no winner, the amount is carried over into the next draw (rollover).
🔑 The Special Feature: Fixed Prizes Below, a Sharing Key Above
💰 How the 50% is distributed
Half of sales forms the prize pool (more than 40% of sales additionally flow into the state lottery fund for public purposes). First the fixed prizes are paid: 50,000 won for 4 matches and 5,000 won for 3 matches. Of the remaining amount, 75% goes to rank 1, 12.5% to rank 2 and 12.5% to rank 3, each divided by the number of winners.
Our calculation: on average the fixed prizes cost about 180 won per 1,000 won of sales (4th tier approx. 68 won, 5th tier approx. 112 won). That leaves about 320 won for tiers 1 to 3 — roughly 24% of sales for the jackpot and 4% each for ranks 2 and 3.
🎯 The bonus number
It only decides with 5 matches: 5 + bonus number = rank 2, 5 without the bonus number = rank 3. With 4 and 3 matches it plays no role.
🏆 All Prize Tiers with Odds
| Rank | Matches | Odds | Typical prize | Share of prize pool* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 matches | 1 : 8,145,060 | from approx. 2 billion won (varies strongly) | approx. 48% |
| 2 | 5 + bonus number | 1 : 1,357,510 | approx. 50 million won | approx. 8% |
| 3 | 5 matches | 1 : 35,724 | approx. 1.5 million won | approx. 8% |
| 4 | 4 matches | 1 : 733 | 50,000 won (fixed) | approx. 14% |
| 5 | 3 matches | 1 : 45 | 5,000 won (fixed) | approx. 22% |
*Mathematical averages derived from the rules (50% prize pool, fixed amounts, 75/12.5/12.5 key) and the combination counts — not official statistics. Typical amounts for ranks 1 to 3 depend on sales and the number of winners and can differ strongly from draw to draw.
194,130 of 8,145,060 combinations win something — that gives 1 : 42. A 5,000-won prize for 3 matches equals five times the stake, 50,000 won for 4 matches fifty times.
📊 Analyse Korea Lotto 6/45 yourself
Frequencies, hot & cold numbers, overdue analysis and a number generator for 6 of 45
Go to the Korea Lotto page🆚 Korea Lotto 6/45 Compared
| Lottery | Format | Jackpot odds | Draws/week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇰🇷 Korea Lotto 6/45 | 6 of 45 + bonus | 1 : 8.1M | 1 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan Loto 6 | 6 of 43 + bonus | 1 : 6.1M | 2 |
| 🇦🇺 Saturday Lotto | 6 of 45 + 2 supplementary | 1 : 8.1M | 1 |
| 🇩🇪 Lotto 6aus49 | 6 of 49 + Superzahl | 1 : 139.8 million (tier 1) | 2 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada Lotto 6/49 | 6 of 49 + bonus | 1 : 14M | 2 |
Korea shares the 6-of-45 number field with Australia's Saturday Lotto, and the jackpot odds are identical. The difference lies in the prize structure: Korea relies on just five tiers with fixed amounts at the bottom. Our Japan Loto 6 guide explains the Japanese counterpart, and the Canada Lotto 6/49 guide the Canadian format.
⚖️ Honest Note: Random Stays Random
Every draw is an independent random event. No system and no statistic raises your chance of a hit — every combination has the same probability of 1 : 8,145,060. Because the jackpot size depends on sales, a "big" jackpot can even mean that many other players pick the same number sequence and you have to share. Only play with money you can afford to lose and set a budget. This article is neither legal nor tax advice.
How probabilities work in lotteries is explained in Lottery odds, and what strategies actually achieve (and what they do not) in Lottery strategies.
💡 Who Is Korea Lotto 6/45 For?
- ✅ Thrifty players — 1,000 won is less than one euro
- ✅ Anyone who likes clear structures — only 5 tiers, fixed amounts for 3 and 4 matches
- ✅ Data fans — more than 1,000 draws since 2002
- ⚠️ Only one draw per week
- ⚠️ With 2 or fewer matches there is nothing
- ⚠️ From Germany/Europe: Official participation is tied to South Korea. From here it only works through third-party providers, which mostly bet on the draw results; winnings are then usually paid by the provider, not by the Korean lottery. Check the licence, fees and the legal situation yourself — we do not sell tickets and give no legal advice.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Korea Lotto 6/45
When is the draw?
Every Saturday around 8:35 PM Korean time (KST); sales close at 8:00 PM the same day.
What does a bet cost?
1,000 won per game — slightly under one euro, the exchange rate fluctuates.
How big is the jackpot?
There is no fixed jackpot: rank 1 receives 75% of the pool after the fixed tiers 4 and 5. It varies with sales and the number of winners. The record is about 40.7 billion won in 2003.
Why are ranks 4 and 5 fixed?
The rules provide 50,000 won for 4 matches and 5,000 won for 3 matches. The rest of the pool is distributed among ranks 1 to 3.
How important is the bonus number?
Only with 5 matches: with the bonus number rank 2, without it rank 3.
Do some numbers come up more often?
Over longer periods frequencies even out; short-term deviations are chance and allow no prediction.
🏁 Summary
Korea Lotto 6/45 is a straightforward 6-of-45 game with a 50% payout rate, fixed small prizes and a fluctuating jackpot. The chance for rank 1 is 1 : 8,145,060, for any prize about 1 : 42. As with every lottery, the expected value is below the stake; results remain pure chance. New international lotteries 2026 introduces more countries, and you will find all articles in the blog.
Sources: rules and odds according to Donghaeng Lottery (dhlottery.co.kr, as of October 2026); shares and combination counts are our own calculation (binomial coefficient).