[Report] "Luck is for Everyone"... Visiting the Lotto Hotspot with a 'Cluster of Second-Prize Winners'

1057th Donghaeng Lottery Lotto 2nd Prize 664 Winners
103 2nd Prize Tickets Sold at Dongdaemun Store, Seoul
Crowds of People Buying Lotto Even on Weekdays
20s and 30s MZ Generation Also Visit for 'Lotto Proof Shots'

"It doesn't seem like manipulation; maybe it's just a jackpot hotspot?"

On the afternoon of the 8th, at a lottery sales store on Wangsanno in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, where numerous second-prize Lotto winners emerged, Kim, a man in his 50s whom we met, said, "I usually buy Lotto tickets elsewhere, but this week I came here," adding, "Since many winners have come out, I feel like I might win too."

According to the results of the 1057th Lotto drawing by Donghaeng Lottery on the 4th, there were 664 second-prize winners who matched 5 numbers plus the bonus number. However, an astonishing 103 of them came from this single lottery sales store. After this fact became known, the store was packed with people even on weekdays, reminiscent of the busiest Lotto sales time on Friday evenings. The line to buy Lotto tickets extended outside the store as more and more people gathered.

People in their 20s and 30s, the so-called MZ generation, were also lining up with dreams of winning the Lotto. A man in his 20s said, "The fact that 103 winners came out is beyond any explanation," and smiled, saying, "I think this time it will be me."

This lottery sales store is a small supermarket that also sells food and beverages. According to the owner, Mr. Jeon, in his 80s, the store has been operating for 20 years this year, and the couple has been merchants their entire lives. They started selling lottery tickets about 10 years ago. According to his wife, Mrs. Seol, the couple has never relied on luck or fortune but has lived life according to natural order.

A lottery ticket sales store located on Wangsan-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, where 103 second-prize winners were drawn. Photo by Han Seung-gon

Mrs. Seol said, "We just ran the store and sold lottery tickets, but after many second-prize winners came out this time, we became famous," adding, "So many customers come that it’s actually exhausting." Mr. Jeon said, "I didn’t have any special dreams the day before many second-prize winners appeared. I don’t even dream about ancestors." When asked how much sales had increased, he avoided the question, saying, "Oh, I don’t know. It’s just that many people come..."

As many people flocked to buy Lotto tickets, minor disputes also occurred. A man in his 30s, after buying a Lotto ticket and leaving the store, said, "Isn’t this all rigged? It’s manipulation," raising the so-called 'government Lotto manipulation theory' that some have suggested. The question was how a single lottery sales store could have 103 second-prize winners.

In response to the public speculation about Lotto manipulation, on the 6th, the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Lottery Commission (Lotto Commission) dismissed it as "impossible." The commission stated on the 6th, "The odds of winning second prize are 1 in 1.36 million. Considering that 112.52 million tickets were sold for the 1057th draw, if buyers combined numbers evenly, the number of winners would be around 83 (arithmetically). However, in reality, due to buyers’ preferred numbers, winning numbers from previous draws, and number arrangement patterns such as horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines on the purchase slips, the number of winners can be higher. Conversely, the number of winners could also drop to as low as one in extreme cases."

As news spread that a large number of second prize winners had emerged, this lottery sales office has been crowded with people trying to buy lotto tickets even during weekday hours. Photo by Han Seung-gon

They continued, "The Lotto drawing is broadcast live nationwide. Before the broadcast, police officers and ordinary observers check the proper operation of the drawing machine and the weight and size of the drawing balls. The lottery drawing machine and balls are sealed and unsealed under police supervision, so no one can access them arbitrarily," they explained.

So, roughly how much revenue does a Lotto sales store that has become famous nationwide generate? A Lotto store owner who requested anonymity said, "If you become known as a Lotto hotspot, it’s a business where you just sit and make money." He added, "I don’t know the exact profits, but just from selling Lotto tickets, they probably earn at least several million won per month."

Lotto sales stores act as agents selling Lotto tickets and receive a sales commission from the government. The sales commission is 5.5%. For example, if they sell 10,000 won worth of Lotto tickets, they earn 550 won. If they sell 1 million won worth of Lotto tickets in a day, they earn 55,000 won in revenue. Therefore, stores rumored to be 'Lotto hotspots' have higher sales rates, so their revenue naturally increases. One Lotto sales store in Sangye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, is known as one of the places with the highest Lotto sales nationwide, reportedly generating sales in the hundreds of millions of won per week.

A message posted by the owner couple at the lottery store where 103 second prize winners were drawn. Photo by Han Seung-gon

Meanwhile, the elderly couple in their 80s who now run the 'Lotto hotspot store' emphasized that there is no luck in life. In fact, this philosophy was written on a sign inside the store. When asked if becoming famous as a Lotto hotspot means they are about to become rich, Mrs. Seol said, "I don’t know about that. I just do business like everyone else?open the store when I wake up and go home when it gets dark," adding, "If you keep buying Lotto tickets steadily and live honestly, someday that kind of luck will come, won’t it?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.