You know Saturday Lotto pays out across "six divisions" — but what do you actually have to match to win one, and what are the real odds of getting there? The short answer: to take Division 1 in Australian Saturday Lotto you need all six main numbers on a single game, which sits at roughly 1 in 8.1 million per standard game. There are six prize divisions in total, though, and the lower ones are far easier to reach — you can win a share of the pool with as few as three main numbers and a supplementary. Here's how the draw, the divisions and the odds actually fit together. (Saturday Lotto is the same national game sold under different names — TattsLotto, Gold Lotto, X Lotto — depending on your state.)

What actually happens in a Saturday Lotto draw

Every Saturday night, one national draw takes place. The same balls, the same winning numbers, wherever in Australia you bought your ticket. Eight balls come out of the machine: the first six are the winning numbers, and the last two are the supplementary numbers. Your job on each game panel is to pick six numbers from 1 to 45.

That single draw is sold under a few different names depending on where you play. It's Saturday TattsLotto in Victoria, Tasmania and the territories; Saturday Gold Lotto in Queensland; Saturday X Lotto in South Australia; and simply Saturday Lotto in New South Wales. In Western Australia, Lotterywest runs off the same draw. Different branding, one draw, identical winning numbers — though WA sorts the lower prize divisions a little differently, as we'll see.

The draw is held on Saturday evening (around 8:30pm AEST), with entries closing earlier that night. The two supplementary numbers don't help with the top prize, but they decide several of the lower divisions — which is exactly where a lot of players stop paying attention.

The six prize divisions, from six matches down to two supplementaries

Saturday Lotto has six prize divisions. Division 1 is the big one — all six winning numbers on a single game. From there, each division asks for a different mix of winning numbers and supplementaries. The structure below is how The Lott sets it out across its states (everywhere except Western Australia — more on WA in a moment):

Division What you need to match
Division 1 6 winning numbers
Division 2 5 winning numbers + 1 or 2 supplementary numbers
Division 3 5 winning numbers
Division 4 4 winning numbers
Division 5 3 winning numbers + 1 or 2 supplementary numbers
Division 6 1 or 2 winning numbers + 2 supplementary numbers

A couple of things are worth pulling out of that table. The supplementary numbers only ever matter for Divisions 2, 5 and 6 — everywhere else it's main numbers alone. And the smallest prize, Division 6, doesn't lean on your main numbers much at all; it needs both supplementaries plus one or two mains. That's why checking the two supplementary balls, not just the main six, can be the difference between "no luck" and a small win.

Western Australia is the exception. Lotterywest draws off the same numbers, but it maps the lower divisions differently: there, Division 6 is three winning numbers (about 1 in 52) and Division 5 is three winning numbers plus one supplementary. So from Division 4 up the requirements line up nationwide, but below that they don't map one-to-one to WA — three winning numbers with no supplementary wins nothing under The Lott, yet takes Division 6 in Western Australia. That also lifts WA's overall chance of landing any prize to roughly 1 in 42, ahead of the eastern-states figure below.

The real odds — and why the prize isn't a set figure

The odds in plain numbers

Division 1 (all six numbers): about 1 in 8,145,060 per standard game. Any division at all: about 1 in 144 per standard game (about 1 in 42 in Western Australia). Draws are random — past numbers never make a future result more or less likely.

Those two figures tell the honest story. Division 1 is a genuine long shot: 1 in roughly 8.1 million reflects every possible combination of six numbers from 45. Winning something, though, is far more common — around 1 in 144 per game in The Lott states — because Divisions 4, 5 and 6 are within reach of a single lucky line.

Here's the part people find surprising: the dollar amount attached to each division isn't fixed. Saturday Lotto is a pooled, or parimutuel, game. A set share of ticket sales flows into each division's prize pool, and that pool is then split equally among everyone who lands in that division for that draw. So the amount a Division 1 winner actually receives depends on how many other people also matched all six.

⚠️ One thing to watch A headline like "A$6 million" is the estimated Division 1 pool, not a guaranteed cheque per winner — if several tickets share Division 1, each takes an equal slice of that pool.

For a standard Saturday draw, the estimated Division 1 prize pool now sits at around A$6 million (The Lott lifted it from A$5 million in May 2025). A handful of times a year, that regular draw is replaced by a Superdraw of about A$20 million, or a Megadraw of A$30 million or more. Whatever the headline figure, the split-the-pool rule stays the same.

What careful players check before and after the draw

A few practical points that catch newcomers out:

Check the supplementaries, not just the main six. As the division table shows, two of the six divisions hinge on them, so scan all eight drawn numbers against your ticket.

Register your entry. If your ticket is linked to a player card or online account, a prize can be paid to you automatically and you'll be contacted. An unregistered paper ticket is a bearer document — you have to check and claim it yourself, so keep it somewhere safe and sign the back.

Mind the claim window. Prizes don't wait indefinitely. Claim periods and the process for large wins differ slightly between The Lott states and Lotterywest in WA, so follow the rules for wherever you bought the ticket.

Tax: in Australia, lottery winnings aren't treated as assessable income, so a Saturday Lotto prize is generally tax-free. That's general information, not tax advice — for anything to do with a large win or what you do with it, talk to the operator and a qualified professional.

More games mean more entries, at proportional cost. A System entry or a multi-week slip covers more combinations, but it doesn't bend the odds in your favour; it simply buys more chances for more money. Every draw is independent, and no pattern, "due" number or system changes the 1-in-8-million maths. A syndicate spreads both the cost and any prize across the group.

Play for fun, within a budget you set in advance. Saturday Lotto is entertainment, not a way to make money. If gambling stops feeling fun, free and confidential help is available through Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858. You must be 18 or over to play.

Common Saturday Lotto questions

Do the supplementary numbers count towards Division 1?

No. Division 1 is the six main winning numbers only. Supplementaries decide Divisions 2, 5 and 6.

What's the fewest matches that still wins a prize?

Across The Lott's states, you can reach Division 6 with just one or two winning numbers plus both supplementaries, or Division 5 with three winning numbers and a supplementary. Western Australia is set up differently: there, Division 6 is three winning numbers.

Is the Division 1 prize always A$6 million?

No — about A$6 million is the estimated pool for a standard draw, shared among all Division 1 winners. Superdraws and Megadraws are larger, and the per-winner amount always depends on how many people win.

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