How foreigners buy Lotto 6/45 tickets in Korea
Are you a person who does not live in Korea and are thinking about buying a lottery ticket while traveling or on a business trip to Korea? I would like to introduce where, how, and when you can buy lotto tickets in Korea.
Donghaeng BogGwon Lotto 6/45
Korea Lotto Mark / 693rd 1st place lotto
Korean lotto is called Donghaeng BogGwon and 6/45. Donghaeng BogGwon is the name of the company that issues the lottery, and the meaning of 6/45 is that if you match 6 numbers out of 45 numbers, you will win first place.
The table below shows the winning amounts for 1st to 5th places in won, dollar, and Japanese yen based on the exchange rate as of January 2024. These are the 1100th lottery results announced recently.
| Ranking | Korea (KRW) | USA (USD) | Japan (JPY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,207,575,472 | 1,673,673 | 241,017,476 |
| 2 | 59,050,373 | 44,769 | 6,446,969 |
| 3 | 1,667,160 | 1,263 | 182,016 |
| 4 | 50,000 | 37 | 5,458 |
| 5 | 5,000 | 3.79 | 545 |
Usually, the first prize amount varies depending on the number of winners, but is determined between 1.5 million and 2.3 million dollars (Japan: 218 million to 327 million yen) in U.S. dollars.
The winning amount for 4th and 5th places is fixed, and the winning amount for the remaining places varies depending on the number of winners.
What if I win ?
50,000 won(USD 37, JPY 5,450) banknotes that the Bank of Korea began issuing in 2009
Of course, even if a foreigner wins the Korean lottery, he or she can still receive the winnings. The tax rate upon receipt of winnings is determined depending on whether you actually reside in Korea.
- If you are a resident in Korea, the money will be paid excluding 22-33% tax depending on the winning amount.
- If you do not reside in Korea, your tax rate will be determined by the tax treaty between your country and Korea.
If you find out that you won first place after leaving Korea, the tax rate will not be an issue for you to come back to Korea.
Where/When can I buy?
Lotto spot in Busan, Korea - Lotto stores that have produced many customer winners are famous, so people sometimes wait in line to buy lottery tickets.
There are three main types of lotto purchase places as follows. In the case of online, there is a process to register as a member, which may be inconvenient or impossible as a foreigner.
Online - Donghaeng BogGwon
Newsstand or convenience store
Lottery sales specialty store
If you are walking down the street in Korea and see a mark or store like the picture below, you can purchase a lottery ticket. Don’t worry, worrying will only delay the winning time.
Lotto stores
Also, if you say to the clerk like Lotto Daseosjul Juseyo with 5,000 won. Then they will give you a piece of paper with 5 lines of numbers written on it. Note that, Five lines can be added to one lotto paper, and each line costs 1,000 won (slightly less than $1).
When you tell the clerk the number of lottery tickets along with your money, the clerk will usually issue the lottery tickets automatically, with a computer randomly selecting numbers. Of course, you can also purchase lotto tickets manually by masking your numbers and handing them to the OMR provided at the lotto store.
For reference, legally, you can only purchase lotto tickets worth 100,000 won per day. And the available purchase times are as follows.
- Monday - Friday: 06:00 - 24:00
- Saturday: 06:00 - 20:00 (drawing day)
The drawing will be broadcast on MBC broadcasting station at 8:35 pm on Saturday.
To check the winning numbers, please use the link below. Even if the page is in Korean, it is probably one of the fastest ways to find out the winning numbers. This is the official website of a company that sells lottery tickets.
How to play
Donghaeng BogGwon - Lotto winning results
A total of 7 lottery winning numbers will be announced.
Using the photo above as an example, Number 41 is the bonus number and the rest are winning numbers.
- If all the winning numbers in one line match, you get 1st place.
- If only 5 winning numbers match and the bonus number matches the remaining one, you get 2nd place.
For 3rd to 5th place, please refer to the table below.
| Ranking | Winning amount per game | Winning criteria | Winnings payment location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flexible | Match 6 winning numbers | NH Bank |
| 2 | Flexible | Match 5 winning numbers + Bonus number matching | NH Bank |
| 3 | Flexible | Match 5 winning numbers | NH Bank |
| 4 | Fixed at 50,000 won | 4 winning numbers match | Lotto lottery store |
| 5 | Fixed at 5,000 won | 3 winning numbers match | Lotto lottery store |
4th and 5th place winners will pay their winnings at lotto sales locations, and the remaining winners must visit Nonghyup (NH) Bank to receive their winnings.