Which SA home lottery gives you the best chance of winning

The charity home lottery market has never been as lucrative in South Australia with one charity alone offering prizes in excess of $10 million. But which gives you the best odds?

From spectacular multimillion-dollar homes to luxury cars, glorious holiday retreats in the state’s best locations, caravans, ski boats, travel packages, wine and wads of cash, the prizes on offer to support a local charity are astonishing – and more extravagant than ever before.

Self-funded charity St John Ambulance SA has upped the ante in the home lottery stakes in 2021, this year offering a total prize pool in excess of $10 million dollars, including a grand prize worth more than $4m.

But what lottery gives you the best bang for your buck and offers you the best odds, all in the name of a good cause?

Anna Pak Poy’s Rare Find Foundation was awarded a $25k grant from the Hospital Research Foundation … her first born Sebby died from a rare and incurable disease and she now wants to help others. She is pictured here last year with daughter Layla. Picture Matt Turner.

As South Australia moves into peak home lottery season, The Advertiser takes a look at what the major home lotteries are offering and asks an esteemed mathematician, Dr Michael Haythorpe from Flinders University, to crunch the numbers.

However, it is worth remembering how the proceeds are used.

CEO of The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) Group, Paul Flynn, said his organisation’s home lottery – the first major lottery program introduced to SA which has given away 39 homes – had been instrumental in supporting medical research and hospitals locally for the past 18 years.

“The Hospital Research Foundation Home Lottery has so far provided more than $140 million in grants for world-leading medical research and patient care initiatives across all public hospitals, universities and medical research centres in SA,” he said.

St John Christmas Home & Lifestyle Lottery

Proceeds: Help the 135-year-old charity provide first aid and community services across SA, including in the areas of volunteering, event health services (such as at sporting events), state emergency response, teaching first aid in schools, youth development, community care and providing public access to defibrillators. St John SA also supports ophthalmic activities in Timor Leste and remote Australia.

Inside the St John Lottery home at Walkerville.

Grand prize: $4 million grand prize package includes a $3.3 million home at Walkerville, Porsche cars to the value of $274,000, $15,000 in Tag watches, a $130,000 premium wine collection and $250,000 in cash (Main draw is December 15)

Other prizes: Dubbed, SA’s biggest home lottery with $10m in prizes, including $6m in homes to be won each fortnight – houses are at locations such as Angaston, Goolwa, Middleton and Victor Harbor. There is a total of 30,015 prizes to be won in 2021 from September 29, including holidays, ski boats, motorbikes, cars, wine and cash. Additional weekly draws are planned, to share in $165,000.

Ticket prices: $100 with discounts for multiple purchases, such as seven tickets for $500.

Amount of tickets to be sold: 209,000

Chances of winning: 1 in 7 of winning a prize. A 1 in 209,000 of winning the grand prize.

Ticket draw: Each week, all purchased tickets go in to a weekly prize draw – a single ticket can enter up to 23 major prize draws and win you nine homes,

Ambassador/ face of lottery: Jessica Adamson

Boats, bikes and caravans are among prizes on offer.

Other: Covid has added to the demand of volunteers, according to the St John SA website.

“This year’s support goes beyond the 20,000 patients treated by our volunteers at events across the state each year … supporting Covid-19 screening activities and deploying crews in support of SA Health, our volunteers continued to place themselves on the frontline to serve and protect the health of everyone in South Australia,” it states.

By the numbers: This lottery offers the best bang for your buck, according to Dr Haythorpe.

“(With) just over $20m in ticket sales for just over $10m in prize money, (this) works out to an average of $48 prize for every $100 ticket (obviously not spread evenly),” he said.

A home given away in a previous Hospital Research Home Lottery.

The Hospital Research Foundation Group Home Lottery

Proceeds: To be used to boost quality of care in hospitals; fund world-leading advancements in medical research; support services available for those dealing with chronic and terminal conditions; promote community health and wellbeing.

Grand prize: Valued at over $3.1 million, it includes a fully-furnished home at South Brighton as well $500,000 cash.

Other prizes: $1m in cash (for those who buy a ticket before midnight, Friday October 15); 10 cash prizes of $100,000 for those who purchase a ticket ahead of midnight on Friday, September 24; a cash calendar draw offering a major prize of $250,000 and 22 prizes of $10,000; a holiday for life, offering a holiday of choice to the value of $12,000 annually for 25 years or a cash prize of $300,000; a membership draw, offering first prize of a 2021 Audi Q3 Sportback valued at $57,000; various sporting, entertainment and electrical prizes.

Andrew "Cosi" Costello is an ambassador for THRF lottery. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Lucy Cornes is also an ambassador for THRF lottery.

Ticket prices: $100 for grand prize single ticket, other prize tickets starting from $10

Amount of tickets to be sold: 220,000

Chances of winning: 1 in 20 with a 1 in 220,000 chance at the major prize.

Ticket draw: Each ticket number is equally eligible in all draws, regardless of whether they have already won a separate prize.

Ambassador/ face of lottery: Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello, Adelady, and Lucy Cornes

Other: There are currently three Hospital Research Foundation Home Lotteries each year. The most recent lottery has 10,015 prizes, including 10 bonus draws and early bird prize. The total value of prizes is $6,659,946.97.

By the numbers: If there are around 10,000 prizes, and over 200,000 tickets sold, then the odds of winning a prize are close to 1 in 20, Dr Haythorpe calculates.

MS Game Changer Lottery

Proceeds: People in SA living with Multiple sclerosis; as well as funding research for a cause and a cure.

Grand prize: Two prizes of a choice between a $1.1 million home and land package or $1 million cash. (This year’s winners were announced on Friday, June 21)

Other prizes: Early bird Mercedes-Benz with other prizes including three Toyota Prados offered in 2021 as well as a range of local hotel and tourism packages and wine. Additional prize of Rav 4 Hybrid still available for ‘MS Gold VIP Club’ members.

Ticket price: $100

Home lotteries have never been more lucrative in SA, featuring cars, boats, holidays, homes and much more. Pic sourced from website

Amount of tickets sold: 70,000

Chances of winning: 1 in 35

Ticket draw: Only tickets returned to the draw are the early bird prize winner and bonus prize winners.

Ambassador/ face of lottery: None currently

Other: Multiple sclerosis is the most common degenerative neurological condition diagnosed in young adults, with over 75% of people diagnosed under the age of 40.

“The MS Game Changer Lottery has raised millions of dollars to help us support the thousands of South Australians living with MS and we have been able to donate $5 million to research in the last 5 years as a result,” a spokeswoman says.

By the numbers: The return, on average, when ticket sales and total prize pool is considered is about one third, Dr Haythorpe says.

SA personality Jessica Adamson is the face of the St John Christmas Home & Lifestyle Lottery. Picture: Tom Huntley

Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation Car Lottery

Proceeds: Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation, supports programs within the hospital to help care for vulnerable and sick SA children and their families.

Grand prize: Choice of car, caravan or $150,0000

Other prizes: Early bird, usually to value of $20,000 (cash or vouchers or combinations)

Ticket price: $50

Amount of tickets to be sold: 10,000

Chances of winning: 1 in 10,000

Ticket draw: All tickets are eligible for all draws (as long as submitted in time, for example for the early bird draw)

Ambassador: None

Other: This lottery is generally held twice a year in February and again late in year – a date for second in 2021 has yet to be announced.

“Lotteries are a great way for the community to support local charity,” says WCH Foundation head of fundraising and marketing Corinne Habel.

“Proceeds do benefit key programs at the WCH and support the brilliant care children receive … we are grateful to the community for their support.”

The Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation has turned its lottery focus to cars.

In addition to the local lotteries, there are a plethora of national and interstate-based lotteries including the Mater Prize Home Lottery, Surf Life Saving Lotteries, Yourtown Lottery, RSL Art Union lotteries and the Deaf Lottery.

And whichever charity you choose to support for your chance to win an incredible prize, good luck – it is a punt you can feel good about.

“Thanks to our generous community support, we are the single largest non-government funder of medical research in this state by a significant margin,” THRF Group CEO Paul Flynn says.

“One of the major impact grants we’ve provided recently includes more than $2 million to support the Australian Bragg Centre’s proton therapy cancer treatment in Adelaide.

“We support more than 60 areas of disease and illness, from before birth to end-of-life and the many devastating diseases in between.

“We also offer financial and operational support to other charities like the Jodie Lee Foundation, Parkinson’s SA, Stroke SA and the Laurel Palliative Care Foundation. Financial assistance was provided to the CFS Foundation during last year’s bushfires and several grants were provided to keep Treasure Boxes operating to ensure South Australians in need were assisted.

“During the Covid pandemic, (the lottery) has provided targeted grants of over $3 million to researchers and clinicians to assist with the development and support of the South Australian response for community health and wellbeing.”