The lottery is a popular form of gambling in Hong Kong. It is regulated and the profits from it are used for a variety of community projects in Hong Kong. The funds are collected by a non-profit organisation called the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). The lottery has been around for more than 100 years and is one of the most famous in Asia. It is played by over a million people every week. The top prize is HK$24 million, and you can win smaller prizes by matching five or more numbers. It also has special “Snowball” draws during public holidays and festivals, with higher jackpots.
The HKJC has made donations of more than HK$ 200 million to various community projects in the past decade. These projects include sports, healthy living, employment and entertainment as well as the cultivation of culture and arts. The money raised from the lottery is also used to organize horse racing events.
Despite China’s slowdown, smuggling remains big business. In June, Hong Kong customs officials seized more than 600 lottery tickets with a total value of HK$1.37 million. The tickets were smuggled into Hong Kong from mainland China and Macau for sale. The smugglers were charged with illegally importing and exporting the tickets.
Besides the normal prizes, the Hello Hong Kong campaign will also give away airline tickets to people from Southeast Asia and mainland China. These tickets will be given out through a lottery system and two-for-one purchases. The promotion will start on March 1, and the tickets will be distributed over six months.