Taiwan Lottery Complete Guide 2026: Super Lotto, Big Lotto, Daily 539 — Rules, Odds & Tax
Taiwan Lottery turnover crosses NT$100 billion every year — small-stakes entertainment for plenty of people. But many lottery fans don’t actually know who issues it, how the odds vary across the games, or how much tax gets taken out at claim time. This guide sorts out the rules, draw times, and claim process for the three main games, all updated to 2026.
Taiwan Lottery: who issues it, and where does the money go?
A lot of people think Taiwan Lottery is issued by Bank of Taiwan — a common misunderstanding. The actual structure:
- Authorizing agency: Ministry of Finance
- Issuing institution: CTBC Bank (took over the contract in 2014)
- Operating entity: Taiwan Lottery Co., Ltd. (a CTBC subsidiary)
This three-tier structure means: after prize payouts and operating costs, the surplus from lottery sales goes into the Public Welfare Lottery Surplus Distribution Fund, which, per the Public Welfare Lottery Issuance Act, is allocated to:
- Special municipalities and county/city governments: social welfare spending (low-income household subsidies, elderly care, support for people with disabilities)
- National Pension Fund: shoring up social insurance financing
- National Health Insurance Reserve Fund: easing financial pressure on NHI
In other words, even when you don’t win, part of your money flows back into social welfare. Keeping that in mind makes lottery spending easier to frame as small-stakes entertainment plus public-interest participation — not as a path out of poverty.
Super Lotto 638: lowest top-prize odds, highest rollover
Super Lotto 638 is the most headline-grabbing of Taiwan Lottery’s games because the jackpot rolls over with no cap and has crossed NT$3 billion in past peaks.
Game rules
Super Lotto uses a two-zone format:
- Zone 1: pick any 6 numbers from 01 to 38
- Zone 2: pick any 1 number from 01 to 08
Matching both zones wins the jackpot. NT$50 per bet.
Winning odds
| Prize | Match condition | Odds | Prize amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackpot | All 6 in Zone 1 + Zone 2 | About 1 in 22,090,000 | Rolls over, no cap |
| 2nd Prize | All 6 in Zone 1 | About 1 in 3,160,000 | Floating |
| 3rd Prize | 5 in Zone 1 + Zone 2 | About 1 in 115,000 | Fixed NT$150,000 |
| 4th Prize | 5 in Zone 1 | About 1 in 16,400 | Fixed NT$20,000 |
| 5th Prize | 4 in Zone 1 + Zone 2 | About 1 in 1,470 | Fixed NT$4,000 |
| 6th Prize | 4 in Zone 1 | About 1 in 210 | Fixed NT$800 |
| 7th Prize | 3 in Zone 1 + Zone 2 | About 1 in 153 | Fixed NT$400 |
| 8th Prize | 2 in Zone 1 + Zone 2 | About 1 in 38 | Fixed NT$200 |
| 9th / Consolation Prize | Lower-tier match | — | Fixed NT$100 |
Super Lotto’s Zone 1 (38 pick 6) has 2,760,681 combinations, multiplied by Zone 2 (8 pick 1) for a total of 22,085,448 combinations. Overall odds of winning any prize are about 11.78%.
Draw times
Every Monday and Thursday evening at 20:30 (a common mistake is writing 21:30 — the correct time is 20:30).
Big Lotto: jackpot guaranteed at NT$100,000,000
Big Lotto’s rules are more straightforward. The jackpot isn’t as high as Super Lotto, but every draw starts at a minimum of NT$100,000,000, making it many people’s entry-level pick.
Game rules
Pick any 6 numbers from 01 to 49; an additional matching number is also drawn. NT$50 per bet.
Winning odds
| Prize | Match condition | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Jackpot | All 6 matched | About 1 in 13,980,000 |
| 2nd Prize | 5 matched + bonus number | About 1 in 2,330,000 |
| 3rd Prize | 5 matched | About 1 in 54,200 |
| 4th Prize | 4 matched + bonus number | About 1 in 14,300 |
| 5th Prize | 4 matched | About 1 in 800 |
| 6th Prize | 3 matched + bonus number | About 1 in 700 |
| Consolation Prize | 2 matched + bonus number | About 1 in 50 |
Big Lotto’s 49-pick-6 total combinations come to 13,983,816, with overall odds of winning any prize at about 7.5%.
Draw times
Every Tuesday and Friday evening at 20:30.
Daily 539: a small thrill every day
Daily 539 is the everyday game with a fixed jackpot of NT$8,000,000 — suited to fans who like to match prizes daily and don’t chase huge payouts.
Game rules
Pick any 5 numbers from 01 to 39. NT$50 per bet.
Odds and fixed prize amounts
| Prize | Match condition | Odds | Prize (fixed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackpot | All 5 matched | About 1 in 575,757 | NT$8,000,000 |
| 2nd Prize | Any 4 matched | About 1 in 3,387 | NT$20,000 |
| 3rd Prize | Any 3 matched | About 1 in 102 | NT$300 |
| 4th Prize | Any 2 matched | About 1 in 10 | NT$50 |
Overall odds of winning any prize are about 10.5%, slightly higher than Big Lotto.
Draw times
Monday through Saturday evenings at 20:30 (note: no Sunday draws, despite a common assumption that it runs daily).
Matching and claiming: amount thresholds determine the process
The claim process after winning depends on single-bet amount and total ticket value. Here’s the 2026 rule set:
| Single-bet amount | Total ticket value | Claim channel | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| NT$5,000 or less | NT$200,000 or less | Any lottery shop or sports lottery booth | No income tax withholding |
| Above NT$5,000 | NT$200,000 or less | Any CTBC branch, or sports lottery booth | 20% income tax withholding + 0.4% stamp duty on the full amount |
| Any amount | NT$200,001 – NT$5M | Designated CTBC branches | Same as above |
| Any amount | Above NT$5M | Phone reservation required via CTBC customer service | Same as above |
⚠️ Important updates:
- Older online articles often cite a “NT$2,000 threshold” — that’s the old system. The 2026 rule is that the withholding boundary is NT$5,000 per single bet.
- The claim window is 3 months from the draw date (older articles citing “60 days” are wrong).
- The redemption institution is not Bank of Taiwan — it’s CTBC Bank. Penghu First Credit Cooperative and Kinmen Credit Cooperative also process claims for residents on outlying islands.
How to match the numbers
The fastest options:
- The official Taiwan Lottery app — scan the ticket’s barcode for automatic matching
- TWTools’ Taiwan Lottery results lookup — check the latest winning numbers across all games on one page
- Bring the ticket to any lottery shop and have the store machine scan it
Always confirm the ticket is intact, not torn, and not altered — anything else could affect the claim.
Side-by-side odds for all three games + gambler-psychology traps
Before buying, understanding the odds and prize structure across the three games helps you pick the right one. Here’s the 2026 comparison:
| Game | Jackpot odds | Jackpot prize | Overall winning rate | Draw frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Lotto 638 | About 1 in 22,090,000 | Rolls over (peak around NT$3.2 billion historically) | About 11.78% | Mon, Thu |
| Big Lotto | About 1 in 13,980,000 (0.0000072%) | Rolls over (record NT$937M in 2009) | About 6.68% | Tue, Fri |
| Daily 539 | About 1 in 575,757 | Fixed NT$8,000,000 | About 11.10% | Daily (except Sun) |
Super Lotto has the lowest jackpot odds (1 in 22.09 million) but the highest “overall winning rate” (about 11.78%, roughly 1 winning bet in every 8.5), so the small-prize expected value is actually the best. Daily 539 has no rollover — even after a long losing streak, the jackpot stays at NT$8,000,000 — well-suited to players who “want something small to look forward to every day.”
Three common psychology traps in lottery play:
- Gambler’s fallacy: thinking “7 hasn’t come up recently, so it must hit next time” is wrong. Each draw is an independent event — past results don’t change the next draw’s odds.
- Sunk cost fallacy: “I’ve bought 100 draws without winning — surely 10 more will do it.” That mindset keeps the losses growing. More spending ≠ closer to winning.
- Availability heuristic: the media only reports on lucky lottery shops and big winners, which inflates how likely winning feels. The jackpot’s 1-in-22.09 million odds are 22× lower than the odds of being struck by lightning (about 1 in 1,000,000) — but you never see “the 22,089,999 people who didn’t win” in the news.
A reasonable approach: treat lottery spending as entertainment, not investment. Set a monthly lottery budget (no more than 10% of your entertainment spending is a good guideline). If you win, great; if you don’t, think of it as a small charitable contribution (about 28% of government surplus flows back to social welfare funds).
Why do lottery sales rise during inflationary periods?
Across the 2022–2024 inflation period, Taiwan Lottery sales actually grew 8–15% year over year — a behavioral-economics pattern where falling relative purchasing power increases psychological willingness to “bet on a chance to turn things around.” Taiwan Lottery sales crossing NT$150 billion in 2024 — an all-time high — is concrete evidence of the trend. But lotteries aren’t an inflation hedge: the long-term expected value is still negative. The real way to fight inflation comes back to asset allocation (regular ETF investing, high-yield savings).
FAQ: common lottery questions
Q1: Are some lottery shops really “lucky”? Does picking the right one help?
Winning is a purely random event — there’s no causal connection to a shop’s location or its past record of big winners. The media routinely highlights shops that “issued another jackpot” simply because high-volume stores naturally produce more big winners. Don’t drive across town to a “lucky” shop — you’re just adding time cost.
Q2: Which is best value — Super Lotto, Big Lotto, or Daily 539?
Purely on expected value, the long-term return on every NT$50 bet across all three is below NT$50 (the difference is the government’s public-interest surplus). If you weigh “entertainment vs. winning chance”:
- Chasing the jackpot and accepting extremely long odds: Super Lotto
- Wanting moderate odds with a guaranteed multi-million-dollar prize: Big Lotto
- Wanting daily anticipation and small-stakes entertainment: Daily 539
Q3: Do I have to claim in person after winning? Can a family member claim for me?
For single bets under NT$5,000, anyone can claim with the ticket — no identity verification needed. For single bets above NT$5,000, income tax withholding kicks in, so the winner has to handle it personally with their national ID. If delegating to someone else, both parties’ ID cards plus a power of attorney are required. For major prizes (NT$1M+), claiming in person is strongly recommended to avoid delegation disputes.
Q4: After 20% withholding, do I still need to declare it on my income tax return?
Public welfare lottery winnings are taxed under separate taxation — after the 20% withholding, they don’t need to be added to your individual income tax return. In other words, once withheld, it’s done. Keep the withholding voucher for your records just in case.
Q5: If I lose or damage a winning ticket, can it be reissued?
No. Lottery tickets are bearer securities — losing one is equivalent to giving up the right to claim. As soon as you win, sign the back of the ticket and keep it somewhere safe.
Conclusion: rational spending, healthy entertainment
Three things to remember before buying a ticket:
- Spend within your means: set a monthly lottery budget cap as a portion of entertainment spending
- Understand the odds: the Super Lotto jackpot at 1 in 22.09 million is 22× less likely than being struck by lightning (about 1 in 1,000,000)
- The surplus funds public welfare: even when you don’t win, part of the money flows back into social welfare — think of it as small-stakes participation in public good
Knowing the rules and the claim process means that when you do win, you won’t fumble the process and lose entitlements. Check TWTools’ Taiwan Lottery results lookup tool to see the latest winning numbers immediately →
Further reading: Uniform Invoice Lottery complete guide: cloud invoices, claim process, prize tiers — also a government-run lottery channel, useful to understand together; 2026 Individual Income Tax complete guide — lottery winnings are taxed separately, but understanding the overall tax structure still matters.