A Lotto drawing takes place at MBC Sangam Studio in Mapo, Seoul. Newsis

The government has launched a public survey on the scale of lottery winnings following growing complaints about alleged manipulation, multiple winners, and perceived inadequacies in jackpot payouts.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance's Lottery Commission on Tuesday, the commission conducted the survey to gather public opinions on whether the current prize structure needs adjustment. The survey is available on the People's Ideas platform, hosted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

In the survey, the Lottery Commission explained that the current Lotto 6/45 offers a 1 in 8.14 million chance of winning the top prize, with around 11 million tickets sold per draw. On average, there are 12 first-place winners per round, each receiving an average jackpot of approximately 2.1 billion won ($1.56 million).

The commission acknowledged that some people believe the jackpot size is too small and invited the public to share their opinions on the issue.

Discontent intensified after the July 13 Lotto draw, where 63 people won the first prize, the highest number of winners in over two years. The prize was reduced to just over 419 million won, with the after-tax amount shrinking to approximately 314 million won. This situation triggered widespread complaints and even accusations of potential manipulation.

Currently, the Lotto requires players to pick six numbers from a pool of 45, with each ticket costing 1,000 won. Should the survey indicate strong support for increasing the prize money, possible solutions include lowering the odds of winning or increasing the ticket price.

To address concerns of potential manipulation, the Seoul National University Statistical Research Institute has proposed lowering the odds of winning by expanding the number pool from 45 to 70.

This change would decrease the chances of winning the first prize from 1 in 8.14 million to 1 in 131 million — a nearly 16-fold reduction in probability.

The Lottery Commission will collect public feedback over the next month, concluding on Oct. 25. Following this, they will review the responses and decide whether to increase the Lotto prize money.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.