|Home|

The Free Lottery in Taiwan

Dora Lin

       My dear friends, welcome to Taiwan! I bet there are so many new things for you to discover here; however, I am going to tell you the most exciting one: the free lottery in Taiwan! What I mean by the free lottery is the number on the top of a receipt you get when you do shopping. If your receipt number matches anyone in a group of numbers randomly designated by the Ministry of Finance every two months, you will win prizes. This is sponsored by our government to prevent the stores from avoiding paying taxes by not giving out receipts. Since it is free, it has become one of the most exciting pastimes in Taiwan.

The first thing you need to do to win a prize is to do shopping and get some receipts, of course. Then, collect all the receipts according to the monthly order and wait for the 25th of the even number months to come. It is the day on which a specified set of numbers is given out. Therefore, you have to wait patiently. But be aware of one thing: the receipt with an invoice number is not good for this lottery.

When the day comes, you can find a group of numbers in the newspapers or there will be free copies in every convenient store. You can even search for the numbers on the Internet. There are four sets of eight-digit numbers in the group. The first one that is always on the top of the list is called the “special number.” If you have the exact eight-digit special number on your receipt, you can win two million New Taiwan dollars. However, if you have the exact eight-digit number of the other three sets, you win only two hundred thousand dollars. Does this sound hard? Don't worry. There are some smaller prizes as well. For the other three sets, you win forty thousand dollars if your number matches the last seven digits, ten thousand dollars for the last six digits, four thousand dollars for the last five digits, one thousand dollars for the last four digits, and two hundred dollars for the last three digits.

After you find a receipt with the matched numbers, write your name on the back of the receipt as soon as possible and keep it at a safe place that you will not forget. The money is given to the name that is on the receipt. Also, the prize will not be able to be picked up until a month after the day the group of numbers is given out. For example, I can only claim the prize on March 26th for the one I got on February 25th. So, don't forget where you put your receipts! To claim the prize, you will need to go to the post office or some designated banks. Your passport or the residence permit will be needed too. The duration for claiming the prize will be only three month long.

This type of free lottery is probably the only one in the world. It benefits both the government and shoppers like us. So, don't forget to keep all your receipts when you do shopping and then seek your fortune on the 25th of the even months. Wish you a good luck!