In Toto they trust

You can't put a price on luck.

That seems to be the view of the majority of punters interviewed about the Toto price hike.

Bets will now cost double. (See report above.)Mr Segar, a security guard, said gamblers like himself will bet no matter the price. The 60-year-old's monthly bets of $200 will soon cost him $400.

"If we have the money, we will buy. It just goes to show that there is no guarantee in life," said Mr Segar.

For some, such as retiree Mr Lim, 70, that is the price one pays for hope.He bets on the 5 + R category about once or twice a year. This costs $20 now and will cost $44 from Oct 7. He said: "If you bet more, you earn more, simple as that."S ecurity officer Lee Fong Soon, 60, is resigned to the cost hikes.

"There is not much I can do about it, so I will just go on betting. I am not angry about it," said Mr Lee, who places ordinary bets amounting to about $5 each week.

Madam Lilian Sin, a 52-year-old accounts executive who bets once a year, said she is more willing to take the risk as the jackpot prize is now a minimum of $1 million.

BIGGER PRIZE

She said: "I don't mind the changes, especially since the prize money will go up too."

But others were put off by the changes.

Said retiree Mr Wee, 69, who has been betting since the 1980s: "I haven't been very lucky over the years. Now it is more expensive to bet, so I don't think I will play so often any more. It is better to save the money instead."

Part-time cleaner Sylvia Kwek, 51, felt the same way.

"It used to be more affordable for me to bet. So now I think I won't do it so much," she said.

TOTO CHANGES TO NOTE

From Oct 7, Toto 6/45 will become Toto 6/49. This means punters will have to pick a set of six numbers from 49 numbers, up from the current 45.

The costs of bets in each category will also be doubled.

An ordinary bet of six numbers will cost $1 as opposed to 50 cents.

A System 7 bet, where the punter picks seven numbers, will cost $7, compared its current cost of $3.50.

In the new Group 7 prize category, customers need to match three numbers to win $10.

The odds of winning any prize will rise from 1 in 321 to 1 in 54 in this category.

The Group 6 prize will increase to $25 and the Group 5 prize will rise to $50.

This article was first published on August 30, 2014.
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