TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Lottery Co. (台灣彩券公司) unveiled five new scratch-off games Tuesday (Feb. 3) ahead of the Lunar New Year, with tickets priced between NT$100 (around US$3.17) and NT$500 (around US$15.83). The new games offer a top prize of NT$5 million (around US$158,278) and feature over 12.2 million prizes totaling more than NT$4.7 billion (around US$148.78 million) in potential winnings. The launch reflects traditional celebrations of welcoming new fortune during the Lunar New Year holiday.
At a press conference, Taiwan Lottery Co. (台灣彩券公司) introduced new mascots inspired by the magpie and leopard cat, two animals significant in Taiwanese culture. Roger Kao (高人傑), senior executive vice president of CTBC Bank (中國信託商業銀行), said the mascots represent an important step toward making the lottery market more youthful. Kao stated the new mascots aim to attract and develop a younger demographic of lottery players.
Taiwan Lottery plans to launch 15 scratch-off games before this year's Lunar New Year, setting a new record with over NT$39.9 billion (around US$1.26 billion) in total prizes. The company revealed the NT$20 million (around US$633,112) Red Envelope game offers the largest face value and jackpot with 10 winning opportunities. The first top prize from the Red Envelope game has already been claimed in Keelung City, a port city in northern Taiwan.
Kao noted that CTBC Bank has commissioned Taiwan Lottery to issue the public welfare lottery for 20 years, a milestone reached this year. The executive said the mission has gone beyond selling lottery tickets over the past two decades, focusing on spreading goodwill across Taiwan. Each public welfare lottery ticket represents the collective kindness of society and reflects the public's hope for a better future for Taiwan, Kao stated. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.59)