The Australia Lotteries are comprised mainly of state government-owned corporations: New South Wales Lotteries, South Australian Lotteries and Lotterywest, and one private-sector company, Tatts Group Limited. Tatts operates in the states that are not covered by the state-owned operators, as well as Golden Casket, which is owned by the Queensland government but managed by Tatts Group.

Australia's National Lottery Games

Although the organizations are predominantly state-based, Australia has a number of national lottery games, which are usually administered by one of the above companies, and then syndicated through the Australian Lotto Bloc - an umbrella organization consisting of the above lottery operators - with prize pools combined between states. For example, Tattersalls administrates the Saturday Lotto (Tattslotto), Oz Lotto and Powerball games on behalf of the bloc. Similarly, South Australian Lotteries operate the Australian Soccer Pools. The bloc's operators also market lottery games that run exclusively in its jurisdiction.

Playing Tattslotto (Saturday Lotto)

Tattslotto, is a national game played by all Australian states and territories within the Lotto Bloc. It is marketed as "Tattslotto," "Gold lotto," "Lotto," or "Saturday Lotto," depending on which part of Australia you are in. To play, a player chooses six numbers. A player may choose more than six numbers but for each extra number you choose, the price of the ticket rises. The jackpot begins at $4 million each week and has 7 Superdraws throughout the year which have higher jackpots. A ticket only costs 50 cents per play. To win the jackpot, you must match 6 winning numbers, but you can win other exciting prizes by matching only 5, 4, or 3 numbers.

Playing Oz Lotto

Oz Lotto was Australia's original lottery game and was the only national Australia game when it was created. Oz Lotto costs $1 to play. To win Oz Lotto, a player simply needs to match at least 3 of their numbers to the 7 winning numbers drawn. The winning numbers are drawn every Tuesday night.

Playing Powerball

Australia also has its own version of the highly successful American Powerball game. Australian Powerball is drawn every Thursday night. Each game costs 60 cents to play. To win Powerball, a person needs only to match 3 winning numbers. Powerball offers better odds for winning a cash prize than Saturday Lotto but it is harder to win the Powerball jackpot. It has caught on in Australia in the same way it has become a national phenomena in America.

Buying Australian Lottery Tickets

If you think any of these national games sound exciting, or you want to check out the individual state's games, and you don't live in Australia, simply log onto the official Australian lottery website. This site, like other official lottery sites, explains how to purchase tickets, and often times tickets can be purchased online so you can play most state lotteries from the comfort of your own home. You can also refer to official state websites for custom lottery news. Many sites offer lottery number generators to help make your lottery number picking easier for you. If you would like to purchase your tickets in person, you can also visit a local lottery terminal. No matter how you choose to purchase your tickets, or which tickets you choose to buy, you're bound to have some fun!