Taiwan Lottery introduces two new scratch cards

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) Taiwan Lottery said Tuesday that it has launched two new scratch cards with total prize money exceeding NT$2 billion (US$63.60 million).

In a news release, Taiwan Lottery said the first scratch card called "Happy Scratch 5000" went on sale Tuesday for NT$500 (US$15.93). It offers more than 150,000 prizes of NT$5,000 and over, with two top prizes of NT$3 million. The winning rate stands at 34.73 percent.

Citing recent global surveys on lottery consumer behavior, Taiwan Lottery said winners are most likely to share their joy with friends and family when they receive prizes worth five to 10 times the ticket price, a phenomenon known as a "chatter prize."

The company said the prize design is expected to encourage ticket purchases by capitalizing on this behavior.

The second scratch card is named "Good Luck 88" (好運發發) with a mahjong-themed design which includes mahjong tiles with a "發" character, the pronunciation of which is close to eight in Mandarin.

The scratch card also includes three golden 8s and a bag of money, Taiwan Lottery said.

Taiwan Lottery said the scratch card, which is sold for NT$200, has 88 top prizes of NT$88,000 while the number of NT$800 prizes exceeds 240,000. It has a winning rate of 31.99 percent.