A player who picks the number 7 for Brisbane, for example, will therefore be correct if the temperature at noon is 24.7 degrees Celsius, or any other temperature when the number after the decimal point is 7. Everyone’s numbers are unique to them, so if somebody does match all seven numbers in order they will win AU$1 million. The prize for matching six is AU$25,000, with other prizes ranging from AU$5 for matching two numbers to AU$2,000 for matching five numbers.
The lottery has been organised to raise money for charities and it is up to players to select which good cause they wish to support. Each day from Monday to Thursday corresponds with a different charity, so the money raised from ticket sales on a Monday goes towards the Cowboys Community Foundation, Tuesday’s game supports Wounded Heroes, and so on. The final game of the week, on Friday, splits the money between all four charities.
Spokesperson Joanne Edgar has revealed that the idea came from postcode lotteries in Europe. A similar structure was not possible in Australia due to their four-number postcodes, so it was decided to focus on the weather instead, and Edgar is confident that the original approach will get people playing.
“We couldn't use postcodes in Australia as it just doesn't work the same," Edgar said to Mashable Australia. "So we decided on the weather, because everyone is obsessed with the weather. In Australia, we are overly obsessed with it. It was just a fun thing to be able to do."
"Instead of someone going to a newsagent and buying a lottery ticket where the proceeds go to shareholders, we thought this was a fun way they could buy a lotto ticket, support their favourite charity and at the same time they get a chance to win $1 million — and they can talk about the weather with their friends or complain about it.”
It will be fascinating to see how players take to the Weather Lottery, but all the ingredients point to it being one of the most interesting games out there, with 100 percent of profits going to charity, big prizes up for grabs and yet another reason to talk about the weather!