Korea Lotto 6/45 Guide

Here's what usually comes up when you buy a Korea Lotto 6/45 ticket — how winnings are taxed, what the real odds are, and how auto and manual picks differ. The figures below come from Korea's official lottery (Donghang Lottery) and tax rules.

Auto, manual, and semi-auto

There are three ways to fill a ticket. Manual means you pick all six numbers, auto leaves them all to the machine, and semi-auto lets you pick a few and leave the rest. They differ only in how the numbers get filled — the odds of the top prize are identical, because the odds are set by the game, not by how you choose. You'll hear that most jackpot winners bought auto tickets; that's just because more people buy auto, not because auto helps.

Odds from 1st to 5th tier

Each tier's odds are fixed by the structure of drawing 6 numbers out of 45. They don't change with how you pick, auto or manual.

The 5th tier (3 matches) comes up roughly once in 45, so you'll see it now and then, but each step up jumps a whole order of magnitude — 1st is about 180,000 times rarer than 5th.

How winnings are taxed

Winnings of ₩2 million or less aren't taxed. Above that, they're withheld as other income: 22% up to ₩300 million, and 33% on the portion above ₩300 million (income tax plus local income tax). The tax is withheld when you're paid, and because it's taxed separately, that settles it — there's nothing more to file.

Take-home examples

Three cases, applying the brackets straight through:

• 5th tier, ₩5,000 — under ₩2 million, so tax-free. You get the full ₩5,000.
• A ₩100 million prize — in the up-to-₩300-million band, so 22%. Tax of ₩22 million (₩100M × 22%) is withheld and you take home ₩78 million.
• A ₩2 billion jackpot — 22% up to ₩300 million, 33% on the rest:
  • ₩300M × 22% = ₩66 million
  • ₩1.7 billion × 33% = ₩561 million
  • Total tax ₩627 million is withheld, leaving ₩1.373 billion.

(Strictly, the ₩1,000 ticket cost is subtracted before tax, but it makes essentially no difference to the take-home.)

How long you have to claim

The claim period is one year from the payout start date. After that you can't collect, so claim within the year. Small prizes are paid at the retailer; large ones are paid at a designated location after an ID check. Either way you need the winning ticket and a photo ID.

When and where to buy

Buy at any lottery retailer in Korea, or online through the official lottery (membership required). Sales close at 8 pm on Saturday, the draw day, and run until midnight on other days, from 6 am daily. Online buying is limited to ages 19 and up, and caps how much one person can spend per draw.

How to check results

The draw is held every Saturday around 8:35 pm, and the winning numbers are announced by the official lottery afterward. You can check at a retailer terminal or the official site and app, and Durebak's past draws also lists the winning numbers by round.