Tales of luck and chance in numbers

Since the mid-’70s, I have been intrigued by number games, especially lottery forecasts.

This interest began during my time as an assistant editor at the Iban newspaper Berita Rayat in the Information Section known as Info-Psywar in RASCOM Sibu in February 1975.

I remember winning my first consolation prize of RM150 (from two tickets) in Magnum using my IC number 7943 around April of that year.

Even as an undergraduate at the University of Science Malaysia (USM) in Penang, I spent some money playing the forecast games, but all my efforts were in vain.

My favourite numbers in Magnum were 1660 and 0166, inspired by my Suzuki motorbike number PP 166, but they didn’t bring me luck.

This interest turned into an obsession in 1979 when I began working as a lecturer at Rajang Teachers College (now IPG Rajang) in Binatang, later renamed Bintangor.

Over the years, I encountered different people and their stories with numbers, including Magnum, Toto, and the Big Four.

In Bintangor, Big Four was the most popular, while Magnum and Toto were sold privately by unlicensed operators.

One incident that remains vivid in my memory from Bintangor occurred around August 1979. On a Saturday draw, my colleague Dominic Wong (now retired) bought some numbers from the Big Four outlet near the fruit stall operated by Ting Pik Khing (later Tan Sri) beside the market.

Dominic discovered the next day that one of his numbers had won a consolation prize of RM75, but he couldn’t find the ticket he had purchased for three ringgit.

Out of curiosity, I drove to town in my old Ford Cortina (1.8 cc) and spotted the Big Four ticket placed upside down near Ting’s oranges stall, not far from the road.

I was thrilled to find Dominic’s ticket in good condition due to the fine weather of the past few days.

I confirmed with the Big Four teller and received the prize for the three-ringgit ticket, totalling RM215. Dominic was delighted, and he generously shared his winnings with me.

Another amusing incident involved my brother-in-law Fabian in Kuching around 1987. He bought a two-ringgit Toto ticket at Tabuan Jaya, but mistakenly threw away the ticket with the number, keeping only the paper with his handwritten number.

When the winning numbers were announced that Saturday evening, Fabian was happy to see his number matching the starter (RM200), indicating an RM400 win. However, he couldn’t find the winning ticket.

Early the next day, he returned to the Toto outlet, hoping to find the discarded ticket in the bin, and luckily retrieved his winning ticket.

In 1990, a middle-aged lady from Miri, now deceased, visited Kuching and bought a five-ringgit Magnum ticket.

That evening, her daughter informed her that the number had won a consolation prize.

The following Sunday, she rushed to claim the prize at Magnum in King’s Centre, only to be told that her number was not a winner.

Frustrated, she realised that the winning number matched Toto’s draw, not Magnum’s. She was upset with her daughter for not specifying the correct outlet. It was a disappointing experience for her.

In my case, I opened my first bank account with Bank Bumi 1340 while working at SMK Sedaya, Kanowit, in 1983. During the illegal Magnum sales in Kanowit, I bought numbers in almost every draw.

Six years later, one of my numbers hit second prize in Toto, and I won RM6000 with six tickets, although I had spent more over the years on that number.

In 1984, still at SMK Sedaya, a humorous incident involving numbers occurred. During a weekend in Sibu at the Capitol Hotel, I met Sidney Lau, the hotel’s front office manager who was an illegal 4D seller.

I bought the number 5985 for RM5, and that evening, someone sold the written winning numbers, with 5895 listed as the winning starter. I jokingly told Sidney that my number 5985 had won.

Surprisingly, he instructed me to collect the prize the next day as the written numbers contained a mistake. It turned out to be my lucky day, as the number made me over a thousand ringgit richer.

While serving as principal at SMK Julau, from December 1990 to November 1991, I didn’t have a car. During this period, I used my senior assistant Peter Wong’s car with the number XX 7819.

On November 18, 1991, this number won first prize in Magnum, earning me over RM50,000 for the illegally purchased number.

With this windfall, I bought a Proton Saga Megavalve 1.6 cc for RM33,000, putting an end to some of my financial struggles.

Shortly after that’s an interesting collection of anecdotes and experiences related to number games and lottery forecasts that you’ve encountered over the years.

It seems like you’ve had a mix of near misses, lucky wins, and amusing incidents that have made for memorable moments.

From finding lost tickets to mistaken purchases, each story adds a unique flavour to your relationship with these games of chance.

It’s fascinating how these experiences can create lasting memories and sometimes even change circumstances significantly, like your win in Magnum that helped you purchase a new car.

It’s a reminder of how unpredictable and sometimes serendipitous life can be, especially when it comes to these games of luck.

The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Sarawak Tribune.