A Hong Kong marine police officer has won HK$69 million (US$8.9 million) from a mere HK$10 bet placed over a phone call, with his win widely circulated among police circles.
The Post has seen a picture showing the officer’s winning bid of HK$69,234,020 from the Mark Six lottery, with sources confirming that the officer worked for the marine police’s small boat division and is currently on leave.
“He did not buy the lottery ticket during his work hours,” a source has told the Post, adding that the officer had placed his bet over the phone, rather than at any betting stations in the city.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
A separate source revealed that the officer was excited for the unexpected win, and would report back to duty after taking a short break with his family.
This week’s win was not the first time a police officer has scored a windfall from the city’s lottery.
Former police commissioner Dick Lee Ming-kwai was among 12 officers who each won HK$3.16 million in the Mark Six lottery in 1995.
Hong Kong’s record Mark Six jackpot of more than HK$138 million (US$17.7 million) was announced on Tuesday night, with the prize split between two winning tickets. The lottery had drawn nearly HK$330 million in placed bets.
Fourteen tickets shared the second prize, with each winner pocketing HK$844,560.
The third prize was won by 651.5 tickets, with each taking HK$48,390.
More from South China Morning Post:
- 2 winning tickets share record Hong Kong Mark Six jackpot of HK$138 million
- Hong Kong ticket tout crackdown urged after lack of convictions revealed
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
