Millî Piyango Idaresi Turkish Lotto Body

Translated as “National Lottery Administration”, Millî Piyango Idaresi is the national lottery body for the country of Turkey. The Millî Piyango Idaresi Company was formed in 1939 and its base of operations is in Ankara, Turkey.

Some of the games operated by Millî Piyango Idaresi – in addition to the main game, Millî Piyango – include Süper Loto, Şans Topu, On Numara, and Sayisal Loto. The company has also sponsored numerous sporting events in Turkey.

The Structure of the Turkish National Lotto

Millî Piyango Idaresi – also known as Millî Piyango Idaresi Genel Mudurlugu – is a public–sector company operated under the leadership of a Chairman of the Board and General Director. The Chairman of the Board and General Director of Millî Piyango Idaresi is Mr Ihya Bal Ak.

Millî Piyango Idaresi is essentially the State Lottery and, as such, falls under the responsibilities of the Turkish Prime Minister. Both the Turkish National Lottery at its governing body, Millî Piyango Idaresi are members of the World Lotteries Association and European Association, same as lucky nugget casino.

In addition to the Turkish National Lottery, Millî Piyango Idaresi also runs lotteries in Kyrgyzstan – a former USSR country. Moreover, in June 2009, under the administration of Millî Piyango Idaresi, the Turkish National Lottery hosted the 2009 European Lotteries Association Congress in the city of Istanbul.

Attempts at Privatisation

There have been numerous attempts by the Turkish government to privatise the operations of Millî Piyango Idaresi. The first of these, which took place in 2008, was unsuccessful as a result of the failure of bidders to meet the US$ 1.6 billion valuation set by the government. Further unsuccessful attempts followed in subsequent years.

Most recently, in 2016, a new campaign to privatise Millî Piyango Idaresi has been initiated. The formal tender announcement was made in early May and starting bids for Millî Piyango Idaresi will be accepted by the Turkish government in August.

This latest attempt at privatising Millî Piyango Idaresi aims to contribute to the TRY 10 billion in privatisation revenue that the country hopes to bring in by the end 2016.

The History of Turkish National Lottery

First run in 1889, the Turkish National Lottery existed for several years before the advent of Millî Piyango Idaresi in 1939.

The Lottery’s flagship game, Millî Piyango – which featured black and white lottery cards – was introduced, with a jackpot of 7 100 Lira. Although this is the equivalent of just US$ 2 621 today, it was worth about US$ 68 973 back then.

Turkish National Lottery Games

As the administrative body of the Turkish National Lottery, Millî Piyango Idaresi oversees all lottery games, including Süper Loto, Sayisal Loto 6/49, On Numara, Millî Piyango, and Sans Topu.

Sayisal Loto 6/49 is the most popular game under the Millî Piyango Idaresi National Lottery banner.  To play the game, one must select six numbers between 1 and 49. A draw then takes place every Saturday, during which the winning numbers are selected at random. The minimum jackpot in the offing in this Millî Piyango Idaresi game is TRY 1 million but the largest amount ever paid out totalled close to TRY 7 million.