Mifal Hapayis Exposed — The National Lottery of Israel

Mifal Hapayis Review

Traveling around the world and looking at different lotteries, I came across Mifal Hapayis in Israel. It’s been around since 1951. Mifal Hapayis is the only legal gambling in Israel. It runs many different lotteries, scratch games, Keno, and a bunch of other little games. It’s a bit confusing getting information on this lottery, especially with so much in Hebrew, but I managed to find out what it’s all about. Here goes!

Games, Games, Games

Mifal Hapayis offers a selection of games. Their main lottery draw “generally” is held on Tuesday and Saturday nights. I tried to get to the bottom of the word ‘generally,’ but it appears for various reasons that sometimes the draw is deferred, and there is also a draw held on the first Thursday of each month. The main lottery game at Mafal Hapyis involves choosing 6 numbers between 1 and 37 and a Chazak number. Chazak in Hebrew means strong and works the same as a Powerball or Lucky Ball in other lotteries. The jackpot starts at around US$ 2,238,160 (NIS 8,000,000), and players have to match all six numbers plus the Chazak. Prizes are paid out down to the seven tiers, including matching 3 numbers plus the Chazak. It’s a roll overdraw though it is capped.

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And More Games at Mifal Hapayis

Chance is a poker-style game involving 32 cards of all four suits from the deck (7 to Ace). Participants choose four cards, one from each suit, and then Mifal Hapayis draws four cards the same way. Players win at matching 1, 2, 3, or 4 cards. The prize pool for this game is US$ 1.1 million.

Mifal Hapayis’s Keno involves players choosing 7 to 9 numbers out of 70. 17 numbers are drawn every half hour from 11:00 to 22:00 Sunday to Thursday, with some additional games on Friday and Saturday. 777 (yup, another game) is similar to Keno but runs at 1 pm and 7:30 pm Sunday through Thursday and then 1:00 pm on Friday and 11:45 pm on Saturday.

And More Games at Mifal Hapayis

Mifal Hapayis’s 123 game is daily and seems to be the only one that is straightforward. Players choose a three-digit number from 000 to 999 with 1 in 1000 odds of winning. Players can also win by having the winning numbers in the wrong order and down to one number in the correct position. There is also ‘Hish Gad,’ a scratch game that is also offered on video machines.

She Can’t Stop Winning

I did enjoy reading about the woman in Herzliya who has continually won over 10 years; not big but continuously won. It was one of those lovely warm stories. Sometimes, I think winning is more exciting than money. Okay – I admit it. The money is attractive, but there is nothing like realizing your ticket has won something.

But this is when I got confused again. The article refers to ‘membership cards’ with the named woman having four different cards. She has won three of them. They weren’t what we would call big wins, but even I would smile at US$ 34,000. It’s enough to do something special, but not enough to drag all the quasi-friends and relatives out of the closet for their share.

So What Does Mifal Hapayis Do With the Money

These are the lottery/games that are set up to fund various civic projects. Before 2012, it concentrated on building classrooms, daycare centers, with about half going to local authorities. The new format allows the Ministry of Finance to oversee how the revenue is spent. Current projects include the new 10,600 seat basketball arena for the 19th Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem in 2014. It also includes an Olympic sized swimming pool, professional skating rink, and 12,000 square feet of commercial and office space.

Mifal Hapayis – Who Are They

Pollard Banknote Limited operates Mifal Hapayis. It is one of the world’s leading full-service lottery vendors serving about 50 lotteries worldwide. They do seem to know what they are doing and have a good reputation. In March 2013, they were awarded a new three-year contract.

Why You Should Play Mifal Hapayis

Pros:

Regular Draws – Sorta

Rollover Jackpot

Selection of Games

Why You Shouldn’t Play Mifal Hapayis

Cons:

I’m Still Not Sure When They Play the Lottery

Getting Results Could be A Challenge in Hebrew

Average Jackpot

Is Mifal Hapayis Legit?

Overall, I like that when I purchase tickets, and I don’t win, my money is going to something more than someone’s pocket. Mifal Hapayis offers a range of games that mostly seem straightforward.

However, this one gets a thumbs down mostly as the information is limited (probably the language barrier). I ended up more confused when I read about the different games Mifal Hapayis has to offer. The primary lottery seems straightforward, but then when I got into reading about membership cards, I got more confused. There are some great jackpots out there that are far more straightforward, and I think I’ll stick to them.