This article first appeared in Capital, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 1, 2021 - November 7, 2021

When number forecast operator (NFO) outlets were allowed to reopen in September after more than three months of closure because of movement restrictions, punters welcomed the move.

In the past, my friend would have been delighted. A die-hard punter for years, he had participated in almost every draw, both 4D and jackpot.

But the pandemic has changed his mindset.

“When the market is good, I cincai (simply) buy and can just cincai win. Don’t be greedy. You see, I can win a few hundred a day. If you can maintain the performance, it will give you a good profit every month,” he says.

But now, he bets less on the lottery as he wants to put more money in the stock market for so-called “quality investments”, which may yield capital appreciation and dividends.

That said, it is not easy for a punter to stop buying the lottery immediately as he is so used to placing a wager every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, not to mention the special draws on Tuesday.

Something feels amiss, too, if he hasn’t purchased his numbers.

When it comes to gaming, many people have a negative perception of it, even though buying numbers at NFO outlets is legal — so long as you are a non-Muslim. But for some, betting may have evolved into a form of “spiritual support” — or is it a habit or compulsion — besides the hope of becoming rich.

Usually, punters would buy the same set of numbers and it can be quite upsetting when you don’t strike anything for years.

Anyway, my friend thinks that instead of waiting for years for a dream that may not come true, why not just switch to something where you can make some money every day?

Compared to the lottery, the probability of winning in the stock market looks better, he reckons. Even if you manage to strike at numbers, the reward is not that high for pure 4D numbers, unless you hit the jackpot. Then your winnings will run into the tens of millions of ringgit.

At which point, you can quit your job and do whatever you like. Just like a lucky winner from Negeri Sembilan who reportedly hit the jackpot early this year after being declared bankrupt six years ago.

Taking Sports Toto’s Star Toto 6/50 as an example, the Jackpot 1 offers RM1.19 million in its latest draw and the probability of winning is just one in 15.9 million, or about 0.0000063%.

In contrast, winning in the stock market is no longer a difficult task as long as you are prepared to do some homework. Some stocks are quite resilient in their share price — within a certain range — but you must have the courage to buy when prices fall. Technically, getting yourself educated in chart analysis would be useful too.

When opportunities knock, you have to decide fast. Like it or not, it is also a form of gambling, like betting “big” or “small” at a casino table.

If you are able to catch the right momentum for certain stocks, it is easier to make money than waiting for durian runtuh (windfall) from a lottery, although the outlay for the latter is far more affordable.

Having gone through a number of long lockdowns, some now consider the stock market as another way to punt. And if more punters like my friend think it is easier to make money there, it makes me wonder if the business of NFOs will be impacted in the future.

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