BIG Birthday for New Eden’s longest running lottery.

The ubiquitous BIG Lottery, known universe-wide as the longest running and most successful of capsuleer-funded lottery franchises, is approaching an historical milestone this March 12th, when it will run its 100th draw. Despite the disappointment of a last-minute sponsorship withdrawal, it is expected that many will nonetheless celebrate what will be an epic landmark in almost four years of New Eden’s capsuleer gambling history.

The key figure behind the success and history of the lottery is Tornsoul, who as CEO of BIG has been running the event since its inception. She shares her thoughts on its history, what it is today, and what we can expect on the 100th birthday in the following interview.

“The BIG Lottery is about giving people that shot at riches beyond belief, something we all dream of,” commented the Intaki. “It’s an affordable price to enter and it’s also a lot of good fun at the actual drawings, we get quite a lot of regulars attending. [They] are actually pivotal for the draw…no people, no draw.” Speaking about the lucrative nature of the typical lottery franchises and the notable successes the BIG Lotteries in particular have enjoyed, she remarked “the lottery is in the red, always has been…it’s about having fun, not making ISK. The ISK we could make would be negligible anyhow…in fact draw #99 was rather unique…it was the first time ever, I think, that a regular round had a profit.”

Speaking of the changes since the lottery’s foundation she reminisced about the prizes given away in their first official draw: A Vexor-Class Cruiser and skill book – a prize reflecting the long history of the lottery and in stark contrast to the 20 Billion ISK offered in prizes for the 100th birthday. “We’ve been doing it non-stop for 99 weeks now,” she stated.

When asked of the plans set in place for the 100th draw, she explained that she originally envisaged something even larger than a 20 Billion ISK draw. “I’ve been planning #100 for about half a year and have really been looking forward to it…I had been talking to a sponsor about getting some very special prizes…that only this sponsor could pull off…four days before the start of the round, they suddenly and unexpectedly pulled out…it was quite devastating.” Regarding the current ISK pool she further added that, “prizes are preliminary, I hope we can come up with something a bit more unique and interesting to mark the occasion.” She appealed to the capsuleers of New Eden to step forward and contribute in light of the recent disappointments, and in doing so “immortalize themselves in Eve history” as a sponsor listed on their winnings boards on one of BIG’s most special days.

“There’s one person above all others that comes to mind,” she stated, when asked if she would like to thank anyone. “Omber Zombie…the unluckiest guy in the universe, it’s a standing joke among the regulars…Oz has played every single round of the BIG lottery and has never yet won…while other regulars like Johnnny B have won four times!” As the date approaches, it is expected many people will take a punt and get their chance to win one the super-sized prizes, even if only to partake in a part of New Eden’s history. For the convenience of readers, and to encourage further participation on the BIG day, Tornsoul provided the IC with both the in-pod browser link and Galnet articles detailing the rules, history and other information about BIG Lotteries. Any individuals, corporations or alliances interested in sponsorship deals for the 100th draw are encouraged to contact Tornsoul directly.

In-Pod Browser Link:

BIG Lotteries Homepage

Galnet Links:

The Big 100: Information about the upcoming draw on March 12th.

10 million reasons to be happy! Where it all began.