Mega da Virada Hits R$1 Billion With Bets Closing 8 p.m. on Dec. 31

Overview

• Betting ends at 8 p.m. Brasília time on Wednesday, with the draw set for 10 p.m. and live streams on Caixa’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
• The R$1 billion estimate is the largest in the contest’s history, and if no one matches six numbers the money is redistributed to lower prize tiers.
• A simple six-number game costs R$6 on the Loterias Caixa site or app, at physical outlets, or via internet banking for Caixa clients.
• Chances improve with more numbers but costs rise sharply: 10 numbers cost R$1,260 (about 1 in 238,000), and the 20-number maximum costs R$232,560 (about 1 in 1,292).
• Bolões are in heavy demand, including a Goiás organizer who says his groups invested about R$13 million with dozens of 20-number entries, as Caixa warns of fake sites mimicking its official portal.