On the evening of November 20, at eight o'clock, in the presence of dozens of newspaper reporters and the staff from the Berlin notary office, the German Welfare Lottery Company announced the winning numbers for the first draw of the double-color ball lottery.
The six red balls drawn were 02, 09, 14, 17, 18, and 31, while the blue ball was 08.
Karl von Jonalett, the General Manager of the German Welfare Lottery Company, publicly declared that the staff would immediately verify all purchased numbers, aiming to complete the preliminary checks by the following afternoon. Should anyone win the grand prize, the news would be promptly relayed to major newspapers.
The entire lottery community in Germany, as well as society at large, was keenly interested in the results of the double-color ball draw. Everyone was eager to discover whether a fortunate soul would emerge as the winner of the five million marks prize, a substantial sum that, even after taxes, remained considerable. This was indeed a chance for overnight wealth!
"Your Highness, we have succeeded! Preliminary figures indicate that over ten million tickets have been sold!" Karl exclaimed, his face alight with excitement.
At two marks per ticket, while the price was quite hefty, there remained a significant number of individuals capable of purchasing tickets, ensuring a massive market for their lottery.
"Indeed. Once the winning results are tallied, we will know precisely how much profit we stand to gain," Qin Tian replied, equally eager.
To efficiently tally the winning tickets, the German Welfare Lottery Company had specially recruited a professional statistics team of over two hundred individuals. Although the payroll for these statisticians was not insignificant, it paled in comparison to the enormous profits they anticipated. In an era devoid of computers and networks, manual labor was the only feasible option.
"Your Highness, even with just one grand prize winner, our profits will exceed two hundred thousand marks," Karl stated confidently. He had invested one million marks in the company, and if the profits indeed surpassed two hundred thousand marks, he would receive twenty thousand marks, allowing him to recoup his entire investment after just five draws.
Qin Tian nodded; with a profit of two hundred thousand marks, he could expect to earn one hundred thousand marks himself. With such figures, achieving his promise to fund a battleship for the German Navy would pose no challenge.
"Let's expedite the statistics. If a grand prize winner emerges, notify all newspapers immediately to commence a second wave of publicity. We need to encourage more individuals to purchase our tickets!" Qin Tian urged.
Despite the initial success, with over ten million tickets sold, he was not yet satisfied. The lottery market across Germany should be even larger. With the various advantages of the double-color ball lottery, they should be able to expand their market further, thus increasing their profits.
Karl nodded in agreement, recognizing the formidable appeal of the double-color ball lottery. Of course, this posed no disadvantage to them—who would complain about earning more?
Karl then departed to oversee the verification team and ensure a swift tally of the tickets.
The prizes for the double-color ball lottery were fixed: five million marks for the grand prize, one hundred thousand marks for the second prize, three thousand marks for the third prize, two hundred marks for the fourth prize, ten marks for the fifth prize, and five marks for the sixth prize.
If they could save two hundred thousand marks after deducting costs and prizes, Qin Tian would be more than content. After all, the double-color ball lottery had three draws each week, and the sales had only just begun. Once it gained traction, they would undoubtedly see even more players buying tickets, leading to increased profits.
Early the next morning, Karl approached Qin Tian with dark circles under his eyes to report the results of the tally.
"Your Highness, the results are in! There was one grand prize winner and eighteen second prize winners. Including the other prizes, the total payout amounts to approximately twelve million marks. After taxes and various costs, our profit is two hundred twelve thousand marks," Karl announced, his face radiant with excitement.
"Well done! This is certainly a fantastic start! Immediately dispatch the winnings to the winning ticket locations for redemption. Additionally, please ensure that our partner newspapers report on this event with vigor," Qin Tian replied enthusiastically.
"Of course, Your Highness. Our second lottery draw begins today. We previously prepared fifteen million tickets; I'm unsure if that will suffice."
"It's too late to have the printing house produce more now. However, we can prepare twenty million tickets for the next draw. If sales continue to be robust, we can always increase that number further."
As long as sales remained strong, they could steadily expand until the market was fully saturated. This strategy would maximize their profits, and then they could begin considering expansion into other countries.
In Düsseldorf, after a shift ended at the coal mine, a throng of coal miners poured out of the factory gates, their bodies covered in soot and grime.
Although Germany's industry was highly developed, life for the laboring class remained arduous.
Hans was among these coal miners.
"Hans, how about grabbing a drink tonight?" a tall miner suggested.
"No, Lina and the kids are waiting for me at home," Hans replied, shaking his head.
On his way home, he passed by a lottery ticket booth and hesitated, digging a crumpled ticket out of his bag.
This ticket was one he had purchased when the double-color ball lottery was launched. Though two marks was quite a steep price for Hans, he still hoped for a stroke of divine grace.
After a moment's indecision, Hans approached the ticket booth.
Inside, several patrons were buying tickets or cashing in winnings.
"Excuse me, did I win with this ticket?" Hans inquired.
The attendant was a young woman, who, upon noticing Hans's dirty appearance, furrowed her brow but maintained a professional smile as she accepted the ticket.
As she scrutinized the numbers on the ticket, her eyes widened in astonishment.
"Oh my God! The headquarters was right! The grand prize was indeed sold at our booth!"
"Sir, congratulations! You have won the grand prize in the last draw of the double-color ball lottery. You are entitled to a pre-tax sum of five million marks!" the attendant exclaimed, her excitement palpable, as though she were the winner herself.
"What? I won the grand prize?"
"Oh my God! What incredible luck!"
The entire ticket booth erupted in a frenzy.