4D is Allegedly Inspired by a Schoolboy & It Started with 2D

Last Updated on 2023-01-31 , 6:48 pm

Do not be mistaken. I’m not talking about the whole 4-Dimensional Life game we are all forced participants of.

Instead, I’m referring to this version of 4D.

And yeah, I can see that look of realization in your eyes. That creasing of eyebrows. That upturn in your lips.

How could a 18++ game like 4D be inspired by a MERE SCHOOLBOY, you wonder.

Yet, as ludicrous as it seems, it’s true. 99.9% true.

According to Wikipedia…

“A schoolboy decided to raffle his bicycle for 100 $1 tickets, each bearing two digits. The winner would be the one whose ticket number matched the last two digits of the first prize ticket in a Malaysian Turf Club sweepstake.

“This led to the 2-D lottery, which in turn gave rise to 3-D and later, 4-D, betting games which were wildly popular in Singapore and Malaysia from the 1950s.”

…

Now, I’m aware that Wikipedia isn’t exactly a 100% accurate site, seeing how anyone can edit the contents. And I feel the need to emphasise that by anyone, I mean literally anyone.

Even so, I’m willing to give Wikipedia the benefit of the doubt this time round, because the idea’s just so intriguing. It’s almost like a vegetarian was the chief inspiration behind the KFC DoubleDown, you know.

So out-of-place, yet so fascinating.

Anyways, here’s a brief history of the legendary gambling game our parents all got hooked on:

The Singapore Turf Club was the first to introduce the 4-D draw in Singapore in May 1966, offering a S$2,000 first prize for a $1 ticket.

It stopped offering it in May 2004, however, when its sister company Singapore Pools took over all the draws.

Dammit; always knew that younger sisters were up to no good.

Singapore Pools, on the other hand, kickstarted computerised betting for 4-D on 31 May 1986, and it got off to an auspicious start when the winning number for the first prize in the inaugural draw turned out to be 8838.

Incidentally, the number “8” sounds like fa or “prosper” in Mandarin and is conventionally a favourite among punters. Punters welcomed the new 4-D product and the company’s turnover that year increased 215%, to over S$283 million.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

The next time you buy 4D…

Remember this: had a young schoolboy not decided to raffle his bicycle for 100 $1 tickets, you would never have chanced upon such an addicting lottery game that eats more than it gifts.

So stop all that unnecessary schoolboy-discrimination, and give them punks a break.

Because you never know; all that kendama-training might one day create a billionaire industry that will save the Earth.

#youneverknow #legit