Maxwell Food Centre Brings Back Lucky Number Machine for Hungry Ghost Festival

The Lucky Number Machine in Maxwell Food Centre is Back

Get ready to raise your spirits, and we don’t mean just with the offerings. Maxwell Food Centre has jazzed up the Hungry Ghost Month by bringing back the “Lucky Number Machine” to its sacrificial altar. This means no more labourious kneeling for lucky numbers, making it a breeze for all the aspiring millionaires out there to get their 4D and Toto bets sorted. And who says Singaporeans don’t know how to have a good time?

Here’s what you know before heading to the hawker centre.

Elevating Traditions, One Number At A Time

Maxwell Food Centre, not one to shy away from innovation, has made it easier and more entertaining for devotees to receive “lucky numbers” during the Hungry Ghost Festival.

A photograph of the machine at Maxwell Food Centre has been making rounds on social media, inviting waves of future millionaires to test their fortune.

As per reports from Shin Min Daily News, worshippers and fortune-seekers only have to press a button on either side of the machine to start the rollicking roller-coaster of numbers on the screen, eventually landing on the sought-after “lucky number.”

For those not in the know, this isn’t a recent brainwave. The “Lucky Number Machine” first made its debut in 2008, displaying only four digits for 4D. However, the following year saw the introduction of a “multi-system” feature, enabling hopeful millionaires to request numbers for both 4D and TOTO. The phenomenon even went viral in 2016, proving its popularity amongst the masses.

A representative from the Maxwell Food Centre Hungry Ghost Festival Committee informed Shin Min Daily News that the machine is only installed during the seventh lunar month and expressed gratitude to the festival committee for their sponsorship over a decade ago.

He further clarified that the installation aims to modernize the process of seeking lucky numbers, not to encourage gambling.

“Many elderly people have to kneel down to ask for lucky numbers, but with this machine, it is not so hard,” he noted.

Mrs Liu, a 60-year-old sugar water business owner, shared with reporters that while she has not personally used the “Lucky Number Machine,” she knows of colleagues and friends who have. “I have seen many people press it, and my colleagues have pressed it too, but I don’t know if she won. I personally buy lottery numbers, but I haven’t specifically asked for characters,” she remarked.

Paving The Way For A Modern Future The intriguing addition of the “Lucky Number Machine” raises the question: what’s next on the innovation agenda? Will we soon be making offerings via PayNow?

In all seriousness, the addition of the “Lucky Number Machine” at Maxwell Food Centre underscores a meaningful effort to modernize traditions and make them more accessible and enjoyable for all.

And as Mrs Liu pointed out, it doesn’t seem to dampen the spirits (pun intended) of those who partake in the tradition.

In the meantime, lest you’re wondering why the Hungry Ghost Month starts so late this year, you should watch this: