In case you are the only person who did not know, it is Big Wednesday again.
More than $20 million has been gambled on tickets for tonight's record jackpot, and the more that are sold the better it is for charities who get a cut of the takings.
But not every charity that applies, wins.
It took two years and $25,000 to teach Bonnie the dog how to help her owner, Amy Hogan, undress. Bonnie knows around 90 other commands that help when you have got cerebral palsy.
Bonnie was trained by the Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust, which relies entirely on donations and grants. It got $1000 from the Lottery Grants Board.
"Every charity always wants more money, but at the end of the day the Lotteries Commission has supported us and we are very thankful and grateful for that," says trust general manager Suzanne Crowther.
Groups like hers are becoming even more grateful as the recession forces many other big companies to cut back on their grant-giving. It is a problem that does not affect the lottery.
"All of us that are going to lose tonight can take some solace in the fact that the money that we do lose is going to be of some benefit to someone or some organisation somewhere in the community," says Ken Laban, Lottery Grants Board.
But how much actually goes to them? For every dollar you spend on a ticket, 56c is given back as prize money and 20c goes to charities and community groups. The rest is split between the retailers, the running costs and taxes.
Over 21 years those 20c pieces have added up to $2.5 billion in grants. It doesn't sound too shabby, but what are the chances of an application hitting the jackpot?
"It's a case where you cannot support every application," says Mr Laban. "Some wonderful applications get turned down."
Anyone can apply for money, and in the past 12 months 4600 groups did so. More than half – 2700 - were successful.
That means applicants like the Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust, have a one in 1.6 chance of a payout. Not bad, compared with the one in 2.7 million chance of buying tonight's winning ticket.
3 News