Bulgaria's police has strengthened security near lottery outlets across the country hours before the much-awaited draw, which will target a jackpot of nearly BGN 5 M.

A lottery craze has gripped the Balkans as an increasing number of Bulgarians and citizens of neighboring countries are rushing to buy tickets for the Bulgarian state lottery known as “Toto”.

The jackpot for the upcoming draw on Thursday is expected to reach nearly BGN 5 M in the “6 of 49” game of the Toto. It has not been won for over 40 draws, the revenues from tickets setting a new record high of over BGN 4.4 M.

Romanian, Macedonian and Greek citizens are coming in droves to Bulgaria in order to purchase tickets for the lottery. The most expensive ticket worth BGN 5 005 has been bought in the capital Sofia.

The more one spends on a Toto ticket, the greater number of combinations they can fill in, which gives them a greater chance of winning.

Mathematicians say a player's chances of winning the Bulgarian state lottery is one in three and a half million.