About the Ticket Ballot and Special Ticket Offer

The Ticket Ballot and Special Ticket Offer for Australian residents is now closed. All applicants were advised by mail in May 2005 as to their success in the Ticket Ballot and Special Ticket Offer. All tickets will be posted in December 2005.

The Ticket Ballot was open from Sunday 13 March and closed midnight (AEST) Friday 22 April. View the results of the most successful ballot in Commonwealth Games history.

The Special Ticket Offer, an opportunity available only to Australian residents who entered the Ticket Ballot, was open from Sunday 13 June and closed midnight (AEST) Sunday 26 June. View the combined results of the Ticket Ballot and the Special Ticket Offer.

Go to the Ticketing section for more options and information about how to purchase Games tickets.

Register here to receive ticketing options and information as soon as it becomes available.

About the Ticket Ballot

A lifetime of memories will be on offer when the Commonwealth Games hits Melbourne in 2006. If you are an Australian resident, the Official Ticket Ballot and Special Ticket Offer was your best chance to apply for tickets!

When was the Ticket Ballot?
Who could enter the Ticket Ballot?
When was the Special Ticket Offer?
Who could enter the Special Ticket Offer?
How does the Accept a Lower Price option work?
What Family Packages were available?
How does the actual ballot process work?

When was the Ticket Ballot?

The Ticket Ballot is closed.
The Ticket Ballot closed at midnight (AEST) on Friday 22 April 2005. Mail applications postmarked after this date will not be accepted.
Ticket Ballot applications are processed in May. All applicants will be advised in writing of their Ticket Ballot results.
All tickets will be posted in December 2005.

Who could enter the Ticket Ballot?

The Ticket Ballot was open to everyone with an Australian residential address.

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When was the Special Ticket Offer?

The Special Ticket Offer is closed.
The Special Ticket Offer closed at midnight (AEST) on Sunday 26 June 2005. Mail applications postmarked after this date will not be accepted.

Who could enter the Special Ticket Offer?

The Special Ticket Offer was only open to those who submitted an application in the Ticket Ballot.

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How does the Accept a Lower Price option work?

What does Accept a Lower Price mean?

Choosing to Accept a Lower Price maximised your chance to be part of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, especially for high demand events where ticket limits apply.

How does it work?

The Accept a Lower Price option will be activated if your preferred seating category for a particular session is unavailable due to high demand.

In this event, the ticketing system will try to find tickets in the next lowest priced seating category, followed by every available lower priced seating category until your request is fulfilled.

How did I opt to Accept a Lower Price?

If you ticked the box marked "I will accept tickets at a lower price level if my first choice of price level is unavailable" at the end of your ticketing application process, or on page 1 of your hard copy application form.

This option applied to your whole application but is only activated on a session by session basis if your first choice of price level for a session is unavailable.

What happens if I chose not to Accept a Lower Price?

If you miss out on your first choice seating category, the ticketing system will not attempt to seat you for that session. By choosing not to Accept a Lower Price you may miss out on tickets to high demand sessions entirely.

While not guaranteeing success, opting to Accept a Lower Price maximised your chances of securing tickets to your favourite events.

Please note this option was not available when your first choice ticket is a Family Package or the lowest priced seating category for a session.

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What Family Packages were available?

Designed to assist young families in attending the Games, Melbourne 2006 developed a range of Family Package options. Family Packages must have included a minimum of four people, at least two of which must be children aged 2 - 12 years:

F4 - 2 adults and 2 children (aged 2 - 12); or 1 adult and 3 children (aged 2 - 12).
F5 - an F4 package plus 1 extra child.
F6 - an F4 package plus 2 extra children.
F7 - an F4 package plus 3 extra children.

Please note that Family Package options were not available to sessions with a four-ticket maximum, when only a standard F4 package was available.

Important Information

Children two years of age or under in March 2006 will be admitted free of charge as long as they remain seated on their guardian's lap. All children occupying a seat require a valid ticket.

All Family Packages and Family Package options were available only in the lowest Price Level for each session and are subject to availability.

F5, F6 and F7 options were not available for sessions that featured a four-ticket maximum. At these sessions only a standard F4 package was available.

You could only apply for up to five standard F4 packages (equalling 20 tickets) per session except for sessions with a four-ticket maximum.

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How does the actual ballot process work?

All eligible Ticket Ballot applications are entered into the Ballot system. After the Ticket Ballot closed the following steps take place:

1. All applications are assigned a randomly generated number.
2. The Ballot system then randomly matches applications to the relevant session and Price Level until either all applications are fulfilled or the tickets available for a Price Level are allocated.
3. The Ballot system will then seek to accommodate, subject to availability, unsuccessful applicants that choose to Accept a Lower Price.
4. Steps 2 and 3 are repeated until either all applications are fulfilled or all quotas are filled.

Note: Your seating details will be confirmed upon arrival of tickets at your residential address.

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