It’s official! One lucky angler is guaranteed to reel in a million bucks in this year’s Million Dollar Fish competition. Want to get in on the action? Keep reading to learn more.
Although there are plenty of reasons why fishing in the NT would get your heart racing 🐊, there’s now another. One lucky angler is guaranteed to win a whopping one million dollars in the upcoming Season 9 Million Dollar Fish (MDF) comp.
Open to anyone over the age of 18 years, Season 9 will feature 100 barramundi tagged with $10,000 and one with $1 million. The barra are then released into the Top End’s five main fishing regions – Arnhem Land, Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine and the Tiwi Islands – and it’s your job to find them! All the $1 million fish from previous seasons remain active year-round, while the other tagged fish are only active during the official MDF season. Once a $1 million fish is caught, the others turn into $10,000 fish. Unless it is outside the official season, in which case they cease to be active.
To date, MDF has handed out more than $925,000, but the elusive million-dollar fish is yet to be caught. This season, that’s all set to change with MDF guaranteeing that someone will reel in the win.
The details are currently a bit light on as to how they’ll guarantee a $1 million win. According to MDF, a number of initiatives have been planned to ensure someone bags the big one. To maintain the integrity of the competition, further details will be released as the season progresses and the first initiative will be revealed in time for the start of Season 9 on 1 October 2023.
Everyone who registers for MDF is automatically entered into the Lucky Prize Pool. Prizes are drawn each month and range from holidays to fishing gear. So people don’t even need to wet a line to be in with the chance of winning something!
Wanna sweeten the deal even more? Every time a $10,000 fish is caught, the angler can donate an extra $1000 to their MDF charity of choice. The charities are Cancer Council NT, Shoreline and Starlight Children’s Foundation Darwin Star Ball. A new charity joins the list this year – Riding for the Disabled Association Top End.
Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC) CEO, Suzana Bishop said of last season, “Season 8 was officially the biggest in more ways than one. As well as recording the most registrations ever, a total of 47,949, Season 8 also saw the most red-tagged fish caught – 20 – with the largest combined record cash payout and donation in the competition’s history. Winning anglers took home $230,000 between them and $23,000 was donated to official MDF charities.”
SportsBet’s NT Operations and Partnerships Manager, Thijs Bors said “Nowhere else on Earth can you throw in a line and reel in a million bucks. There has never been a better time to fish the Territory. And remember, the more you get out on the water, the greater your chances. There are some great initiatives planned for Season 9, so register in September and don’t miss out.”
Season 9 of Australia’s richest fishing competition, Million Dollar Fish, will run from 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024. Registrations have now opened and it’s free to register. Anglers must be registered for Season 9 to claim MDF prize money.
To find out more and to register, visit www.milliondollarfish.com.au
