The Goh Chor Tua Pek Kong Temple is a Chinese temple in Balestier. It houses its namesake deity and also the God of Fortune.

While elderly folks are a common sight there, a new machine is drawing attention to the temple grounds: A vending machine that dispenses one's very own 4D number.

For one card, which contains one set of 4D numbers, it costs S$2.

For three cards, it's S$5, and for six cards, it's S$10.

Several temples have them

The company that makes these machines is, very appropriately, called Huat Huat Vending.

According to The Straits Times, Jim Lee, who owns the company, says that at least five temples, which include those in Paya Lebar, Bugis and Woodlands also have these automated 4D number machine.

They're not cheap to make. The vending machine, which contains a figure of the Tua Pek Gong deity housed within, costs about S$10,000.

How to use it

It works just like any other vending machine. First, you slot the desired amount of money in the machine:

And you watch the card get dispensed from the machine.

As there is a protective film covering the number, you'll have to scratch it off to reveal the lucky digits.

Here's a better look at what the cards look like:

Despite the newfangledness of the machine, there's still quite the traditional aspect to it.

For example, there's a special slot in the middle that says wealth donation.

The purpose of the slot is for you to donate part of your winnings, should you actually win a prize with some of that divine intervention, which is a common habit even before these machines existed.

This doesn't mean that everyone immediately adopts it, however. 

Some elderly patrons rather pray to the deity directly and get their numbers the traditional way.

So, go ahead and try your luck, but don't forget to give back when you won.

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