A lottery, or lotto, is a form of gambling that involves drawing numbers randomly for a prize. In some countries, lotteries are illegal while in other countries governments actually endorse them to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. Most countries have different kinds of lottery games. Let’s take a look at one of New Zealand’s most popular lottery games.
For more info on all things lotto in New Zealand, head on over to lottoresults.nz.
Powerball is a unique lottery game played in various countries including New Zealand. This lottery game is different compared to other lottery games, as it offers way bigger jackpots. In addition, it is an add-on to the main New Zealand lotto game.
Powerball entry costs NZD $0.80 per line. Powerball draws take place twice a week: on Wednesdays at 20:20 local time and on Saturdays at 20:00 local time.
Players must enter a minimum of four lotto lines, where they must choose a Powerball number between 1 and 10. Another option for players is to go for a Power Dip. This includes 8, 10, 12 or 16 lines being entered as randomly generated lotto and/or Powerball numbers.
If a player wins a regular-tier lotto prize accompanied by matching the Powerball, a far bigger prize than the jackpot awaits. Lotto has a fixed jackpot of NZD $1 million, with Powerball winners getting up to 50 times this amount.
Powerball launched in February 2001. At first, players had to choose from eight Powerball numbers. Afterwards, the choice of Powerball numbers expanded to 10 in October 2007, with the minimum and maximum jackpots growing significantly throughout the years.
Powerball always has a guaranteed minimum jackpot of NZD $4 million. While there is no rollover cap, the jackpot cap is currently set at NZD $50 million. Lotto NZ holds a “Must Be Won” draw when this cap is reached. This means that the maximum jackpot which can be won by a player is NZD $50 million. If no one matches six numbers plus the Powerball, the prize in its totality rolls down the tiers.
You may be wondering what the biggest ever Powerball jackpots are. There are many ‘smaller’ amounts that were won, but here are the three biggest New Zealand Powerball jackpots:
The reward can be big, but what is the likelihood of winning? The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 38,383,800.
Players can win Powerball prizes at seven different tiers:
Prize category | Numbers Matched | Winning Odds | Winning Odds % |
1 | 6, plus Powerball | 1 in 38,383,800 | 0.000003 |
2 | 5, plus Bonus Ball, plus Powerball | 1 in 6,397,300 | 0.00002 |
3 | 5, plus Powerball | 1 in 193,858 | 0.0005 |
4 | 4, plus Bonus Ball, plus Powerball | 1 in 77,543 | 0.001 |
5 | 4, plus Powerball | 1 in 4,846 | 0.02 |
6 | 3, plus Bonus Ball, plus Powerball | 1 in 3,635 | 0.03 |
7 | 3, plus Powerball | 1 in 352 | 0.3 |
There are of course rules when it comes to payout. Players have one year from the date of the draw to claim their prizes.
All Powerball winnings are paid out as lump sums, and all lottery prizes in New Zealand are tax free, but overseas players should check their local tax laws to see if they need to pay additional taxes in their home country.
Powerball players must be no younger than 18 years old.
Powerball tickets can be bought from authorized lottery outlets across New Zealand, via the official website or on the official Lotto NZ app.
Overseas players can play Powerball online via selected Lottery Agent websites.