About New Zealand Lotto Game
New Zealand Lotto is the official place for New Zealand to play a variety of lottery games, including Lotto, Powerball, Strike, Instant Kiwi, and Keno.
Each lottery game has different rules and requires different strategies, which means there is a choice of fun ways to play. Whether it’s selecting numbers in Lotto, adding a bonus number in Powerball, or enjoying the instant gratification of scratching off an Instant Kiwi ticket, the NZ Lottery Games offer a variety of thrilling experiences to play!
How to Pick Lottery Numbers
Depending on which lottery game you play, there are different amount of numbers you will need to pick between different ranges.
For example, if you are playing NZ Lotto, a line is made up of 6 numbers between 1 and 40. Whereas for Powerball, you choose one bonus number per line between 1 and 10.
So everyone wants to know, how do you choose what numbers, and in what order, to increase the chance of having a winning ticket?
In most NZ lottery games, you have the option to play a Dip, where the system automatically generates random numbers for you. This is a great option for someone who may feel a bit overwhelmed by the pressure of choosing the winning numbers, or for those who never were so good at statistics and calculating predictability!
Of course you can also choose your own numbers. While it is normal to have personal lucky numbers, there are also some tips and tricks that can improve your chance of choosing winning numbers.
Picking your own numbers – How to Get Lucky in Lotto
Lottery Strategies to Help You Win New Zealand Lotto 6/40
Below are some tips to help you choose winning numbers.
- Odd-Even Lotto NumbersIt is recommended to have a mix of both odd and even numbers. Historically, a draw of all odd numbers or all even numbers has only happened 1% of the time. Since you will be choosing 6 numbers for a line, a pattern including two odd and four even (2/4), or four odd and two even (4/2), or three odd and three even (3/3) is shown to occur in 82% of drawings.
- High-Low Lotto NumbersIn Lotto where the numbers are chosen between 1 and 40, 1-20 is considered the low half, and 21-40 is considered the high half. A draw of all numbers in the low half or all in the high half only occurs 1% of the time. Again, it is recommended to have a 4/2, 2/4, or 3/3 mix of high and low numbers, as these patterns have been drawn 80% of the time.
- Lottery Number GroupIt is common for a group of numbers to not appear in a draw. For example, in the sequence 4-9-23-29-40, there are no numbers from the 30s.
- Add up your six numbersIn 70% of draws, the six numbers have added up to somewhere between 95 and 151.
- Do not be afraid to repeat numbersA number that appeared in the last draw will be drawn again 64% of the time.
Lottery Pools and Lottery Syndicates
Lottery pools, also known as lottery syndicates, are a way for individuals to increase their chances of winning a lottery jackpot by purchasing multiple tickets as a group to enter a draw. Syndicates can be a family, a group of friends, colleagues, etc. If any of the tickets purchased by the pool win a prize, the winnings are divided equally among the members of the pool.
Lotto Wheels Improve Lotto Odds
Lottery wheels are one strategy that players can use to increase the chances of winning. Lotto Wheels create multiple combinations of numbers to cover a wider range of possibilities. By playing these combinations on multiple tickets, players improve their odds of matching the winning numbers.
Of course, lottery wheels do not guarantee a win, but they do help your odds. Also, it is important to note that lottery wheels require purchasing more tickets.
Save Money by Knowing Lotto Numbers to Avoid
With all the data, trends and probability calculations, there definitely is a large element in luck when playing the lottery. Yet, with that said, by avoiding certain numbers or sequences, you can minimise the chance that you will have to split the prize of a winning ticket with others.
For instance:
- Avoid guessing 1,2,3,4,5,6. A study has shown that sequence is chosen by approximately 10,000 people each week, so while that is unlikely to be drawn, it also means you would be splitting the prize with a large number of people.
- Many people have personal lucky and favourite numbers, such as loved ones’ birthdays. However, no month has more than 31 days, and there are only 12 months in the year. This means that a large percentage of players are not including numbers higher than 31 in their ticket entries.
- With ‘lucky number 7’ and ‘unlucky number 13,’ statistics have shown that many players include 7 when choosing numbers, and avoid choosing 13. If 13 is in the winning draw, those winners will be less likely to split the prize since such few players choose 13.
In Lotto, the Trend is Your Friend
As shown in the strategies for winning 6/40, trends over longer periods of time for the NZ Lottery show the following statistics:
- 1 has been drawn 317 times, or 16.94% of draws
- 13 (although commonly thought of as unlucky) has been drawn 304 times, or 16.25% of the time
- 12 has been drawn 301 times, which is about 16.09% of the time
- 19 has been drawn 298 times, or 15.93% of the time
- 18 has been drawn 296 times, or 15.82% of the time
Of course, trends can change based on the duration of the study and what specific lottery game is being studied. Make sure to look at the history of the draws of whatever lottery game you choose to play in order to help choose your numbers!
How much is New Zealand Lotto
To enter in the NZ Lotto can be as low as $1! However, prices do vary depending on what games you choose to play.
Adding Strike to your Lotto ticket
Strike is a great additional game to add to your Lotto ticket for just $1 extra per line.
The goal? Match any of the first four Lotto balls in the order that they’re drawn. The winning numbers must be on the same line of your ticket. There are different levels and tiers of prizes even if you do not get a Strike Four!
Adding Powerball to your Lotto ticket
You can add Powerball to any of your Lotto tickets! To play, all you have to do is choose a bonus number between 1 and 10 in addition to the 6 numbers in your Lotto line.
The goal? If your Lotto numbers are drawn, and the same Powerball number is also drawn, you win!
How to play
Although different games, all are a type of number selection. With easy rules, anyone can join in on the fun of the NZ Lotto! Lotto, Powerball and Strike are among the most popular lottery games played in New Zealand.
- NZ Lotto – Choose 6 numbers between 1 and 40 to make one line on your ticket. To enter the draw, you need to play at least four lines.
- Powerball – Choose a bonus number for any of your 6-number sequences on your Lotto ticket between 1 and 10.
- Strike – Choose four numbers per line with the goal of matching the order that the numbers are drawn. You must play at least one line, but you can play as many as you would like! Even if you do not match four numbers, there are different levels of prizes for matching two or three number.
Lotto NZ Results
Lotto, Powerball and strike have two draws per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Keno is unique because there are 4 draws every day at 10am, 1pm, 3pm, and 6pm.
Although the amount of draws and when the draws occur vary based on the game, results for all games can easily be found online, on live TV, or at a preferred lottery retailer. Also, if you download specific apps for your mobile, you can get notifications whenever draws happen.
