New Zealand Lotto
The New Zealand Lotto was launched in July 1987 and is run by the New Zealand Lottery. The inaugural draw took place on the 1st August 1987 with a jackpot of NZ$359,808. Today, the draw is held twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, and has a guaranteed first division prize of NZ$1 million in every draw.
New Zealand Lotto Draw Schedule
New Zealand Lotto draws are broadcast live on TV and are held on Saturday nights at 8pm NZST and on Wednesday nights at approximately 8.20pm NZST. The latest results are always available to view online shortly after the draw has taken place, with a full prize breakdown found on the New Zealand Lotto Results page.
The main New Zealand numbers are all drawn from a single drum which contains numbered balls ranging from 1 to 40. Six main numbers are chosen at random first and players will be required to match all of them to win the jackpot. One further number will be drawn from the remaining pool of 34, which is the Bonus Ball.
How to Play New Zealand Lotto
To enter, players must select six numbers from 1 to 40 and purchase a minimum of four lines. In order to win New Zealand Lotto’s First Division prize of at least NZ$1 million, players must match all six of their chosen numbers to those that appear in the draw. A Bonus Ball is drawn after the six main numbers and increases the value of any prizes won if matched with three, four or five main numbers.
Additional Draw
When players take part in the main New Zealand Lotto game, they also have the option to enter two add-on games for an additional fee - Strike! and Powerball.
Strike!: Players are required to predict the first four numbers drawn from the Lotto drum; the more accurate the prediction, the greater the prize amount. Strike! can be played in addition to the main Lotto draw or as an independent game.
Powerball: Players have to match a special ball in addition to those in the main Lotto game to have a chance to win prizes stretching into eight figures.