With Lotto’s Powerball jackpot hitting $25 million tonight, Lotto NZ has reminded players that the odds remain unchanged regardless of the size of the prize.
The Powerball draw rolled over to $25 million last weekend after no tickets won the jackpot on October 18.
“Powerball always offers the same one in 38.3 million chance to win First Division per line, regardless of the jackpot amount,” Lotto said.
Buying more tickets had no impact on your odds either.
“Even if you buy multiple tickets for the same draw, your chances of winning will hardly increase at all. Because each new ticket has the same odds, there is no way that winning can average out in your favour over time.”
Lotto also warns against reading too much into near misses.
“Each outcome is independent and will not impact your chances of winning or losing in the future. Although a near win might feel like you’re getting closer to a big prize, you will still have the same odds next time you play,” Lotto tells players.
It also urged customers not to rely on lucky numbers or past draw data as no strategy can beat the randomness.
“You can’t predict which numbers will come up in a draw-based game, and therefore any strategies or techniques are redundant.”
Still, some numbers have appeared more often than others.
Strike numbers 1 and 19 featured on 253 winning tickets, making them the most frequent, Lotto number 1 was the most common, appearing on 418 winning tickets, and Powerball number 2 led its category, showing up on 210 winning tickets.
The Lotto draw is live on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ at 8pm tonight.
