Someone in New Zealand is going to wake up tomorrow a whole lot richer after tonight’s record $55 million must-be-won draw – even if they have to share the prize pot.
Lotto expects to sell around 3 million tickets ahead of the draw.
It’s the first must-win draw since seven tickets won $7.18 million from the $50 million jackpot in June last year. It’s the 12th must-win draw in Lotto’s history.
READ MORE: How the odds on the $55m Lotto jackpot could move in your favour
Ahead of the draw, Lotto said it would change how it communicates the results to both the media and the public.
Tonight, Lotto will release the winning numbers for both Lotto and Powerball, the number of winning Powerball, Lotto, and Strike tickets, and how much was won by each.
At 11am tomorrow, the locations and/or stores where the winning tickets were sold will be released.
“With all the extra excitement around a must be won draw, we want to make sure that our customers have a chance to check their tickets individually before details of where the winning tickets were sold are made public,” Lotto NZ head of corporate communications Will Hine said.
“We took this same approach when there was a $50 million must be won draw in June last year, and it was received positively.”
How does a must-win draw work?
Under Lotto rules, when a jackpot gets to $50 million, the next draw becomes a must be won.
In those circumstances, if nobody gets all six Lotto numbers plus the Powerball number, the prize rolls down divisions until a winner or winners are found.
That means the $55 million could be split between multiple ticket holders.
You can watch tonight’s live Lotto draw on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+
‘Don’t stretch yourself’
Lotto corporate communications manager Sarah McCormack recommended players get their tickets early because “it’ll be really busy on Saturday in the stores and on My Lotto in the evening”.
“Avoid those times if you can,” she said.
She also urged people to “treat this as a bit of fun”.
“Don’t stretch yourself.”
“Big jackpots still have small odds, and one ticket is enough to be in the drawer, so that’s all they need to just join in the fun.”
Hine said players should stay informed on the odds and not spend more than they can afford.
“You don’t need to purchase more than one ticket to be in the draw, and a $6 ticket will enable you to do that. It’s all about playing a little and dreaming a lot.
“Even with a jackpot this huge, the odds of winning Powerball remain very small at 1 in 38.3 million per line.”
