The odds of winning the Lotto are infamously low, but can you increase your chances of winning the $15 million up for grabs in tonight’s draw by picking your numbers or by tracking down a winning store?
Playing Powerball, you have a one in 38.3 million chance of winning. Your chances of a Strike win are higher at one in 2.2 million, and better still for Bullseye, which is one in 1 million.
According to Lotto, a typical week in 2025 had 39% of Lotto players select their numbers, as opposed to 61% who chose a random Lotto family ‘dip’.
Lotto’s Head of corporate communications Will Hine said there are various reasons people pick their numbers, “and people do sometimes think that certain numbers may carry more luck than others”.
However, he added: “All numbers have the same number of chances of coming out of the machine.
“There isn’t any winning formula, so by all means, people should choose their own numbers if they wish to do so, but it really is random.”
Other superstitions, such as tracking down past winning stores, were also debunked by Hine, who said, “these are games of chance”.
Although no individual store is luckier than any other, one has beaten the odds and had lightning strike twice.
Halfway Store in Whakatane has had two winning Powerball First Division tickets.
All other winning stores regionally in the last three years have only ever sold one winning ticket.
“It’s crucial for readers to understand that this does not increase their chances of winning if they buy tickets at these stores,” a Lotto spokesperson said.
Powerball wins so far in 2025
January 8 – $7 million won on MyLotto in Wellington
January 22 – $8.3 million won on MyLotto in Taranaki
February 8 – $10.5 million won at Glenview Centre Lotto & Post in Hamilton
February 26 – $10.5 million won at Paper Plus Waihi & Toyworld
March 15 – $5.5 million won at New World St Martins in Christchurch
March 15 – $5.5 million won at New World Gardens in Dunedin
March 22 – $5.3 million won at Windsor On the Spot Express in Port Chalmers
April 23 – $23.3 million on MyLotto in Auckland
The Lotto draw is live on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ at 8pm tonight.