Lotto’s jackpot is growing, with a $15 million prize pot up for grabs tonight, opening up the question of whether there is a best place to buy your ticket.
Debate about strategies to increase players’ chances of winning always hots up as the money on offer rises.
One of the key discussion points is whether MyLotto is a better bet than buying in person.
Plus, should you target a store which has a good track record of wins — and do you have a better chance in a small town than a big city?
Lotto has heard these questions before and their first message is the size of the jackpot has no bearing on the chances of winning.
“Powerball always offers you the same one in 38.3 million chance to win First Division per line, regardless of the jackpot amount,” the official word from Lotto says.
So, the growing prize pot may attract more players, but this won’t impact your chances.
But what about where you buy?
There have been several big wins this year, with the largest — a $23 million jackpot — taken home by an Auckland player in April. They bought their ticket online on MyLotto.
What, then, is the split of Powerball winners online versus over the counter?
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
So, with a spread of wins across MyLotto and in-store purchases this year, do online tickets or in-store ones have a higher chance of winning?
Lotto’s line on this is also straightforward: “Your chances of winning Lotto stay the same regardless of where you purchased your ticket.”
But what about if you buy in a store, is there one that will give you a better chance of bringing home the jackpot?
Back in 2021, a Unichem pharmacy in Hawke’s Bay was claimed to be the luckiest outlet in New Zealand when it sold four winning tickets to one draw.
“All Lotto NZ stores have the same chance of selling a winning ticket,” Lotto says on its website. “Whether you grab a ticket from your local dairy, or the supermarket across town, your chances of winning won’t change.”
The Lotto draw is live on TVNZ1 at 8pm tonight.
