Can You Play US Powerball From New Zealand? How It Works and the Rules

You cannot buy an official US Powerball ticket directly from New Zealand. Lotto New Zealand does not sell the American game, there is no MyLotto option for it, and the US Powerball is a completely separate lottery from New Zealand’s own Powerball. Some people reach the US draw through third-party courier or betting websites, but those carry real limits and risks. This guide explains how the US Powerball works, how it differs from the NZ game, the ways people access it from here, whether it is legal, and what happens if you win.

Can you play US Powerball from New Zealand?

There is no official, direct way to buy a genuine US Powerball ticket from New Zealand. The American Powerball is run by the Multi-State Lottery Association and is sold at licensed retailers across all 48 US lotteries, with online sales only for residents of that jurisdiction — so neither route is available from New Zealand. Lotto NZ, which runs lotteries here, does not offer it.

That leaves three realistic situations:

• You are physically in the United States. You can walk into a licensed retailer in a selling state and buy a ticket yourself. You do not need to be a US citizen or resident to play or to win.
• You use a lottery courier (concierge) service. An agent inside the US buys a real ticket on your behalf and sends you a scan. You hold a genuine ticket, but through a middleman that charges a fee.
• You use a lottery betting service. You place a bet on the outcome of the US draw, or buy a “matched” product, rather than owning a real American ticket. The operator pays you under its own terms if your numbers come up.

Each route behaves differently and carries different costs, protections and tax outcomes, covered further down.

How US Powerball works

US Powerball is a multi-state American lottery with very large jackpots and very long odds. A standard play costs US$2. You choose five white-ball numbers from 1 to 69 and one red Powerball number from 1 to 26. Matching all six wins the jackpot.

The odds and the draw

The odds of winning the US Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338 — roughly 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 24.87. Draws are held three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm US Eastern Time, from the draw studio in Florida. Because of the time difference, a draw lands in the afternoon of the following day in New Zealand (the exact gap shifts by an hour or two with daylight saving at each end).

Power Play and prize sizes

For an additional US$1 per play, an add-on called Power Play multiplies the lower non-jackpot prizes by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x, while the Match 5 prize is always doubled to a flat US$2 million (the 10x multiplier only applies when the advertised jackpot is US$150 million or less). Jackpots roll over until won, which is how they can climb past US$1 billion — the record was a US$2.04 billion jackpot won in November 2022. If you want to see how a jackpot game is built, our explainer on how to play Powerball in NZ walks through the local version in detail.

US Powerball is not the same as New Zealand Powerball

US Powerball and New Zealand Powerball share a name and nothing else. New Zealand’s Powerball is an optional add-on to a standard Lotto ticket sold by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission. Since the game changed on 13 September 2026, the number of Powerball numbers to choose from rose from 10 to 14, the starting jackpot lifted to NZ$5 million with the cap raised to NZ$60 million, and the odds of hitting the top prize lengthened to about 1 in 53.7 million.

That makes the NZ game far more winnable at the top end than the American one, but with much smaller jackpots. The table below sets the two side by side.

If your interest is really the local game, the detailed breakdown of the odds of winning Powerball in NZ covers each division in full.

Ways people play US Powerball from New Zealand

Three methods are used in practice. They are not equivalent, and the differences matter most if you ever have to claim a prize.

Buying in person in the United States

The only way to hold a genuine US Powerball ticket bought the official way is to purchase it yourself at a licensed retailer while you are in a selling US jurisdiction. Visitors can do this as long as they meet the legal age set by that jurisdiction. You keep the physical ticket, and you would claim any prize there. This is the cleanest route, but obviously it needs you to be in the country.

Lottery courier or concierge services

Courier services use local agents in the US to buy a real ticket on your behalf and then send you a scan or photo before the draw. You own the ticket in substance, and the service charges a transaction fee on top of the ticket price. The catch is that these are private companies, not the lottery, and the official Powerball FAQ warns that lotteries may refuse to pay out prize money on Powerball tickets purchased on any website other than their own. One well-known example is theLotter, which AGBrief describes as an online gambling company headquartered in Malta; it geoblocks New Zealand IP addresses, so it is not freely available from here.

Lottery betting and “matched” products

Betting operators such as Lottoland and The Lottery Office offer products tied to the US Powerball result — you bet on, or hold a “matched” entry against, the outcome rather than buying an American ticket. You never own a genuine US ticket; instead you have a contract with the operator, which pays out under its own rules and insurance arrangements. Whether these operators accept New Zealand residents varies, so availability from here is not guaranteed. The same model is used for overseas lotteries generally, as our guide to playing Oz Lotteries explains.

Is it legal to play US Powerball from New Zealand?

Using an overseas gambling website is not illegal for an individual in New Zealand. The Department of Internal Affairs, which regulates gambling here, states that “gambling conducted overseas is not prohibited, apart from betting on racing and sporting events,” and that “it is not illegal for someone in New Zealand to participate in gambling over the Internet if that website is based overseas.” So buying into a US draw through an offshore operator does not, by itself, break New Zealand law.

Two important limits sit around that, though:

• No offshore operator may run or advertise the gambling inside New Zealand. Section 9(2)(b) of the Gambling Act 2003 prohibits “remote interactive gambling” in New Zealand — which the Department says includes selling lottery tickets online — with exemptions only for bodies such as the Lotteries Commission. Advertising overseas gambling is separately banned under section 16, with a fine of up to $10,000. This is why you will not find ranked lists of offshore lottery sites here.
• The operator may not want New Zealand customers at all. Lotto NZ’s terms prohibit selling tickets to non-New Zealand residents, and AGBrief reports that any tickets acquired overseas or resold become ineligible for prizes. Some offshore operators geoblock New Zealand, and Lotto NZ has engaged the Department of Internal Affairs over syndicates buying tickets from abroad.

In short: you are not committing an offence by entering a US draw through an overseas site, but the site may be unlicensed here, may refuse NZ players, and gives you no New Zealand consumer protection if something goes wrong.

Claiming a prize and the tax if you win

What you can claim, and how it is taxed, depends entirely on which route you used.

If you hold a real US ticket (bought in person or by a courier), you generally have to claim the prize in the US jurisdiction where the ticket was bought. Non-resident winners face a flat US federal withholding of 30% on lottery winnings, and some states add their own tax on top. A tax treaty between the US and your country of residence can sometimes reduce that rate. For a large prize, that usually means travelling to the US to claim and dealing with US tax paperwork.

If you used a betting or matched product, you are paid by the operator, not the US lottery, under that operator’s terms and in whatever currency and timeframe it sets — so read those terms before you commit.

New Zealand itself does not tax lottery or Lotto winnings as income, which is covered in our guide on whether you pay tax on Lotto winnings in NZ. That NZ treatment does not remove the US tax on a US-sourced win, however.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing the two games. “Powerball” on MyLotto is the New Zealand game, not the US$2 American one. The odds, pools and jackpots are completely different.
• Assuming a betting site gives you a real ticket. With betting and matched products you hold a contract with the operator, not a US Powerball ticket.
• Overlooking fees and exchange rates. Courier services add transaction fees, and US dollar prizes convert back to NZD at the rate of the day.
• Expecting NZ protection. Offshore operators are not licensed here, so any dispute is governed by the host country’s law, not New Zealand’s.
• Ignoring US tax. A 30% federal withholding (plus possible state tax) comes off a US-sourced win before you see it.
• Chasing the jackpot. The jackpot odds are 1 in 292.2 million; buying more entries barely moves a number that large.

Responsible gambling

Lotteries are a form of gambling, and nothing in this article is a tip or a system for winning — no ticket, service or selection method changes the odds of a draw. Only ever spend what you can comfortably afford to lose, and treat large overseas jackpots as entertainment, not an investment plan. If gambling is causing you or someone you know harm, free, confidential help is available in New Zealand 24 hours a day from the Gambling Helpline Aotearoa on 0800 654 655, and the Department of Internal Affairs publishes guidance on the risks of gambling with overseas websites. You must be of legal age to gamble.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a US Powerball ticket on MyLotto?

No. MyLotto and Lotto NZ sell New Zealand games only — Lotto, NZ Powerball, Strike, Keno, Bullseye and Instant Kiwi. The American Powerball is not offered on any official New Zealand channel.

Do I have to be a US citizen to win US Powerball?

No. The Powerball operator states you do not have to be a US citizen or resident to play or win. The only requirement is meeting the legal age in the US jurisdiction where the ticket is bought, and prizes are claimed there. Non-residents face a 30% US federal withholding on winnings.

Which has better odds, US Powerball or NZ Powerball?

New Zealand’s Powerball is far more winnable at the top end, with jackpot odds of about 1 in 53.7 million, against roughly 1 in 292.2 million for the US game. The trade-off is jackpot size: the NZ top prize caps at NZ$60 million, while US jackpots can run past US$1 billion.

What time are US Powerball draws in New Zealand?

Draws take place Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm US Eastern Time. In New Zealand that falls in the afternoon of the following day, with the exact hour shifting by an hour or two depending on daylight saving in each country.