Lotto NZ is the trading name of the New Zealand Lotteries Commission, the Crown entity that has run the country’s official lottery games since the first draw in 1987. It offers several games under one roof — Lotto, Powerball, Strike, Keno, Bullseye and Instant Kiwi — each with its own rules, costs and odds. This guide explains what each game is, how standard Lotto works, what a ticket costs in 2026, your real chances of winning, how prizes are paid, and who is allowed to play.
Key Facts
| Operator | Lotto NZ (New Zealand Lotteries Commission), a Crown entity |
| Main games | Lotto, Powerball, Strike, Keno, Bullseye, Instant Kiwi |
| Standard Lotto | Pick six numbers from 1–40, minimum four lines |
| Draw days | Wednesday (8:20pm) and Saturday (approx. 8:00pm) on TVNZ 1 |
| Minimum entry | $2.80 (four lines at $0.70) |
| Add-on prices | Powerball +$0.80 per line; Strike +$1.00 per line |
| Lotto Division 1 odds | 1 in 3,838,380 per line |
| Powerball Division 1 odds | 1 in 53,737,320 (since 13 September 2026) |
| Tax on prizes | Tax-free lump sum in New Zealand |
| Claim deadline | Within 12 months of the draw |
What is Lotto NZ?
Lotto NZ is New Zealand’s only licensed national lottery operator. It is a Crown entity, which means it is owned by the government and its profits are returned to the community: all of Lotto NZ’s surplus goes to the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, which funds thousands of community, sport, arts and heritage groups each year. The business has traded as “Lotto NZ” since 2013, but its legal name remains the New Zealand Lotteries Commission.
Lotto NZ runs a family of games rather than a single draw. The flagship product is Lotto, with Powerball and Strike sold as optional add-ons. Alongside them sit Keno and Bullseye (daily number games) and Instant Kiwi (scratch tickets and online instants). You can learn more about the regulator and its full remit in our guide to the New Zealand Lotteries Commission.
Which games does Lotto NZ offer?
- Lotto — the main twice-weekly draw where you pick six numbers from 1 to 40.
- Powerball — an add-on to Lotto that creates the big jackpots.
- Strike — an add-on where you predict the first four numbers drawn in exact order.
- Keno — a fast daily game drawn four times a day, with 20 numbers pulled from 80.
- Bullseye — a daily six-digit number draw.
- Instant Kiwi — scratch tickets and online instant-win games; the only Lotto NZ product that currently carries an 18+ age restriction.
Lotto NZ Games Compared
| Game | How you play | Draw frequency | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lotto | Pick 6 numbers from 1–40, min. 4 lines | Twice weekly (Wed & Sat) | $0.70 per line |
| Powerball | Add one number 1–14 to each Lotto line | With each Lotto draw | +$0.80 per line |
| Strike | Pick 4 numbers and match them in exact order | With each Lotto draw | +$1.00 per line |
| Keno | Choose up to 10 numbers from 1–80 | Four times daily | From $1 per game |
| Bullseye | Match a daily six-digit number | Daily | From $1 per play |
| Instant Kiwi | Scratch or online instant win (18+) | Instant | Varies by ticket |
How does standard Lotto work?
Standard Lotto asks you to choose six numbers from 1 to 40 on each line, and you must buy at least four lines to enter. In each draw, six main numbers plus one Bonus Ball are selected from the 40 balls. You win a prize by matching your line to the main numbers drawn; the Bonus Ball only comes into play for certain prize divisions. Draws are held twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
Choosing your own numbers
On a paper coupon or in the MyLotto app you simply mark six numbers per line across at least four lines. People often choose birthdays, anniversaries or patterns, but the draw is completely random, so no combination is any more likely than another. Because many players pick dates, numbers above 31 and “ugly” combinations tend to be shared among fewer winners if they do come up — a point worth knowing if you care about not splitting a prize.
Using a Lucky Dip or a Dip
If you would rather not choose, a Lucky Dip generates your six numbers automatically. You can buy pre-set Dips in blocks of lines (for example an eight-line Dip), and these are the quickest way to enter. For a deeper look at random selection and the tools involved, see our explainer on the Lotto number generator in NZ.
What are Powerball and Strike?
Powerball and Strike are optional extras that attach to your Lotto lines and create extra ways to win. You cannot buy either on its own — you first need a standard Lotto entry.
Powerball (updated for the September 2026 change)
Powerball adds one extra number to each of your Lotto lines, and matching it on a winning Lotto line multiplies your prize into the jackpot range. The important recent change: on 13 September 2026 the Powerball pool expanded from numbers 1–10 to numbers 1–14 under the Lotto Amendment Rules 2026. That change made the top prize harder to hit — the odds of winning Powerball Division 1 moved from about 1 in 38.4 million to 1 in 53,737,320 — but it also lifted the starting jackpot from $4 million to $5 million, raised the cap from $50 million to $60 million, and added a new Division 8 paying a fixed $12. For the full breakdown, read our guide to the odds of winning Powerball NZ.
Strike
Strike is a separate game played on the same draw. You pick four numbers from 1 to 40 and try to match the first four Lotto main balls drawn in the exact order they come out. Each Strike line costs an extra $1.00. You can win smaller prizes for matching two or three in the correct positions, and the top Strike prize for matching all four in order can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Because order matters, Strike is harder than it first looks.
How much does a Lotto ticket cost in NZ?
A single line of standard Lotto costs $0.70, and because you must buy a minimum of four lines, the cheapest possible entry is $2.80. The add-ons are priced per line on top of that: Powerball costs an extra $0.80 per line and Strike costs an extra $1.00 per line. So a four-line Lotto ticket with Powerball on every line comes to $6.00 ($2.80 for Lotto plus $3.20 for Powerball). These prices did not change when the Powerball matrix changed in September 2026.
Costs climb quickly if you add Powerball and Strike to many lines or buy a System (Combo) entry that covers extra number combinations. For a full price list including Dips and System entries, see our breakdown of Lotto ticket prices in NZ.
What are the odds and prize divisions?
Your realistic chance of matching all six numbers on a single standard Lotto line is 1 in 3,838,380. Standard Lotto pays out across seven divisions, and you start winning from Division 7 (match three numbers). The table below shows the per-line odds for standard Lotto; Powerball and Strike have their own, longer odds on top.
| Division | Numbers matched | Odds (per line) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | All 6 numbers | 1 in 3,838,380 |
| 2 | 5 numbers + Bonus Ball | 1 in 639,730 |
| 3 | 5 numbers | 1 in 19,386 |
| 4 | 4 numbers + Bonus Ball | 1 in 7,754 |
| 5 | 4 numbers | 1 in 485 |
| 6 | 3 numbers + Bonus Ball | 1 in 363 |
| 7 | 3 numbers | 1 in 35 |
Division 1 is the six main numbers only; the Bonus Ball is what separates Divisions 2, 4 and 6 from the divisions just below them. The lowest prize, Division 7, pays four free Lucky Dip lines rather than cash. For the complete picture across every game, see our full guide to Lotto divisions in New Zealand and the wider look at the odds of winning Lotto NZ.
How big are the jackpots?
Standard Lotto’s Division 1 jackpot typically starts at $1 million and rolls over to the next draw when nobody wins it. The headline multi-million-dollar prizes, though, come from Powerball: since September 2026 a Powerball jackpot starts at $5 million and can grow to a cap of $60 million before it must be won and shared down. The exact size each week depends on ticket sales and how many draws have rolled over without a Division 1 winner, so the advertised jackpot moves up and down from draw to draw.
Are Lotto winnings taxed in New Zealand?
Lotto prizes in New Zealand are paid as tax-free lump sums. Lottery winnings are treated as a windfall rather than income, so Inland Revenue does not tax the prize itself and you receive the full advertised amount. Any later income the money earns — for example interest or investment returns — can be taxable, and large gifts you make from your winnings may have their own rules, so winners of big prizes often get financial advice. Players outside New Zealand who enter through third-party lottery-agent websites should check the tax rules in their own country. For the detail, see our guide on whether you pay tax on Lotto winnings in NZ.
Who can play and where can you buy a ticket?
You can buy Lotto, Powerball, Strike, Keno and Bullseye at authorised Lotto NZ retailers — supermarkets, dairies and bookshops across the country — or online through the official Lotto NZ website and the MyLotto app. In-store sales for a given draw close at 7:30pm on draw day.
On age, the picture is changing. For many years standard Lotto, Powerball, Keno and Bullseye had no legal minimum age in New Zealand, and only Instant Kiwi carried an 18+ restriction. A law change (the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill) is set to extend an 18+ minimum to all Lotto NZ products in store and online, bringing Lotto into line with other gambling. If you are under 18 and win more than $1,000 today, a parent or guardian must sign for the prize. Our page on the Lotto age limit in NZ tracks the current rules, and you can set up and manage an online account through the MyLotto app.
When are the draws held?
The main Lotto draw is televised on TVNZ 1 at about 8:00pm on Saturdays, with a second weekly draw at 8:20pm on Wednesdays. Keno is drawn four times a day and Bullseye once daily. Because sales close at 7:30pm on draw nights, it pays to buy early. Full timings for every game are set out in our guide to the Lotto draw time in NZ.
A brief history of Lotto NZ
The first Lotto draw in New Zealand took place on 1 August 1987. For its first years there was a single weekly Saturday draw; a second draw on Wednesday nights was added in 2015 to give players more chances to win. Strike launched on 3 April 1993, Keno arrived in 1994, Powerball followed in 2001, and Bullseye was introduced in 2009. The most significant recent change was the September 2026 switch of Powerball to a 1–14 number pool. All of these games are run by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission under rules set in secondary legislation, which is why the structure and prices only change through formal rule amendments.
Common mistakes players make
The biggest misunderstanding is believing some numbers are “due” or luckier than others. Every draw is independent and random, so past results tell you nothing about the next draw — chasing “hot” or “cold” numbers does not improve your odds. Other frequent mistakes include:
- Thinking strategy changes the odds. Picking patterns, using a generator or buying a Dip all have identical chances; the only thing that changes your odds is buying more lines, which also costs more.
- Confusing the games. Powerball and Strike are add-ons to Lotto, not standalone draws, and Strike depends on exact order — many players overestimate how easy matching four in order is.
- Overpaying by habit. Adding Powerball and Strike to many lines, or buying a System entry, multiplies the cost fast; it is worth knowing what you are spending before you commit.
- Losing the ticket or missing the deadline. Paper tickets are bearer documents and prizes must be claimed within 12 months of the draw. Buying through MyLotto avoids lost tickets because wins are credited automatically.
- Treating it as income. Lotto is entertainment with a negative expected return, not a savings or investment plan.
Responsible gambling
This article is general information about how Lotto NZ games work and is not advice to gamble. Lotto games are games of chance: no system, pattern or “demo” play changes your odds, and over time players lose more than they win. Only spend what you can comfortably afford to lose, and never try to recover losses by spending more. If gambling is causing harm to you or someone you know in New Zealand, free and confidential help is available 24/7 from the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655, and support and self-exclusion information is available through Choice Not Chance (choicenotchance.org.nz). The regulator for New Zealand gambling is the Department of Internal Affairs.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many numbers do you need to win a Lotto NZ prize?
You start winning from Division 7, which requires matching three of the six main numbers. That prize is four free Lucky Dip lines rather than cash. Matching more numbers moves you up through the divisions, and matching all six wins Division 1.
How much does it cost to play Lotto in NZ?
A line of standard Lotto costs $0.70 and you must buy at least four lines, so the minimum entry is $2.80. Powerball adds $0.80 per line and Strike adds $1.00 per line on top of that.
What changed with Powerball in 2026?
From 13 September 2026 Powerball draws from numbers 1 to 14 instead of 1 to 10. The starting jackpot rose to $5 million, the cap rose to $60 million, a new Division 8 was added, and the Division 1 odds lengthened to about 1 in 53.7 million.
Are Lotto winnings taxed in New Zealand?
No. Lotto, Powerball and Strike prizes are tax-free lump sums in New Zealand because they are treated as windfalls, not income. You receive the full advertised amount, though any later earnings on the money can be taxable.
How old do you have to be to play Lotto in NZ?
Instant Kiwi currently has an 18+ restriction, while standard Lotto, Powerball, Keno and Bullseye have historically had no legal minimum age. A law change is set to apply an 18+ minimum to all Lotto NZ products, so check the current rule before you buy.