How to Play Lotto NZ: Rules, Cost, Divisions & Add-Ons Explained

Updated 25 September 2026. This guide reflects the game as it is now, including the Powerball changes that took effect on 13 September 2026: the Powerball pool grew from 10 balls to 14, Powerball Division 1 odds are now about 1 in 53.7 million per line, a new fixed-$12 Division 8 was added, the starting jackpot rose to $5 million and the cap lifted from $50 million to $60 million. The full breakdown is on Powerball changes: 13 September 2026, and the first two draws under the new rules are reviewed here.

How Lotto NZ works in one minute

New Zealand Lotto is the classic 6-from-40 game: pick six numbers from 1 to 40 for each line, and the draw pulls six main balls, one Bonus Ball, and - if you've paid for them - a Powerball and a Strike sequence. Match enough numbers and you win one of the seven divisions, from the jackpot all the way down to a free line.

The two draws happen every week: Wednesday 8:20pm and Saturday 8:00pm NZ time, with sales closing at 7:30pm on draw night.

The seven divisions

• Division 1 - all 6 main numbers (the jackpot)
• Division 2 - 5 numbers + Bonus Ball
• Division 3 - 5 main numbers
• Division 4 - 4 numbers + Bonus Ball
• Division 5 - 4 main numbers
• Division 6 - 3 numbers + Bonus Ball (small cash prize)
• Division 7 - 3 main numbers (free ticket)

Division 6 is a small cash prize that moves with each draw - recent draws paid between $21 and $24. Division 7 is the free-ticket one: it credits you with a line on the next draw. That's why "winners" numbers in NZ Lotto run into the hundreds of thousands every draw, while the actual jackpot stays rare.

The three add-ons: Powerball, Strike and the Bonus Ball

• Powerball is a separate 1-in-14 ball drawn with the same game. Add it per line and match all 6 mains plus the Powerball to win Powerball Division 1 - the multi-million prize with odds around 1 in 53.7 million. Since 13 September 2026 the ladder goes one deeper too: a new Division 8 (2 main numbers + Bonus Ball + Powerball) pays a fixed $12 every time it hits. That's now the smallest prize in the game, and it lands far more often than the jackpot - around 6,000 to 8,000 tickets per draw. How Division 8 is calculated.
• Strike is a side game on the exact order of the first four main balls. Match all four in order for Strike Division 1, odds 1 in 10,000.
• The Bonus Ball is the seventh ball drawn from the main machine. It only splits Divisions 2, 4 and 6 - it never changes a Division 1 win.

Odds, honestly

Division 1 on the plain Lotto game is 1 in 3,838,380. Add Powerball and the big one becomes 1 in 53,737,320 (the Powerball pool has been 14 balls since 13 September 2026). Strike exact order is 1 in 10,000. Lower divisions are much more common - that's the real math of the game, and no picking style changes any of it.

Where to play and what it costs

You can buy in-store at Lotto retailers across New Zealand or online through MyLotto (the official app and website). You need to be in New Zealand to buy, and MyLotto accounts need an NZ bank account.

One standard Lotto line costs $0.70, and the minimum buy is four lines ($2.80). Adding Powerball is an extra $0.80 per line (up from $0.70 before the September 2026 changes) and Strike an extra $1.00. So a minimum ticket with Powerball on every line is 4 × ($0.70 + $0.80) = $6.00. Good news on tax: Lotto NZ prizes are tax-free and paid as a lump sum.

Play for the fun, keep it affordable, and treat the numbers as a bit of weekly hope - that's the honest way in.