Tonight's $10 Million Must Be Won: Your Complete Guide to the Final 10-Ball Powerball Draw

Hi, Mia here. If you've been following New Zealand Powerball lately, you'll know tonight is not an ordinary draw. Lotto NZ has confirmed that the $10 million Powerball jackpot will be Must Be Won on Saturday 12 September — and it's also the very last draw played under the current 10-ball game, before the new 14-ball version launches on Sunday 13 September.

In plain terms: if nobody matches all the numbers for Division 1 tonight, the prize money doesn't just roll away. It is forced down through the divisions until every dollar is paid out. That's what "Must Be Won" means. Below is the practical guide I'd give any friend who asked me "should I play tonight, and how do I not miss it?"

Tonight at a glance

What "Must Be Won" actually means

A Must Be Won draw is triggered when the Powerball jackpot has rolled over the maximum number of times. On the night, if Division 1 isn't won, the jackpot is redistributed down the prize divisions so the entire pool is guaranteed to be paid out. I've written a full explainer with the complete history of every Must Be Won draw in NZ — Must Be Won: how the forced payout works.

The important thing for tonight: the money will find winners. It just might land in a lower division than Division 1.

How to take part before 7:30pm

1. MyLotto (online): log in, pick your lines, pay by card. Your entries are checked automatically and any prize is credited to your wallet. Cut-off is 7:30pm.
2. In-store: any Lotto outlet until 7:30pm Saturday.
3. Not sure what to play? Two tools on this site might help:
   • The 30-line suggestion tool lays out a set of 30 ready-made lines so you can cover more combinations in one go. It does not change the odds — Powerball Division 1 was about 1 in 38.3 million under the 10-ball game that ended that night — it simply spreads your entries across more number combinations.
   • The build-your-own-lines tool lets you enter the numbers that mean something to you, quickly and without paper.

Please remember: no tool, system, or "lucky" set of numbers improves your chance of winning. Every line is an independent event.

Where to check the results

• Live: TVNZ 1 at 8:00pm Saturday, or TVNZ OnDemand straight after.
• MyLotto: if you played online, your ticket is checked for you — you'll get a notification and any win is paid to your wallet.
• Here on Luckiwis: I publish the winning numbers, dividends and a plain-English breakdown for every draw at /nz-lotto-current (it redirects to the latest draw the moment results are confirmed).

Why tonight matters

Tonight is the last time the 10-ball Powerball game will ever be drawn. From Sunday 13 September the game expands to 14 Powerballs, a new Division 8 is added, and the odds of Division 1 lengthen to roughly 1 in 53.7 million. So if you've got a soft spot for the game as it's been, tonight is its curtain call — and it happens to be a Must Be Won, so the $10 million is guaranteed to go somewhere.

A gentle reminder

Powerball Division 1 odds were about 1 in 38.3 million that night (1 in 53.7 million under the new 14-ball game) — every draw is an independent, random event. Play for the fun of it, never spend more than you're comfortable with, and if you ever feel your play is getting out of hand, free confidential support is available at gamblinghelpline.co.nz or by calling 0800 654 655.