NZ Lotto FAQs

Find the most Frequently Asked Questions about the Lotto, Powerball and Strike! games.

Find out anything from when Lotto ticket sales close to how to play Strike!. Easily access any answer by simply clicking on the question.

How do I play Lotto?

Choose six numbers from 1-40. Choose which draw you want to enter - either Wednesday or Saturday - and how many draws (up to 10) you want to enter your numbers into.

To play Powerball add a single Powerball number from 1-10 to each Lotto line.

To play Strike! pick four numbers from 1-40. Remember you can now play Strike! on its own.

Lotto starts at $0.70 per line, but there's a four-line minimum, so your complete ticket will cost at least $2.80.

Powerball adds $0.80 to the price of each line, and comes with its own win table of extra prize tiers.

Strike! costs $1 per line and is based on the first four main Lotto balls drawn.

Lotto draws take place twice a week, on Wednesdays at approximately 08:20 p.m. and on Saturdays at about 08:00 p.m.

On the evening of a draw, ticket sales close at 07:30 p.m.

Yes - there are several different types of Dip, depending on the combination of Lotto, Powerball and Strike! tickets you want. Prices range from $5.60 for 8 Lotto lines, up to $28 for a Triple Dip of 18 Lotto, 18 Powerball and 1 Strike! line.

Yes - you can place the same numbers on up to 10 consecutive draws.

Lotto’s seven prize tiers mean that you don’t have to hit the jackpot to win. The smallest prize is for matching three main numbers, with more prize tiers right up to the jackpot, for matching all six Lotto balls.

Powerball adds a single extra ball from 1-10 to this, and if you match this along with three or more main draw balls (with or without the bonus ball) you will receive a Powerball prize.

To win on Strike! you must match one or more of the first 4 main Lotto balls drawn, in order.

Yes - it's easier than it sounds. You choose four numbers, and the order you choose them in is important (which is unusual for most lotteries). They are compared against the first four balls to come out in the Lotto draw.

If you match any one of the four balls, you win a prize. If you match two or more, you win a bigger prize - but only if they are in the right order.

For the top prize, and an average payout of more than $300,000, you'll need to pick the first four Lotto balls in exact sequence.

Not as many as you might think. The main Lotto draw consists of six main balls, and one bonus ball, from a pot of 1-40.

The Powerball is drawn separately from a pot of 1-10.

Strike! is based on the first four balls in the main Lotto draw - so no need for a separate pot.

Lotto main draw prizes range from around $22 up to a jackpot of over $350,000, depending on how many winners there are.

Powerball offers from $15 up to a jackpot payout typically in excess of $11 million.

Strike! offers a consolation prize of a bonus line, and cash prizes from $67 up to over $300,000.

All games allow up to 12 months for prizes to be claimed. After this time, they will be forfeited by the winner, and the funds returned to the prize pool for future draws.

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