Safer Gambling Aotearoa says the chances of winning first division with a $7 ticket is just 1 in 383,838 - to put that in perspective there are only 4548 stars visible to the naked eye in the Southern Hemisphere.
It's even rarer for someone to win Powerball, with the odds at an overwhelming 1 in 3,838,380 for a $15 power dip ticket.
Lotto is a topic I've covered extensively, especially in the lead-up to Lotto NZ's 2000th draw in October 2020.
It was an amazing year for Lotto, with two players splitting a $50 million Powerball jackpot in March and the crowning of 21 winners in 21 weeks - 16 of whom became overnight millionaires.
Lotto NZ also donates 100 per cent of any profit it makes to charities.
That's an amazing community contribution but playing Lotto is gambling so it should be taken seriously. People who can't afford tickets and problem gamblers should not play Lotto.
It comes as tough economic times loom on the horizon, with concerns around rising interest rates and as the cost of living continues to increase.
I believe there is an opportunity to change the lives of more people every time a jackpot is won.
Currently, if 10 people shared the same numbers they would split the jackpot but what if the system was restructured so lower winnings were shared between more people.
Instead of one person winning $1 million, how about 10 people winning $100,000 each? Or 20 people winning $50,000?
Given the current socio-economic climate with a possible recession looming, it makes sense to change how we reward Lotto winners in New Zealand.
There should be more, smaller prizes, not fewer bigger ones.
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