Goodbye to Lotto's spinning wheel

In September 2009, Lotto winning wheel contestants Alastair and Ange Jenkins with their daughter Amy won $1 million. Photo / Mark Coote

It's been a decade since Kiwis first landed in the limelight with a chance to win $100,000 to $1million by spinning the colourful wheel - but it was never meant to last forever.

"The reason behind it is that it has been quite a long standing promotion that started to get people to watch the draw in 2004.

"It's been running for more than a decade," a Lotto spokeswoman said yesterday.

"The rationale is that in order to keep games fresh and exciting we decided to take it for one last spin." Information about the Winning Wheel's demise was distributed to retailers so they could begin informing regular players.

It was also posted online at My Lotto - but today an official announcement will be made nationwide.

Making the change meant moving with the times and catering for an increasingly digital audience - 40 per cent of players were understood to be accessing the website from their cellphones.

Kiwis enjoyed winning at all levels and offering new ways to do that was at the forefront of Lotto's agenda.

"We have got some things coming up in July with the live draw and some of the prizes are really exciting.

"There will be more variety in prizes and ways to win them rather than just getting a serial number."

Those holding unclaimed Winning Wheel tickets could still collect their money - with the choice of taking an average median "set prize" of about $250,000 or spinning behind the scenes.

A Hawke's Bay winner will make history as the last person to spin Lotto's Winning Wheel on live television.

While a question mark still hangs over the lucky recipient's identity - it is known the ticket was bought from Andrew Spence Pharmacy in Napier on Saturday May 30 and has since been claimed at another store.

Owner Andrew Spence was informed the winning spinner would go to air on July 4 - the last to beam into living rooms throughout New Zealand.

"I was notified [on Friday] it will be the last ever televised Winning Wheel as Lotto are discontinuing it," he said.

"We hope the lucky winner is one of our regular players and wish them lots of enjoyment and pleasure from their winnings."

Although Peter Dunkerley Pharmacy unofficially claimed the title of Luckiest Lotto Shop in New Zealand, Andrew Spence's pharmacy had been blessed with good fortune over the years. The latest win caps a remarkable run for the store which has sold 10 division one, 73 division two, one Big Wednesday and four Powerball winning tickets.

In 2005 it sold a $12million winning ticket and three years later a $4.2million Big Wednesday ticket.