Lotto: Looking back at the biggest wins in Powerball history ahead of $45 million draw

New Zealanders have a chance to score a whopping $45 million in this Wednesday’s Lotto Powerball, but where does it sit in Lotto’s biggest wins?

A winner lucky enough to strike the jackpot will join the ranks of the biggest earnings from a single ticket in Lotto’s history.

The largest pick-up came in August last year when a single MyLotto Auckland ticket won $44,066,667 – $44m from Powerball and a 1/15th share of the Division One prize.

A young couple from Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast took home $44m in 2016 after purchasing the winning ticket at the Dairy Flat Food Mart.

In October 2021, a Pōkeno family won $42.1m – the third-highest prize from a single ticket.

Some of the largest Lotto jackpots have also been won by multiple players.

Seven players won $7.18m each after splitting the $50m Powerball prize in June last year.

In March 2020, two players shared the $50m Powerball prize, each winning $25.11m.

Another $50m prize was split in the same year when 10 players won $5m each.

What to do if you win

Ticket holders can see immediately if they have won if they purchased a ticket through MyLotto. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to the account.

For prizes exceeding $ 1,000, winners must complete an online prize claim form.

Winners with a physical ticket must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.

For the Powerball jackpot to be claimed, a ticket holder must get all six Lotto numbers correct as well as the added Powerball number.

‘We’re forecasting 1.5 million tickets to be sold’

Before this evening’s draw, Lotto NZ is urging players to buy their tickets early.

“Stores are likely to be busy on Wednesday afternoon, as will MyLotto in the evening, so we recommend people avoiding those peak times if they can,” it told the Herald.

“We’re forecasting 1.5 million tickets to be sold for tomorrow night’s draw.

“We are also encouraging our players to remember that big jackpots still have small odds, and one ticket is enough to be in the draw.

“Last year, 52% of our sales were in-store and 48% were online.”

Powerball wins in 2025

January 8: $7m, MyLotto player in Wellington.

January 22: $8.3m, MyLotto player in Taranaki.

February 8: $10.5m, Glenview Centre Lotto and Post, Hamilton.

February 26: $10.5m, Paper Plus Waihī and Toyworld, Waihī.

March 15: $5.5m, New World St Martins, Christchurch.

March 15: $5.5m, New World Gardens, Dunedin.

March 22: $5.3m, Windsor on the Spot Express, Port Chalmers.

April 23: $23.3m, MyLotto, Auckland.

May 21: $17.2m, New World Whitby, Porirua.

June 21: $15.08m, Plaza Supervalue, Invercargill.

June 21: $15.08m, MyLotto, Wellington.

July 9: $10.3m, MyLotto, Christchurch.

August 9: $20.25m, MyLotto, Christchurch.

August 30: $12.5m, MyLotto, Ōpōtiki.

September 13: $10m, MyLotto, Dunedin.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.