Lotto lovers could not buy tickets after problem struck sales system at Auckland shops

The lotto ticket sales system went out of action for half an hour today at an as-yet unknown number of outlets. Photo / File

Punters hoping for a big Lotto win have had trouble getting tickets.

A lotto ticket seller in Auckland's Te Atatu Peninsula said the system failed at his shop this afternoon.

"It's working now. It wasn't working before. I think they were down everywhere," said the proprietor of Peninsula Foodmarket.

The system was out for about half an hour and other retailers had told him they had experienced the same trouble.

It is not clear how widespread the problems have been.

A Lotto spokeswoman said some Lotto stores were unable to sell or check tickets for a short period this afternoon due to a connection issue.

"We've worked closely with retailers to resolve the issue and all stores are now back up and running. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused."