Lotto: Third-largest draw on Wednesday, $33 million for grabs

Lotto Powerball’s surge to a life-changing $33 million equals the third-highest jackpot that could be won.

Wednesday’s draw could be a mega win not witnessed since 2021 after Saturday night’s jackpot went unstruck. Lotto described the prize as “life-changing” money.

Lotto head of communications Lucy Fullarton told the Herald that Lotto would meet with any potential winner “as soon as possible” to provide comprehensive guidance and support for the win.

They will also refer them to the right expertise to set them up “for a great future”.

The money has been described by Lotto as “life-changing” and would be the highest amount won since 2021. Photo / Dean Purcell

Fullarton said there were often ripple effects from big wins like the one possible on Wednesday.

“Winners [share] them with family and often use the money to benefit the wider community,” she said.

The last time somebody walked away with a $33m prize pot was in 2013 when the winning ticket was sold in a shoe repair shop in Ponsonby, Auckland.

“Holy cow!” its owner reacted when he learned of the mega prize win.

In 2021, the second-largest-ever Lotto victory was achieved in the small Waikato town of Pokeno, when a ticket became worth $42.2m.

This feat was only beaten by the biggest win in New Zealand’s Lotto history, which was achieved in 2016 when an Auckland resident claimed a prize of $44m.

A young Hibiscus Coast couple took home the winnings and said they were looking forward to a low-key Christmas.

“We don’t want to jet off overseas when we have the chance to spend some special times with our family and friends,” the new multi-millionaires said in a statement.

While nobody on Saturday walked away with anything of comparative measure, three residents will still see their bank accounts bulge as a result of the draw.

The second-largest-ever Lotto victory was achieved in Pokeno when a ticket’ won its owner $42.2 million. Photo / 123RF

The residents will each take home $333,333 from a $1m prize pool.

The New Zealand Lotto competitions are not on the scale of competitions elsewhere around the world.

A single mother-of-three in the United States took the stage to receive her Lottery prize of a cool US$476m (NZ$772m), while a couple in Northern Ireland won NZ$237m in the EuroMillions in 2019.

The largest ever amount won by an individual in a lottery? Look no further than South Carolina, where one lucky ticket holder took home the all-time prize back in 2019.

How much did they win? The New Zealand equivalent of $2.4 billion.