Lotto's $38 million Powerball prize: The gender most successful with monster 2019 prizes revealed

There have been only 12 Powerball-winning tickets sold in New Zealand this year, the majority of them being snatched up by males.

But we're not sure if that's because males had been luckier, or more willing to take a punt on extraordinarily slim odds.

Lotto NZ's Powerball prize had been slowly rising each week and currently sits at $38 million and could be won tomorrow night.

The $38m Powerball jackpot would be the second-equal largest payout of Lotto NZ history, after two ticket holders split the same figure in 2017.

But if it's not claimed beforehand, the jackpot could extend to as much as $50m and be on offer on the night of the Rugby World Cup final.

Meanwhile, the Dairy Flat Food Mart & Liquor store in Albany, which sold the winning $44m ticket in 2016, had been flat out recently.

A spokesman for the business said it had been "absolutely crazy" with hopeful punters buying tickets for the mammoth draws.

"On Sunday we were busy, busier than normal," he said. "Yesterday we were quite busy and today from the morning we've been quite busy."

The majority of customers wouldn't tell store operators what they'd buy if they won, but often said they'd buy them a Lotto ticket.

Asked what advice he would pass on, the spokesman said hopefuls should get into the store early and get a ticket as soon as possible.

Elsewhere, while the majority of this year's Powerball winners had been male (75 per cent), the largest Powerball prize was scooped up by a woman.

The Taranaki local pocketed $22.3m in January and spent a month holidaying in Europe with family afterwards.

Next, she's heading to Japan for the Rugby World Cup semis and final - hopefully, played and won by the All Blacks.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind year — a complete rollercoaster of emotions. Even now, I still can't quite believe it happened," the woman said.

"I've got my whole life ahead of me, so I want to make sure that whatever I do next is something that love and enjoy."

More than 1.7 million tickets were expected to be sold for a chance to claim Wednesday night's draw, Lotto NZ said.

Around 1.6m ticket sales for Saturday's unclaimed $32m draw, the equivalent of each Aucklander buying one ticket.

New Zealand Herald