KEY POINTS:
The year was 1987. Ronald Reagan was United States President, the All Blacks had just won the inaugural Rugby World Cup and a third television channel was still two years away.
On the evening of August 1, a breathless nation huddled around the television as presenters Doug Harvey
and Ann Wilson drew the winning numbers to a $359,808 prize.
Four people claimed a share of that first-division pool in New Zealand's first Lotto draw, pocketing about $90,000 each.
Now, 148 million winners later, Lotto is turning 20.
A month of celebrations began with Saturday night's draw and culminates in a monster draw on Saturday, August 25.
In what is being touted as its largest promotion ever, Lotto is offering 13 chances to win a piece of $5.5 million birthday cash.
The prizemoney will be awarded in three $1 million and 10 $250,000 lots, and is extra to that up for grabs in the regular August 25 draw.
And it appears no one is keener on the idea of getting rich quick than the average Aucklander - even if the odds of winning first-division Lotto are just one in 3,838,380.
A NZ Lotteries survey last month showed more Aucklanders buy Lotto tickets than any other region in New Zealand - 31 per cent of all purchases were from Auckland - and at 28 per cent were more likely than other New Zealanders to buy a ticket weekly.
Graham Aoake of Mangere was a 20-year-old engineering apprentice when he struck it rich, in April 1989.
He bought three lucky dip tickets: one for himself, one for his father and the third for his brother.
Mr Aoake didn't give his ticket another thought until he checked his numbers the next morning.
He won $232,000, and it's long gone. But he will never forget that moment when he realised he had won.
"I just walked around with a great big smile on my face."
He'd borrowed money for the tickets from his father, so decency forced him to share the wealth. "I bought a couple of cars. Falcons. I bought him one, and I bought me one."
He also built a granny flat out the back of his parents' home, where he was living at the time.
But if Mr Aoake has one warning for Lotto winners it is this: "You have to sit down and think what you are going to do with it first."
He says he knows a few people who have won big on the lottery, including a workmate's son, who won $9 million on the Australian Lotto.
"I feel happy for him because I know what it feels like. "I wish I could win again."
* Lotto draw, 8pm Saturdays, TV2.
