KEY POINTS:
I have a very schizophrenic relationship with the national lottery which we all know better as Lotto.
I buy the occasional ticket but more often than not, staggering out of the supermarket weighed down with plastic bags, I can't be bothered queuing at the Lotto desk and simply
flag the weekly gamble. That's not a great get-rich strategy. After all, you have to be in to win, however slim the chances of hitting the jackpot and becoming a millionaire really are.
That's why I have mixed feelings about the launch of MyLotto, which launched today. It makes buying a Lotto ticket as easy as transferring money between bank accounts with online banking. I will undoubtedly spend more money gambling as a result of MyLotto than I did before its availability.
This morning I spent $9 to buy a Lucky Dip ticket for Saturday's Lotto draw. It was so easy I'd do it again. Registering for the first time takes a bit of effort and for the first time ever (other than for online banking) I was asked to enter my bank account number online.
That's because Lotto wants to know where to send the money when my winning numbers come up. You'll also need to enter your credit card details so you can top up your MyLotto account with credit to buy tickets.
You can spend a maximum of $150 a week or a monthly total of $300 on Lotto tickets. That will placate those who see an online version of Lotto as playing into the shaking hands of gambling addicts - but only slightly.
For the average internet user, MyLotto could prove to be too much of a temptation. When you surf to the MyLotto website the first thing that greats you are flashy graphics outlining the riches that could be yours if you buy a ticket.
"Win it all! $2 million!" the website exclaims. "Win $50,000 every year for five years," another box screams at you. There's the pictures of the $500,000 bach, the Audi Q7, the Rayglass Legend 2500. All of it could be mine if I just buy a Big Wednesday ticket.
I've watched these same ads on TV in the past and reminded myself on occasion to pick up a ticket the following day. But I seldom ever do - I'm just not organised enough to remember such things. But MyLotto changes all of that.
I can do it all online quickly and easily. I can record my numbers and see my ticket electronically so I don't have to worry about losing that slip of potentially valuable yellow paper.
I can view my history of financial transactions and see what credit I have left. It's a very good service, very slickly presented and easy to use. It will make me gamble more than I currently do.
Is it safe? Well, there are plenty of security measures - you have to enter three security questions on sign-up and DPS is handling the secure payments - the company already works with a large number of trusted local e-commerce providers. Even if your Lotto password was stolen, what could a hacker do? Buy a Lotto ticket on your behalf? Only prizes up to $1000 are deposited in your bank account.
No, MyLotto looks set to become one of those sites, the likes of Grabaseat and Trade Me that Kiwis surf every day as a diversion from work.
And it will make me gamble more. Have I said that already?
For some that makes it a curse, for others a welcome convenience. For me? Well, I've got a good feeling about that Lucky Dip for Saturday night and I'd love nothing more than to become the country's first online Lotto millionaire. But I'm not banking on it.
How do you feel about MyLotto? Will you forego the weekly pilgrimage to the dairy or supermarket to buy a Lotto ticket in favour of going online?
Will MyLotto just worsen the scourge of problem gambling?