How to Play Lotto

There are two easy ways to play Lotto - choose your own numbers, or try a Lucky Dip.

1. CHOOSE YOUR OWN NUMBERS

Simply fill in a Lotto coupon at your local Lotto outlet and give it to the operator. Each coupon has 12 "boards" (marked A to M). Each completed board is an entry in the game. Each board costs 50 cents, and the minimum entry is four boards ($2). The more boards you enter, the better your chances of winning.

To complete a board, simply mark any six numbers between 1 and 40 on each board. Half of the fun is choosing your own lucky numbers, such as special birth dates, telephone numbers, ages and street addresses. Vary your numbers from board to board.

2. TRY A LUCKY DIP

This is an even easier way to play New Zealand's favorite game. Just ask the Lotto operator for one of the Lucky Dips listed. The terminal prints out a ticket with numbers that have been randomly generated by computer.

YOU HAVE THE CHOICE OF:

Want to Plan Ahead?

LOTTO EARYBIRD
Lotto Earlybird is a great way to give a live Lotto ticket for a gift. Buy any Lotto ticket this week for next weeks draw.

LOTTO MULTI DRAW
Planning to go on holiday? With one visit to your Lotto outlet you can enter your lucky numbers for 2, 5 or 10 weeks. If you are using a coupon, or tell the operator how many weeks you would like your Lucky Dip to cover.

When Lotto Hits the Jackpot

When on one picks all the six winning numbers in a draw, the total First Division prize pool is added to the next week's First Division prize to create a massive Jackpot.

Lotto Jackpot prizes can exceed $3 million! If there's a Lotto Jackpot coming up remember to buy an extra ticket.

How to Win With Lotto

The most exciting part of playing Lotto is watching the Live Draw on Saturdays at 8pm on TV2 (or checking your numbers on this site) to see if your lucky numbers come up. Seven numbered balls are drawn by the draw machine containing 40 balls. The first six drawn are the winning numbers. The seventh ball drawn is the Bonus Number - it can win you prizes in Division Two and Division Five. The winning numbers may be drawn in any order.

Prize Divisions

YOU WIN A PRIZE IN:

Hold on to Your Lotto Ticket

Your Lotto ticket is your record of entry and your way of collecting prizes. Be sure to check your that your ticket is correct before leaving the Lotto outlet. It is your responsibility to verify that the details printed agree with your coupon selections.

Write your name and address on the back of the ticket. Hold on to it, it could be worth a fortune.

You can use the same coupon every week. Remember to keep your coupons flat to stop them from creasing.

Lotto entries made after 7.00pm Saturday will go into the draw the following week.

Official Lotto Results

If you miss the Live Draw on TV2, the official winning numbers and other draw details are available by phoning the Official Lotto Results Line on 0900 90 900. The call will cost 99 cents per minute, including GST.

The official Lotto winning numbers may be obtained from any Lotto outlet. Results from previous draws are also available.

Lotto results are also available in Sunday and Monday newspapers and through Teletext.

Collecting Your Lotto Prize

You can claim your Lotto prize from any Lotto outlet. Prizes up to and including $1,000 can be collected by presenting and surrendering the winning ticket. When you have a ticket with prizes totaling more than $1,000 the operator will help you complete a prize form, which is sent with the winning ticket to The New Zealand Lotteries Commission. Prizes must be claimed within 12 months of the draw.

Lotto Mail Order Service

Players in remote areas who don't have access to a Lotto outlet can play Lotto by mail. For more information, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to;

Lotto Mail Order Service
New Zealand Lotteries Commission
PO Box 3145
Wellington.