The lottery in New Zealand is regulated by the Gambling Act 2003. All people over 18 can participate in it to win a reward. This is actually one of the most popular forms of gambling in the country. Between 2020 and 2024, the lotto has made over 60 millionaires. Playing the lotto is as simple as ABCs. You just scratch your numbers and hope that you win the jackpot. Instead of focusing on the lottery rules in New Zealand, we wanted to talk about something uniquely entertaining – the biggest lottery wins. So far, we’ve witnessed quite a lot of people win millions of NZ dollars and in this article, we’ll list the biggest winners.
The Biggest Lottery Wins in New Zealand
When it comes to the biggest lottery wins in New Zealand, one thing is for sure. The rewards that the people received were truly unbelievable. Many of the winners couldn’t believe that they had won that much money, which is more than understandable.
| Win | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| $50 Million | June 2024 | Another huge $50 million Powerball “must be won” draw saw the prize divided among seven Second Division winners, with each receiving approximately $7.18 million. |
| $50 Million | June 2024 | Another huge $50 million Powerball “must be won” draw saw the prize divided among seven Second Division winners, with each receiving approximately $7.18 million. |
| $50 Million | August 2020 | In a unique turn of events, this $50 million Powerball jackpot was split among ten winners. As there were no First Division winners, the prize rolled down to the Second Division, with each winner receiving a cool $5 million. |
| $44.67 Million | August 2024 | The largest prize ever won by a single ticket in New Zealand. An Auckland family’s unique strategy of playing the same numbers with different Powerball numbers paid off spectacularly. |
| $44.06 Million | November 2016 | This long-standing record for the biggest individual win was claimed by a single ticket sold in Dairy Flat, Auckland. |
| $42.2 Million | October 2021 | A single lucky ticket holder from the Waikato town of Pōkeno became an instant multi-millionaire with this substantial win. |
| $40 Million | July 2016 | his significant Powerball jackpot was shared among three players, each receiving a handsome sum of over $13.3 million. |
| $39 Million | October 2019 | Two lucky individuals shared this impressive Powerball prize, each banking a cool $19.5 million. |
| $38 Million | November 2017 | This substantial jackpot was split right down the middle, with two winners each taking home a very tidy $19 million. |
How Big Can Lottery Jackpots Get in New Zealand?
The list of the biggest winners in New Zealand tells us one thing – the maximum payout of lottery draws can go extremely high. The question here is, how high? So far, the maximum reward that has been won is NZ$50 million, so one would think that that’s the threshold.
In reality, the reward can go infinitely high. Why? Because it’s a jackpot. That means that a portion of every price paid for a ticket goes towards the jackpot. As such, the prize will continue increasing as long as nobody hits it. Since the outcomes are truly random, a jackpot can be struck right away, but it also might take years.
The math here is extremely simple – the longer the jackpot lingers, the higher it becomes.
Curious about most drawn lottery numbers in New Zealand?
What Happens When You Win the Lottery in New Zealand?
Let’s say that you’re among the lucky players who managed to win a multi-million reward by playing the lotto. What’s the process of reporting and receiving the money?
If the prize that you win is lower than NZ$1,000, then the funds will be transferred to your online lotto account. Keep in mind that regardless if you win a small or a big prize, you must report it and claim it within 12 months.
Players who manage to win larger rewards will be contacted by support teams. They will have to complete certain online forms and if the win is a major one, they’ll receive additional instruction. In most cases, NZ lotto participants receive their money around three days after the claim form is received and processed.
One of the best parts is that the Gambling Act 2003 states that lotto wins in the country aren’t taxable. You can hold the entirety of the award.
Biggest Lottery Wins Globally: How New Zealand Compares
The biggest lottery wins in New Zealand showed us that people can win up to NZ$50 million. Would you be surprised if we told you that these sums are actually quite low compared to other lottery wins throughout the world?
In the US alone, there have been well over 50 jackpots where the prize has soared over US400million(approximatelyNZ660 million). The frequency of these massive prizes is increasing. The three biggest single-ticket jackpot wins in the US are:
- US$2.04 billion in November 2022 from a single ticket (the winner claimed a lump sum of US$997.6 million after taxes).
- US$1.765 billion in October 2023 from a single ticket (the winner opted for a US$774.1 million cash payout).
- US$1.602 billion in August 2023 from a single ticket (the winner took home a lump sum of US$794.2 million after taxes).
Another interesting fact is that out of the numerous lotto jackpots that have exceeded US$400 million, a significant number—more than 30 of them—have been won since the beginning of 2021.0.
Next, we have Europe. The biggest lotto wins here come from various countries – the UK, France, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Ireland, etc. The largest ever jackpot was won on Italy’s SuperEnalotto – €371.1 million on February 16, 2023. One winning ticket was split between 90 players here.
The second place belongs to the UK’s EuroMillions. A single ticket won €230 million, which is a national record. This accomplishment occurred on July 19, 2022. The third place goes to Italy’s SuperEnalotto. On August 13, 2023, an anonymous player won €209.1 million.
One interesting fact about lotto wins in Europe is that on February 12, 2010, a €129.6 million lotto was won by two tickets. One was from Spain and one was from the UK. Nigel Page and Justine Laycock won the UK ticket, but they never claimed it.
Dolores McNamara won the largest single win of a jackpot in Ireland on July 29, 2005. The reward was €115.4 on EuroMillions. In Germany, a nurse won the largest single-win lotto jackpot on October 7, 2006. She got paid €37.7 million.
A few additional lotto wins from around the world that are worth mentioning are listed below. The winning prizes are shown in their local currency.
- ¥570 million on China’s Welfare Lottery (Union Lotto) by a single ticket in 2012
- R$541.9 million on Brazil’s Mega-Sena (five winners)
- ₩$40.7 billion on South Korea’s 6/45 Lotto in 2003 (single ticket)
- ₱1.18 billion in the Philippines’ Ultra Lotto 6/58 in 2018 (two tickets)
Now that you know biggest lottery wins in New Zealand, have a look at biggest casino wins in NZ and see how they compare.
