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.
NZ$50 Million Split Between Two Winners
The biggest reward that has ever been paid out by a New Zealand lottery is NZ$50 million. The prize was split between two lucky Powerball winners. One of the tickets was bought via the MyLotto app, while the other one was bought at the Countdown Manukau City Mall. The lucky event took place in February 2020.
NZ$50 Million in August 2020
A few months later, in August, another NZ$50 million draw was won and that left everyone shocked. This time, the NZ$50 million pool was split by 10 lucky players. Thanks to that, the people left with NZ$5 million apiece. Half of the winning tickets in this draw were bought in Auckland.
NZ$44.67 Million – A Lucky Family That Has Been Playing for Decades
In August 2024, a lucky family managed to snatch a NZ$44.67 million prize. Although the family asked to remain anonymous, they shared that they’ve been playing the lotto since 1987. At first, the win was supposed to be equal to NZ$44.06 million in 2016, but aside from winning NZ$44 million with Powerball, they won 10 Lotto first division tickets, which added another NZ$670,000.
NZ$44.06 Million in Hibiscus Coast in 2016
The fourth biggest reward takes us back all the way to 2016. A couple bought lotto tickets at Dairy Flat Food Mart and Liquor. The husband stated that at the time, he and his wife were struggling to buy their first home and the NZ$44.06 prize changed their lives completely.
NZ$38 Million Split By Two Winners in 2019
Two lucky Aucklanders managed to take away NZ$19 million each in 2019. The total prize of the lotto was $38 million and one of the players even revealed that they purchased their ticket just a few minutes before the draw began.
NZ$38 Million in 2017
Another NZ$38 million prize pool was split by two players in 2017. One of the winners shared that they couldn’t believe that they won a prize that big. They recall that after they handed over the ticket, the words “Congratulations, you are a First Division winner” appeared on the screen. The lady behind the country apparently had a big smile and shared the news with the player.
NZ$36.9 Million Won by A Syndicate
The timeframe between the sixth and the seventh biggest win is the longest on the list. The NZ$36.9 million prize was won in 2009, 8 years before the sixth biggest win. The Masterton syndicate was on the better end of this reward and split the reward with its members. They got around NZ$2,100 per member.
Two interesting facts about this case were that the NZ$36.9 million reward dropped less than two weeks after NZ$5.5 was won by a person/group in the same area. Secondly, one of the members of the syndicate, who was a 72-year retired worker, donated most of the money to charity.
NZ$33 Million in Auckland in 2013
An anonymous Auckland resident won NZ$33 million in 2013 and this remains the second-biggest win by a single person in the country to this date. The person shared that they weren’t even aware of the fact that they won the prize. The winner was headed to the gym and heard that a winning ticked of NZ$33 million was drawn.
The winner heard that the ticket originated from the same shop that they purchased theirs. However, they didn’t bother to check it until they finished their workout.
NZ$30 Million By A Syndicate
Lastly, we have a NZ$30 million prize that was won by a Tina from Taupō-organized syndicate in 2013. The prize was split by 10 women who were dental specialists and as such, each of them walked with NZ$3 million.
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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 are 49 jackpots whose prize went over $400 million (NZ$630 million). The three biggest jackpot wins there are the following:
- US$2.04 billion in November 2022 with one ticket (after taxes, the reward was US$997.6 million)
- US$1.765 billion in October 2023 with one ticket (after taxes, the reward was US$774.1 million)
- US$1.6 billion in August 2023 with one ticket (after taxes, the reward was US$ 794.2 million)
Another interesting fact is that out of the 49 lotto jackpots over US$400 million, 23 were won after 2020.
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.