Powerball has jackpotted to estimated $9 million

17 June 2005

Lotto Powerball has jackpotted to an estimated $9 million for this Saturday's draw, New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) Chief Executive Trevor Hall said today.

"If the Powerball jackpot is won this weekend on an individual ticket, the player would win the third biggest Powerball jackpot prize ever," said Mr Hall.

"A lucky player could be walking away with $9 million from Powerball and $1 million from Lotto's First Division this weekend."

As well as the massive $9 million Powerball Jackpot, Strike is jackpotting this weekend and strike players will be in with a chance to win $900,000. A player with winning tickets for Powerball and Strike could win $10.9 million.

"Powerball has always been the big game with long odds that offers huge prizes. It's totally unpredictable, and could go at any time," said Mr Hall.

"We wanted to offer players more variety when we made the changes to Lotto last year, and we've certainly managed that."

The largest prize ever won by an individual ticket was $14,763,254, won in April last year from a ticket sold in Kawerau. Other big wins have included an $11.4 million prize to a ticket bought in Hokitika in November 2002, and $9.9 million prize won in the 2004 Christmas Day draw on a ticket bought in Wellington, said Mr Hall.

The other two prizes currently in the top five are $9.8 million from a ticket sold in Wanganui in May 2003 and $8.2 million in June 2001 to a ticket sold in Whangarei.

The $9 million Powerball jackpot is the largest so far this year but two other Powerball jackpot prizes this year have exceeded $5 million. In January a rugby sevens fan scooped a cool $6.5 million on a ticket bought in Wellington, and in April a ticket sold in Devonport, Auckland, won $5.5 million.

ENDS

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