NZ Lotteries Increases Sales

18 October 2005

NZ Lotteries Increases Sales & Hits $2 Billion Landmark In Community Returns

The New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) has continued its turnaround in performance in the 2004/2005 financial year, NZ Lotteries Chief Executive, Trevor Hall, said today.

Releasing NZ Lotteries Annual Report for the 2004/2005 year, Mr Hall said overall sales for the 12 months were $630.4 million. Sales of $324.4 million for the second half of the financial year were the best in NZ Lotteries 18-year history.

"This is an impressive result, especially when you consider the smaller number of Powerball jackpots compared with the statistically abnormal number of high Powerball jackpots in the previous financial year," says Mr Hall.

"The excellent sales result allowed us to transfer $123.4 million to the Lottery Grants Board, $4.9 million more than last year's transfer. NZ Lotteries has now raised more than $2 billion for the Lottery Grants Board for distribution within the community since we started in 1987," he said.

Mr Hall said that NZ Lotteries improved business performance could be attributed to a number of strategy-driven changes, including:

• Changes made to Lotto in August 2004, including the introduction of Lotto's Winning Wheel; • Opening 134 new retail outlets, increasing the national network to 756 outlets, and introducing a new retail format; • Extra ticket streams for Instant Kiwi and a greater in-store presence for this product; and • Popular Lotto promotions such as the Christmas Triple Dip draws which featured an extra 55 prizes for players.

"Opening new outlets helped lift sales performance by making it easier for players to locate an outlet when they want to buy our products.

"At the same time, a nationwide refurbishment programme of lottery outlets was begun, and by year end one-third of the network featured the new retail branding and format, "he said.

Over the year, NZ Lotteries created nine multi-millionaires and 34 millionaires, with winners collecting a total of $342.1 million in prizes.

The largest prize of the year was a $12 million Lotto Powerball prize won by a Hawkes Bay family in June, the second largest prize ever paid in New Zealand on a single lottery ticket.

ENDS

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