Powerball Rolls Over - Record $55 Million Prize Must Be Won On Saturday

12 November 2025

Powerball has rolled over to Saturday night, where the jackpot will be a record-breaking $55 million – and must be won by one or more players.

The $55 million Powerball jackpot is the largest prize ever offered by Lotto NZ and is available due to strong forecasted ticket sales.

In a Must Be Won draw, if no-one wins Powerball First Division, the prize pool rolls down to the next highest division with winners.

“Lotto head office and our retailers are buzzing with excitement – this is the largest prize ever on offer with Powerball and it has to be won on Saturday,” says Lotto NZ Head of Corporate Communications, Will Hine.

“The three $50 million Must Be Won draws we’ve previously held were all won by multiple winners, so there’s a chance that might happen this time too.

“Regardless of how many people win on Saturday, we know the ripple effect of this win is likely to be felt far and wide in the winners’ communities,” he says.

“This is an exciting time for New Zealanders, and we want to remind our players not to spend more than they can afford, and only spend from their entertainment budget – a ticket can be bought for $6, which gives you four lines in the draw.

“We expect stores will be busy from mid-afternoon on Saturday. The last hour before sales close at 7:30pm will also be busy online. Our best advice for anyone wanting to buy a ticket is to get in early and avoid those busy times,” says Hine.

Meanwhile, a lucky Strike player from Auckland will be celebrating after winning $200,000 with Strike Four in tonight’s live Lotto draw. The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto.

Six lucky Lotto players will also be celebrating after winning $166,667 with Lotto First Division. The winning Lotto tickets were sold at the following stores:

Anyone who bought their ticket from any of the above stores or on MyLotto should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLottoApp.

Lotto NZ exists to return 100% of its profits to Kiwi communities through lottery grants programmes run by Te Puna Tahua NZ Lottery Grants Board.

Notes:

• Once the Powerball Division 1 prize pool reaches $50million, the game cannot jackpot over to another draw, so it becomes a Must Be Won (MBW) draw.
• The Powerball Division 1 prize pool accumulates as a set percentage of ticket sales, and stronger sales means the pool grows more quickly. Lotto NZ forecasts sales and the prize pool, setting the advertised jackpot for each draw accordingly.
• For the upcoming draw, we are forecasting strong sales, resulting in a Powerball Division 1 prize pool of $55 million.
• This doesn't happen often. The most recent time was in 2016 when the maximum jackpot threshold was $40 million and the advertised Powerball Division 1 prize pool was $44 million MBW.
• Lotto NZ guarantees the jackpot amount for all games and every draw – we always pay the advertised amount, even if there is a shortfall due to lower than anticipated ticket sales.

Must Be Won draws: 

Top 10 Highest Powerball Jackpots won in Lotto NZ history (not including Lotto amount): 

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