'Just crazy': Local Lotto shops swamped as $35 million jackpot nears

Queues outside the Lucky Lotto Shop for a mega jackpot in 2016. Photo / File

Local lotto shops are seeing lines going out the door as keen punters try their luck for tonight's mega $35 million Lotto jackpot.

Powerball has ballooned to its biggest jackpot for months, with the huge prize up for grabs tonight.

If a single player wins the first division it will be the second-largest Powerball prize in the game's almost 20-year history.

Springfield Superette and Lotto shop owner Raj Kumar said the day had been "just crazy" with a constant flow of people coming in to buy.

He said in the last day or two, his store had sold more than triple their normal amount of tickets.

This time, he found many groups had banded together and were buying $400 to $500 worth of tickets to "spread their luck" in hopes of splitting the money.

His store had a lucky year last year and he had seen many people from across town coming to get their tickets with him, he said.

Tauranga City Lotto worker Harinder Kaur said they were "extremely busy".

When the Rotorua Daily Post called, Kaur was still printing tickets for customers, wishing them good luck on their way.

She said it had been one of the more hectic Saturdays in a long time.

The Lucky Lotto Shop in Rotorua's CBD was also experiencing manic numbers of buyers, a spokesman for the shop said.

He said lines had been "out the door" and they had sold more than 500 tickets this morning.

Jackpots were always "good for business" and quite exciting for the shop, he said.

An AJ's Lotto and Tobacconist worker said they were busy, but not as busy as expected.

He said the rainy conditions often deterred people from the city, so that could be a factor.

In previous years, people "chasing the jackpot" would be creating lines out the door, he said. But that was not the case this time.