Tauranga city was the eighth luckiest Lotto district in 2021. Photo / File
Tauranga city was the eighth luckiest Lotto district in 2021. Photo / File
Tauranga is one of the luckiest Lotto districts in the country but there is one store that is far above the rest.
Tauranga city ranked the eighth luckiest Lotto NZ District per capita last year out of the 66 districts nationwide. Other top 10 ranked districts in the region include Rotorua at 10 and Kawerau at six.
On average Tauranga locals won $274.42 per person, Kawerau locals won $331.54 and Rotorua locals won $250.15.
The luckiest district was Waikato where on average locals won $842.19 per capita – over $100 more than the second luckiest region.
In Tauranga, Greerton Lotto has sold the most winning first division tickets - 28.
Owner of 20 years Belinda Sands said knowing it was the luckiest shop was "a nice feeling when everything's been so tough the last couple years - we're still there".
Greerton Lotto is the luckiest Lotto shop in Tauranga. Photo / File
While she didn't know what the secret was to its success, "I find when we're all feeling really positive and happy, we seem to get winners".
Sands said customer positivity made the shop special, they come into the shop saying "this is it, we're gonna get it".
Sands said Greerton Lotto had many loyal customers.
A local who has been a Greerton Lotto ticket buyer for years came in on Saturday with no idea he was a second division winner, "he was rapt, I think he's going on holiday".
Sands said it was "the best thing" to see loyal customers winning after years of trying.
A lot of people look for the luckiest shops around the country online and find Greerton Lotto, Sands said.
One man from Auckland pays Sands weekly to buy him a ticket from her shop.
He was on holiday a year ago when he wandered in, saw the Lotto trophies and became a loyal customer despite living elsewhere.
"He texts me when he's put the money in [bank account] and I print him a ticket."
Sands was thankful for the winning tickets bringing back customers who drifted away during the pandemic.
Recent large wins in the Tauranga district included punters each winning $17,919 on January 15 and a Mount Maunganui Lotto player winning a $23,178 share on January 8.
Tauranga City Lotto was the third luckiest shop in Tauranga as of last year.
Owner Aman Kaur said when customers won large amounts "they're happy and seeing them happy, we feel happy".
Winnings create love "for the store, for us", Kaur said.
Kaur was at the store not long ago when the wife of a $16,000 ticket winner came into the shop to buy lunch for the person who sold her the ticket as a thank you.
"It was a happy moment."
Winnings create a surge of customers, "they feel like this is the lucky store," Kaur said.
"When you sell the winning tickets, it's happy ... it's fun work because we're selling Lotto."
