Big Wednesday jackpot to reach $35 million

An increased lottery jackpot prize of $35 million is bound to get punters reaching for rabbits' tails, rubbing Buddha bellies and crossing fingers and toes in anticipation of the biggest Big Wednesday prize ever.

Exceptionally high ticket sales had allowed the cap on the first division prize to be raised by $5 million, New Zealand Lotteries chief Todd McLeay said.

"Our retailers are reporting huge interest from existing and new Big Wednesday players in this draw, which means the total prize pool has increased for the `must-be-won' draw," he said.

The top prize will definitely go to one or more lucky ticket holders tomorrow night because the jackpot of cash and prizes had reached the threshold of $30 million, as set out in NZ Lotteries rules.

However, the jackpot can go higher than $30 million, depending on the total sales for the draw.

If no-one wins first division, then that prize pool is added to that of the next highest prize division where there are winners.

If there is more than one second division winner, they will share the prizes equally.

If there are no first or second division winners then third division winners will share the prize.

Last week, there were 465 winners of Big Wednesday third division, Mr McLeay said.

The luxury prize winnings can be taken as cash to enable winners to split it equally.

"We have had a rise in queries from people wanting to form syndicates, so there will be lots of workplaces and families with a big interest in tomorrow night's draw," Mr McLeay said.

However, it might not matter how many good luck charms ticket holders surround themselves with as the odds of winning first division is one in 16.3 million per line played or one in 2.72 million for a six-line lucky dip ticket.

The largest NZ Lotteries' prize won was a $19 million Powerball prize won by a New Plymouth ticket in April last year.

- NZPA