* Two players win big in Powerball - taking home $5.5 million each.
* Gambling game has paid out a succession of big-dollar prizes in recent months.
* The previous most-recent million-dollar plus winner to go public found out winning news while watching reality TV.
The champagne corks are set to be popping in two households around New Zealand after tonight’s Lotto Powerball draw.
An impressive Powerball jackpot of $10 million was up for grabs, plus a further $1m via Lotto first division.
Two winners have shared the prize, in the process becoming overnight multi-millionaires.
Each has secured $5.5m; made up of $5m via Powerball and a further $500,000 for splitting first division.
The numbers were: 12, 10, 4, 29, 27 and 36. The bonus ball was 31 and the Powerball was 6.
The draw - and the big wins - comes less than a month after a Powerball player won $10.5m in a Big Wednesday Lotto draw.
The winning ticket was sold at Paper Plus Waihī & Toyworld in Waihī.
The prize includes $10m from Powerball First Division and $500,000 from Lotto First Division, said a Lotto spokesperson in a statement.
“Wednesday night’s winner is the fourth Powerball multi-millionaire this year, and the win comes two weeks after $10.5 million was won by a Hamilton woman.
“The woman had just returned from a trip away and had no idea Powerball had been won in Hamilton until she checked her ticket at her local Lotto store.
“One other lucky Lotto player will also be celebrating after winning $500,000 with Lotto First Division in last night’s live Lotto draw. The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Whangārei.”
Anyone who bought their ticket from the above store should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLotto App.
Players can phone Lotto NZ on 0800 695 6886 if they want to inquire about the best way to claim a prize.
Earlier this year, another Hamilton punter bagged $10.5m.
She went public with her win while remaining anonymous, revealing she won the mega riches after rummaging through her handbag and finding an unchecked ticket.
“I hadn’t heard Powerball had been won. I was looking for something in my bag when the tickets fell out and I thought I’d better remember to check them when I went down to the shop,” the woman said.
After she handed her tickets to a clerk at the shop, she said she won a few bonus lines on one ticket “and then the clerk just stopped and looked at me, then back to the screen, and back to me again”.
“I wondered what was going on. He said, ‘you’re our first division winner’. I just said, ‘oh my god, oh my god, you’re kidding me?’
“I didn’t even know how much it was at that point, but I was so shocked – nothing like this has ever happened to me.
“I had to sit down – I was shaking like a leaf,” she said.
She said she was still too shocked to know what to do with the money.
“There’s no words – it’s just so unbelievable. I’m walking around with a great big grin on my face.
“I don’t have any plans yet, but I’m looking forward to celebrating and sharing the news with my family.”
On January 8, a Wellington couple pocketed $7m in the first Powerball jackpot of 2025 and two weeks later a Taranaki couple who have played the same Lotto numbers for almost 20 years claimed an $8.3m prize.
In the lead-up to tonight’s $10m draw, another lucky Lotto punter went public with their story of financial success.
A New Plymouth Lotto player learnt they had won $1.5m in Strike Four while watching an episode of reality TV show, Married at First Sight.
The woman purchased her ticket on the MyLotto app.
“There was only 15 minutes to go, and I had to reset my password – it was a bit of a rush,” she said in a statement released by Lotto NZ.
The woman and her mum were settling down to watch Married at First Sight when she decided to check her ticket.
“I went to the kitchen to grab some snacks for us both, and while I was stood at the kitchen bench, I remembered the draw, so I logged in to check my ticket,” she said.
“All of the numbers lined up – I couldn’t believe it! Because it was a Must Be Won, I was sure I’d be sharing it with others… and initially thought it was $150,000, but after reading the number a few more times, I realised it was $1.5m!”
The woman shouted for her mum and her daughter to come.
“At this point, I was sat on the ground, I couldn’t speak, I felt sick. All the family came through and we were so happy – in shock, but happy,” she said.
After claiming their prize and letting the news sink in, the family are thinking about what they’d like to do with their win.
“We will pay off our mortgage first – being mortgage-free is a dream come true.”
Ticket holders can see immediately if they have won if they purchased a ticket through MyLotto. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to the account.
For prizes of more than $1000, winners have to fill in an online prize form.
Results are available immediately after the live draws on TVNZ 1, which take place on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
They can also be found through the MyLotto app, online at www.mylotto.co.nz, at Lotto NZ retailers and on nzherald.co.nz.
Winners with a physical ticket must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.
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The victim's flatmate describes how he spoke to him only a few hours earlier.