New $30m super lottery aims to attract punters

For the Lotteries Commission, the stakes have never been higher. A new $30 million super-lottery that aims to hit the jackpot with Kiwi punters after years of declining Lotto sales and increasing competition from pokies.

But with the odds of winning at a massive 16.3 million to one, the move is seen by some as a gamble.

Auckland University of Technology professor of psychology and public health Max Abbott - who has carried out several studies on gambling in New Zealand - said while big prize pools were not unheard of in countries like the United States, New Zealand was "limited" by the size of its population.

"It's a bit of a tricky balance, because if they put too much out into the big payouts then they haven't got enough of the smaller ones. They can't go too far.

"Even though most people might logically know that the odds are very, very slim, it still attracts them," Dr Abbott said.

The first draw for the new lottery "jackpot" game - to be known as Big Wednesday - is at 8.20pm on October 17 and offers punters the chance to win cash and luxury prizes of up to a possible $30 million.

To collect the first division prize, the winner must have selected the six correct numbers from a possible 45 - plus have the correct heads or tails listed on each line of numbers.

The first-division prize pool will always start with a $2 million cash prize and will include two luxury cars, such as a Porsche or Range Rover, valued at $150,000 plus.

If it is not won, the jackpot will keep rolling over each week for 52 weeks, or until it reaches a $30 million cash and prize value.

If it is still not struck, it will then trigger a "must-be-won-week" - which means that even if the top prize is not won the jackpot will be shared by the winners of the next-highest division.

There are five divisions, with tickets starting at $4 for a minimum four lines, up to $10 for a "Mega Big Wednesday Dip".

Like Lotto, punters can select their own numbers or have them randomly selected for them.

And in addition to the Big Wednesday draw, there is a weekly Second Chance draw where every ticket purchased goes into the pool to win a prize like a luxury car.

However, with odds of winning Big Wednesday's first division prize at 16.3 million to one, the chances of collecting are slim.

Lotteries Commission chief executive Trevor Hall emphasised the odds were better than for Powerball - which was 33 million to one.

The commission is launching a major marketing drive to promote the new product, expected to cost up to $4 million to introduce.

Retailers at more than 750 outlets throughout New Zealand will be undergoing extensive training over the next few weeks to handle the new system and explain it to customers. Teaser advertising begins today, while the full-force marketing campaign swings into top gear next Sunday.

It is understood Big Wednesday, which has been in the planning stages for almost a year, would not have been introduced unless the commission considered Lotto was in good form.

Attempts to revitalise that game by introducing the Guaranteed Millionaire option in 2002, did not prove as popular as expected with customers and retailers. Some considered it too complex.

After years of faltering sales, sparked by increased competition for the discretionary dollar, the commission says it is now back on track.

"NZ Lotteries is having its best year ever," said Mr Hall. "There's definitely plenty of signals out there from our customers that they like playing the games and we have been growing rapidly.

"We've done quite a lot of research with our customer base. And they want to see a jackpotting game where the prizes get bigger if they're not won."

Nine out of 10 New Zealand adults have at some stage played Lotto, and every week about a million punters buy a ticket.

Dr Abbott said lottery revenue had been declining for some years, but it appeared the commission had arrested the slide.

That was significant because in many parts of the world, lottery ticket sales were down largely because of gaming machines and casinos.

In New Zealand, pokies now account for 60 per cent of the total gambling revenue. Fifteen years ago it was 75 per cent lottery sales and race bets.

However, the new game has budgeting groups worried.

Federation of Budgeting Services president Shirley Woodrow said she expected many clients would be spending much-needed cash on the new lottery tickets, seeing it as their best hope of getting out of a dire financial situation.

"It can be disheartening when you know they only have X amount of dollars and it's barely enough for them to manage and then they go spend some of that on a Lotto ticket when the odds are what they are," she said.

"They would be better to spend that on the petrol for the car or the milk and bread for the kids."

Big Lotto wins

November 2004: Juan Rodriguez, 49, wins US$149 million (NZ$214 million). He was declared bankrupt the day he bought the lucky ticket.

January 2005: Pennsylvania, US, book-keeper Florence Ayers, 69, wins a US$171.4 million ($246.4 million) Powerball jackpot which would have been paid out over 30 years. Instead, she takes up the option of US$93.4 million ($134.2 million) lump-sum cash prize.

August 2005: Dolores Mc-Namara, 50, an Irish mother-of-six, wins $195 million - the biggest prize in European lottery history. $15.2 million won on Powerball last month by an anonymous Aucklander.

How to play Big Wednesday

Division 1: Correctly select all six numbers drawn and the correct Heads or Tails coin toss.

Division 2: Correctly select all six numbers drawn and select the incorrect Heads or Tails coin toss.

Division 3: Correctly select five numbers drawn.

Division 4: Correctly select four numbers drawn.

Division 5: Correctly select three numbers drawn.

Second chance draw: One ticket serial number will be randomly drawn each Wednesday.

If the Heads or Tails selection on the first line of the winning ticket is correct, the prize is a luxury car.

If it is incorrect, the prize is $25,000

- HERALD ON SUNDAY