Powerball jackpots as $15m Christmas Day prize goes begging

Powerball's Christmas Day prize wasn't struck but you might want to get your tickets in for Saturday's jackpot draw.

Kiwis might consider hanging out their Christmas stockings again this Saturday after Santa Claus failed to drop off a winning Powerball ticket.

Lotto was drawn on Christmas Day for just the fifth time in its 32-year history tonight, but the $15 million Powerball prize was not struck.

That will see the prize jackpot to $17m on Saturday.

Three Lotto players from Auckland and Waikato did, however, strike it lucky tonight after winning $333,333 with Lotto First Division.

The winning tickets were sold at Coronation Superette and Lower Don Buck Rd Superette in Auckland and on MyLotto to a player from Waikato.

Punters mostly had to get in early to buy their tickets as Lotto retail outlets were closed today for Christmas.

However, it was still possible to buy tickets online.

Problem Gambling Foundation's Andree Froude earlier said while she was surprised you could buy a Lotto ticket online on Christmas Day, it wasn't the most concerning form of gambling available in New Zealand.

"From our perspective, we're not an anti-gambling organisation, we're just very much against people being harmed."

"Lotto tends not to be a more harmful type of gambling, not in terms of purchasing the tickets because it's not like pokie machines which are highly addictive."

Scratchie tickets were more harmful and age restricted, she said.