Sting in tail of Powerball draw

Manager Mohammed Faruk is hoping the big winner is one of his Mobil Pakakura regulars. Photo / Sarah Ivey

There are two guaranteed winners from Saturday night's record lottery draw - a mystery winner who is yet to claim his or her prize, and the New Zealand Lotteries Commission, which benefited from bumper ticket sales.

The $28.7 million prize - the biggest Powerball jackpot in NZ Lotteries' history - was won by a player in Papakura who bought the ticket at a Mobil petrol station on Great South Rd.

More than 1.7 million tickets were bought for the draw, compared with around 700,000 in an average week.

The commission made takings of $23 million from Saturday's draw after raising its prices for Powerball to compensate for the GST price increase.

The cost of the Powerball component in a standard ticket rose from 50c to 60c a line, meaning the overall ticket increased from $11 to $12 (9 per cent).

NZ Lotteries Commission spokeswoman Kate Richards said the GST rise was absorbed by Powerball sales, while all other Lotto games remained at the same price.

Because Powerball customers were paying most of the increase, an additional $1 million was added to the prize pool.

Saturday's winner had not revealed themselves to the commission by last night.

But the petrol station where the winning ticket was bought was buzzing as customers checked and double-checked their tickets.

One of them, Jacqui Everett, was briefly elated after being told she was a winner.

However, she left the store with a shrug after finding her prize money was $81.

Others lamented the fact that they had not bought their ticket from their local petrol station last week.

Gavin Findlay, 45, said he had bought tickets at Mobil Papakura nearly every week for 3 years.

"But I didn't get one this week. I'm kicking myself now."

Manager Mohammed Faruk said he had a five-fold increase in traffic yesterday, and he was working in the hope that he would meet the winner.

"I am hoping that it is one of our regulars who has taken the prize, but I will be happy for whoever it is."

He was highly unlikely to get his wish.

No major prize winner has ever returned to the point of purchase to cash in their ticket.

Only one in 10 big winners told anyone beyond their family about their fortune.

The Powerball winner would claim enough prize money to buy 82 average-sized houses in the south Auckland town.

The commission said that whoever bought their ticket from the winning store should write their name on the back of the ticket and check it immediately at any Lotto outlet.

The win eclipsed the previous biggest Lotto Powerball prize of $22.4 million which was won last October by a buyer in Manukau.