50 million reasons for catching Lotto fever

Close to 60,000 Lotto tickets have been sold in Timaru this month, but that number is expected to jump 25 per cent ahead of tonight’s $50 million Powerball draw.

Since the start of the year, 95,000 tickets have been sold and $390,758 worth of prize money has been won in Timaru, according to statistics released to Stuff by Lotto New Zealand.

Lotto New Zealand head of communications and corporate social responsibility Marie Winfield said the organisation did not have a defined boundary of data for South Canterbury, only Timaru and the entire Canterbury region.

With 57,598 tickets sold in February compared to 37,138 in January, Timaru’s sales jumped 55 per cent from the first month of the year to the next.

The rest of New Zealand saw a similar trend with 6,770,445 tickets sold in February compared to 4,220,002 in January.

‘‘The whole country is captivated by this must-be-won $50 million Powerball draw,’’ Winfield said. ‘‘We are expecting unprecedented demand on Saturday night, with the number of tickets sold expected to exceed two million.’’

If there is no first division winner of the ‘‘must-be-won’’ jackpot, it will roll down to the next division where there are winners.

‘‘It’s guaranteed that one or more lucky Kiwis are going to win big, even if the prize is split,’’ Winfield said.

‘‘Whether it’s one lucky winner or more, we’re so excited that we’ll be making more New Zealanders millionaires this week.’’

Saturday’s jackpot, the largest prize in Powerball history in New Zealand, has attracted more ticket sales than any other month in the past year. The only month which came close was October 2019, when 54,210 tickets were sold in Timaru and 6,658,117 across New Zealand.

The jackpot reached $38 million that month and was ultimately split between two winners in Auckland.

In 2019, Timaru players purchased 467,802 tickets and won $1.8 million. Meanwhile, $45 million was dished out in the wider Canterbury region last year.

‘‘The South Island has been on a remarkable winning streak and Canterbury has been at the heart of that.’’

A player who purchased their ticket from The Market Store in Twizel was the final Powerball winner of 2019 with a prize of $17.1 million, while $1 million was won from Village Post Temuka in February. Other recent winners in the Canterbury region included a $5.5 million Powerball winner in February last year and a $600,000 Strike winner in February this year.

Dion McKeown: ‘‘I’d use it so I wouldn’t have a student loan when I go to uni next year. It’s so much money, to be honest I would tell a lot of people because there’s plenty to go around.’’

Shawn Wright: ‘‘I’d look after family, some friends and just have a really nice, long holiday. I’d tell my wife, then close family and friends and no-one else.’’

Sophie Peterson: ‘‘I’d help out my son, his dad, and set up the family. I wouldn’t tell anyone, just for the fact that sometimes people can take advantage of things like that.’’

Simon Carter: ‘‘I’d put it in the bank and work that out over the following days and months, and collect interest in the meantime. I would only tell very, very close family.’’

Emma Morgan: ‘‘I’d pay off the mortgage and buy another house. I’d tell my parents and a couple of close friends.’’

Jenna Smolinski: ‘‘I’d have a splurge and then be responsible. I’d tell my family and close friends but it would be pretty obvious.’’