In New Zealand there are a variety of different lotteries that are drawn on various days of the week. There are also certain variations of lotteries such as keno and scratch cards that are playable at most of the top mobile casinos and lottery sites that we recommend.
You can find the best sites to play any New Zealand lottery on your mobile right here, as we bring you the top sites that have been thoroughly reviewed. These sites provide you with the safest environment, and all you need to know about the various lotteries available too.
You may come across some of the best lotteries from around the world, as online lotto play has made it possible to access lottery games from just about anywhere. You can now enjoy the convenience of purchasing all of your lottery tickets on your mobile, either directly through your web browser, or through a sleek application designed specifically for mobile accessibility.
History of The New Zealand Lottery
The New Zealand Lotto is an entity of the Crown, and it operates the nationwide lotteries here. The oldest and most popular draw is the Lotto that happens twice a week, with a top prize of NZ$1 million available. Approved by the Cabinet in February 1986 and established in June 1987, Lotto NZ offers several different gaming options. All of them are among the most popular mobile casino games in New Zealand.
A 2012 survey revealed that 54% of Lotto players were male, and 46% were female. Among men and women, the majority of players were age 35 and older. The profits from these lotteries, all publicly generated, are handed over to the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board and are then distributed to recreation, arts, sports and community funding. The total contribution to date exceeds NZ$4 billion.
Why Lotto Is Popular in New Zealand
It may come as a surprise to some, but pokies are not the only popular mobile casino games in New Zealand, despite the fact that spinning reels is something of a national pastime. Lotteries, Keno, and scratch cards can give them a run for their money, and for good reason.
As you might expect, or hope, of gaming options suited for smartphone and tablet, most of them are incredibly simple. While you may need to wait for draw days for some of them, others offer you chances to win instantly. The various mobile lottery games and other options available are a refreshing change to the more familiar pokies, and can be just as, if not more, rewarding.
Staying Safe Online
The lottery online is completely based on chance, but there are many strategies claiming to make a difference. The biggest potential you can however have is by playing the lottery as much as possible and at safe sites. Picking the right lottery is also key, as some are just more profitable than others. Luckily when you play the lottery on your mobile you have access to many of the best lotteries and the convenience of purchasing tickets at any time. This means you won’t miss out on any draws.
Signing up and opening an account at any of the top sites is easy and safe. You have access to around the clock customer care, and a variety of the best banking options are at your disposal too.
How to Play the Lottery
The rules on how to play the lottery are quite simple, and almost no skill is needed as the outcome relies on luck. There is some probability of certain numbers being drawn ahead of others, but there is no certainty.
To play any lottery ticket on your mobile simply access the desired site and select your preferred lottery game. Purchase as many lottery tickets as you wish, choose the numbers yourself, or allow the software to do so for you. Then, sit back and wait for the draw! Most lotteries allow purchases right up until the draw takes place and many sites will notify any winners immediately after.
Usually matching numbers of two upwards fit into a winning division and earn you a prize. Prizes are divided equally amongst all division winners and can be equal to hundreds, if not millions of dollars!
Different Types of Lottery in NZ
There are many different games of chance available inside the lottery games themselves, and these are outlined here:
The Lotto
6 balls and 1 bonus ball are drawn from a machine which contains 40 balls, numbering 1 through 40. In order to win the First Division, or top prize, you would need to mark off all 6 of the numbers on the same line.
You may choose your own numbers for the Lotto games or have a machine generate a selection by buying a Lotto Dip.
Lotto Strike
Lotto Strike was introduced in 1993 and, at an additional cost, you can add 4 Lotto Strike numbers to your ticket. The aim is to match these, in order, to the 1st 4 numbers drawn in the Lotto. The minimum jackpot for this Strike 4 increases until it either reaches NZ$700 000 or a 10th draw occurs with no winner.
Powerball
The Powerball was launched in 2001 and allows you to enhance a line by buying a Powerball number. If you decide to play Powerball, at least 4 numbers must be purchased for each of your tickets. This number will be between 1 and 10 and is selected from a machine separate to the chief Lotto draw. If you have the winning number on the same line as the one that wins the Lotto, you will win a share of the prize pool on top of what you take from the main draw.
Keno
Keno draws follow the format of bingo games and are made 4 times daily, and if you match 10 numbers to the 10 drawn for a NZ$1 bet, a prize of NZ$250 000 will be yours. There is a top prize of NZ$1 million to be had.
Bullseye
Bullseye is also a lottery which takes place on a daily basis and commenced in 2009.
You need to choose a 6-digit number between 000000 and 999999, or have one generated for you, and the goal is to have this be as close as possible to the Bullseye number. Tickets are NZ$2 for 1 day, and NZ$10 for 1 number over 7 games in 7 days. If you match the Bullseye number exactly, you take home the First Division prize - a minimum of NZ$100 000. This prize has a threshold of NZ$400 000, and if it is reached, the following game will become a Must be Won draw. If no one wins this, the jackpot will be passed on to the next division.
Smaller prizes are available if your number falls within 50 000 of either side of the Bullseye target, with the amount to be won getting bigger the closer you are. In terms of winning, numbers are held to be circular: 999999 will be followed by 000000, i.e. if the Bullseye number was 975555 the range of winning numbers would extend from 925555 up to 025555.
Instant Kiwi
Instant Kiwi is the name by which the scratchcards linked to the New Zealand Lotto are known. They were initiated in 1989, replacing the Golden Kiwi, and have evolved over the intervening years to their current format of 4 ticket-groups and 5 price-levels. These are the only Lotto games in New Zealand that have a purchase age-restriction and minor prize-claim age-restriction attached, and cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 18.
Play 3
Play 3 commenced in 2014 and is the 3rd Lotto game to take place daily. You will be asked to choose a number comprised of 3 digits ranging between the totals of 000 and 999 or can opt for a randomly generated one to be chosen for you. There are larger prizes available for Play 3 games in the form of Multi-Play types for increasing amounts of money.
Entering The Lottery Online
You can purchase tickets on your mobile device, and even set up a ticket subscription for a specified time period. When buying tickets for one of the most popular mobile casino games in New Zealand, you can choose 6 numbers of your own, or you can take a Dip, and let the software select numbers for you.
The main draws of the mobile lottery games see 6 regular balls and 1 bonus ball drawn from a collection of 40 by a Smartplay Halogen II machine. 6 matching numbers are needed to win the top prize. If you add 4 Lotto Strike numbers to your ticket, they will need to match the first 4 main draw numbers in order for you to win the additional payout.
With a minimum top prize of NZ$4 million, Lotto Powerball is one of the top real money mobile games. If you add a Powerball number between 1 and 10 to your ticket, it will need to match the number drawn by a separate machine, and it needs to be on a winning Lotto line.
Other Lottery Entertainment
Other mobile casino lottery games that enjoy support in New Zealand include Keno and scratch cards. Whether you choose Lotto NZ’s Keno, which offers 4 draws every day, or one of the options available at the best casinos online, the basic format is the same.
When playing Keno, you also need to select several numbers on a ticket. A draw then takes place, and the more numbers that match, the more you win.
The simplicity of online scratch cards is one of the reasons they are among the most popular mobile casino games in New Zealand. To play most of them, you simply need to place a bet, and then remove the covering that conceals various symbols. You can do this either by clicking each block on the playing area, or by clicking a button that reveals all symbols simultaneously.
Most cards require at least 3 matching symbols to win the amount indicated on the pay table. In some real money mobile games, the cards feature Wild symbols and multipliers that can help create and increase wins.
Tips on Winning the Lotto
Various people will have various theories, but these draws are random, and luck plays the biggest part in determining the winner. Thanks to how cheap the tickets are, play can be enjoyed at no real cost, and the excitement of waiting for the numbers to be announced is hard to beat! The only tip for playing the lottery is that you have fun – detach from the outcome, and enjoy the experience for what it is, a gamble with a chance to win big!
Top 5 Online Casinos
Looking for Lottery style or Lottery inspired entertainment? Give one of these casinos a try: