Lotto apology after online tech issues dog $23m jackpot draw
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The mega-rich prize was struck by one lucky player who bought their winning ticket at an Orewa store.
But those in a rush to see if they held the winning ticket were foiled by tech issues last night with the MyLotto website and Lotto NZ app not working properly.
Disappointed players were greeted with a message that appeared on apps saying that some were experiencing issues when trying to check their tickets.
"We're working to fix this as soon as possible and apologise for the inconvenience."
One player posted on the Lotto NZ Facebook page that they received a message about delay in tickets appearing in the app but her tickets had disappeared altogether.
Others said they were getting a message displaying the draw was in progress.
Lotto NZ replied that it was aware of problems and working to fix them as quickly as possible.
"Currently our team are working on ensuring tickets are displaying, but bear with us and we appreciate the patience.
This morning a Lotto spokeswoman said it experienced a system error that meant some customers were unable to check their tickets after the draw.
"We'd like to apologise to those customers who were impacted for any frustration caused.
"We identified and resolved the issue last night, and MyLotto and the Lotto NZ app are working as normal this morning," she said.
The latest glitch comes after tickets disappeared from view following a system upgrade in July.
Frustrated players who tried to log on to the upgraded MyLotto site found their purchased tickets were not visible.
Lotto NZ was quick to inform upset players their tickets were safe but an issue during the upgrade had hidden them from view.
The problem is not new with similar technical issues impacting the Lotto website five years ago.
Last night's winner was the 14th Powerball multi-millionaire of 2022 and followed an $8.2 million win in Kaikōura last month.
The owner of the store that sold last night's winning ticket, Orewa Lotto Plus owner Amit told the Herald he was "absolutely" excited about selling the big one.
"I'm over the moon."
He said it was the 18th big win sold at the store.
This morning the seaside township north of Auckland was abuzz with speculation over who had won.
