Lotto Powerball jackpots to $23 million, online glitch leaves players frustrated
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The $20m Powerball wasn’t struck on Saturday - but many Kiwis were scrambling to get their Lotto ticket after an online glitch.
While the big prize jackpots to $23m this Wednesday, four lucky players from Auckland, Nelson, and Wellington will be toasting a special night after each winning $250,000 with Lotto First Division.
The winning tickets were sold at Pak n Save Richmond in Nelson and on MyLotto to two players from Auckland and one from Wellington.
Nobody won Strike Four, and the big prize, Powerball’s $20 million, also eluded players tonight.
Powerball jackpots to $23 million for Wednesday’s draw.
The numbers drawn on Saturday were: 20, 5, 38, 28, 29, 32. The bonus ball is 3 and Powerball is 9.
Earlier there was frustration for some punters as Lotto’s website and mobile phone app were temporarily down ahead of the draw.
Customers took to the MyLotto Facebook page to voice their frustration, saying they couldn’t buy a ticket online.
One customer said they were an hour away from the nearest store.
“Lotto - please tell me if your site is going to be fixed before 7.30pm tonight. Otherwise, I need to get in the car and start driving.”
Another said, “Oh no! I’ve been playing my favourites for years - and I can’t get on!!! If this is the night - I will be hugely disappointed. Come on Lotto - sort it OUT.”
A Lotto spokesperson said they experienced an issue with MyLotto - and were sorry for the inconvenience.
The software issue was resolved and the site up and running just after 7pm.
On Wednesday, one lucky Karaka player walked away with $1m after winning Lotto’s First Division. The winning ticket was sold at Karaka Convenience in Karaka.
Last week, a Napier man became an overnight millionaire in last Saturday’s draw after purchasing his First Division ticket from Greenmeadows New World in Napier.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, usually waits to check his tickets so he can keep dreaming about the “big one” as long as possible but decided instead to check his ticket late on the night of the draw.
“When it came up ‘major prize’ I was pretty excited but had to wait until morning to get to the supermarket to find out how much I’d won.”
He said he planned to use the money to splash out on his family and pets, but not before sitting down for a humble cup of noodles to celebrate.
In 2022, 19 people became multi-millionaires thanks to Powerball.
