7 December 2004
Timaru Scores Twice In Second Division
Saturday night's Lotto draw came up trumps for two Second Division winners in Timaru, claiming almost $30,000 each.
The two prizes were sold at Northtown Mall's Pak n' Save and Action Sports. The Northtown Mall prize has been claimed.
Mr Fergus Haslett, from Action Sports in Timaru, was still waiting to meet his store's 29th Second Division winner since
opening in 1987.
"I'm hoping it's a local," said Ferg, as he's affectionately known to Timaru residents. "Some of our locals, you can set
a clock to them, to the time they come in to take their Lotto," he said.
"On average, Second Division winners now win almost five times more than under the previous prize structure, an increase
from $4,000 to $20,000," said the Chief Executive of New Zealand Lotteries Commission, Trevor Hall.
In August, as a result of customer feedback, changes were made to Lotto. These included: removing the second bonus ball
and guaranteed millionaire; introducing the Winning Wheel and changing the price structure.
The total value of prizes won in Timaru since 1987 is almost $27.5 million. A total of almost $3.3 million in community
grants were distributed to the Canterbury region by the Lottery Grants Board in 2003/04.
The eleven luckiest cities for Second Division wins are: Auckland; Christchurch; Gisborne; Hamilton; Lower Hutt; Napier;
Palmerston North; Porirua; Rotorua; Wellington and Whangarei.
ENDS