Lotto will cement its place as New Zealand’s million-dollar game when it creates a millionaire live on national
television for the first time ever.
New Zealand’s newest millionaire will be created during a special half-hour live Lotto draw on Saturday, 18 August
celebrating Lotto’s birthday.
Lotteries Commission chief executive Ariane Burgess says that over the last 14 years, Lotto has created 177 millionaires
but has never created one live on national television.
“Lotto is New Zealand’s million dollar game. We are confident the Lotto-playing public will respond enthusiastically to
this special Lotto Birthday Millionaire Draw,” she says.
Players have the opportunity to receive one of ten invitations to the draw during the week from Sunday 5 August to
Saturday 11 August. The Lotto terminals will randomly produce ten invitations throughout the week as people buy their
Lotto tickets.
The ten invitees will be flown to Wellington for the live Lotto draw on Saturday 18 August and one of them will end the
evening $1 million richer. The other nine invitees will all win prizes between $5000 and $100,000.
The Lotto Birthday Millionaire Draw will follow the standard Lotto and Lotto Powerball draw. Before the draw begins, all
the recipients will select a lucky number between one and 40 and those ten lucky numbers (represented by the Lotto
balls) will be put into the second Lotto draw machine.
The first five lucky numbers will be drawn and those people will win $5000 each. The person whose lucky number matches
the sixth ball drawn will win $20,000. The person whose lucky number matches the seventh ball drawn will win $30,000.
The person whose lucky number matches the eighth ball drawn will win $50,000. The person whose lucky number matches the
ninth ball drawn will win $1 million and will be the Lotto Birthday Millionaire. The person whose lucky number matches
the tenth ball drawn will win $100,000.
“We’re truly excited about the concept of making a new millionaire live on national television,” Mrs Burgess says.
“This is an idea we’ve been working on for several months and we have good processes in place to help our Birthday
Millionaire cope with their good fortune. The other nine invitees will also be treated to a fabulous weekend in
Wellington and will all win at least $5000.”
Ends