9 August, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Second Birthday Millionaire Invitation Issued
An Auckland grandmother is the second lucky invitee to Lotto’s Birthday Millionaire Draw.
The woman bought a Lotto ticket today from Jellicoe Court Bookshop in the Auckland suburb of Panmure and received the
second of ten invitations to be part of Lotto’s Birthday Millionaire Draw and a one in ten chance of winning $1 million
live on national television.
The first invitation was issued yesterday to a worker at Auckland Airport.
Lotteries Commission spokeswoman Marilyn Hooper says eight more invitations to take part in the Lotto Birthday
Millionaire Draw will be issued before 7.00pm on Saturday, 11 August.
“Lotto is New Zealand’s million dollar game. Over the last 14 years we’ve created 177 millionaires – but we’ve never
created one live on national television. The really exciting thing is that as well as creating the Lotto Birthday
Millionaire, all the invitees who accept the invitation to appear on the live draw will win,” Mrs Hooper says.
Invitations to be part of the Lotto Birthday Millionaire Draw on Saturday, 18 August will be produced by the Lotto
terminal after a player has bought a Lotto ticket.
Players will know they have received an invitation when the Lotto terminal plays a short piece of “We’re in the Money”
and then issues the invitation.
After giving away an invitation, the retailer will then ring the Lotteries Commission who will organise all the details
for a fabulous weekend including getting people to Wellington and taking part in the Lotto Birthday Millionaire Draw.
The half-hour Lotto Birthday Millionaire Draw will follow the standard Lotto and Lotto Powerball draw. Before the draw
begins, all the invitees 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.
Once the Lotto Birthday Millionaire draw begins, 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 delighted that two invitations have been issued and accepted. Everyone at the Commission is absolutely thrilled
that New Zealanders will have the chance to see a millionaire created live on national television and that all the other
invitees who accept our invitation to attend the live draw will be winners as well,” Mrs Hooper says.
“We do know that all ten invitations will be issued by 7.00pm on Saturday, 11 August but we just don’t know where those
invitations will be issued from.”
ENDS