Hilda.
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Your chance of winning powerball is one in thirty eight million.
And it could be about to get a lot harder.
The Herald has revealed Lotto and z bosses are keen to increase the number of balls in the powerball draw and are already seeking permission from the government for what has been described as a matrix change for the game. But how will this affect your odds and why do they want to change the game anyway? Today on the front Page ends at Herald's senior reporter, Neil Readers here to crunch the numbers and tell us more about these
potential changes on the way. So, Neil, how does the Lotto matrix currently work?
At the moment?
To win Powerball, you've got to have six first division numbers and then get the powerball. And at the moment there's ten balls and powerball number one through ten, and the odds of winning Lotto Powerball currently are one and thirty eight million, But potentially by twenty twenty nine that could be quite harder.
So that old adage of you're more likely to die in a plane crash than win lotto.
Is that still the deal?
I think definitely.
Our numbers guru Chris Knox ran some potential Lotto powerball changes through his matrix machine. Last time there was a powerball change was in two thousand and seven, so I went to ten balls. So currently it's one in thirty eight million with six first division numbers in the power ball. Shouldlow added an additional powerball number, the odds would decrease to one and forty two point two million on previous
track records, where the previously other two numbers. If they added twelve numbers to the powerball, kissy, your odds would it would decrease even further to one and forty six million. And if the Loto en Ze bosses went all the way out and added five extra numbers to the powerball, kidd, you'll be looking at one in fifty seven point five million.
So yeah, way more likely to die on a plane creation than win lotto.
Yeah, So tell me about these proposed changes. What's the thinking behind it?
Around the world, it's no sort of shortage of changes to different lotto games or powerball games. In particular, Australia changed their Powerball matrix in twenty eighteen in America's Mega Millions, which has got a record payout of two point five billion, which is a bit bigger than our Lotto Powerball's fifty million record. They changed their matrix simply waiting a price change earlier this year to make the tickets more expensive.
Games are always looking to evolve. I think in New Zealand there's obviously added competition of sports betting now more horse betting options. Lotto end zet are very keen to make sure that they don't reduce the financial returns to the community, but via the Lotteries Trust at the moment, that's four hundred and thirty four million that they pump
back into the community. So they're trying to safeguard well, they're trying to say, they're trying to safeguard both the game's financial future and also the returns to the community by making Blotto Powerball even more attractive.
For the future.
What are the risks here with changing it? I mean, problem gambling is a bit of an issue at the moment. It always has been. Could this be a problem?
Problem gaming foundation they do, I mean, they've made no secret in the past about people being hopped on lotto. Their research, The Problem Gambling Foundation's research shows about twelve percent of their client owl who have received gambling harm treatment services, lotto was their primary mode of gambling. Just for context that that compares with fifty percent of listed playing the pokeys in nine percent said they're impacted by
gambling on sports or horse racing with the TB. But I mean, definitely if these changes do have been which will mean more bigger jackpots such as the fifty million must be one, I mean, I think the Problem Gaming Foundation will be quite concerned about that. You know, a lot of people will be keen to buy tickets for the big draws.
In terms of those that play all the time, there's what we call a near miss phenomenon, which is maybe I got three numbers last week or four the week before, and therefore, in my brain, I think that increases my odds of winning the big time, which we all know every time you play you back at square one.
It seems while we're playing lotto, our brain's playing games with us.
If I can remember other people winning the lotto, which we see all over the news, actually makes my brain I think that I've got higher chance or higher of.
So there are already some rules around how the game is played. Hey at the like how much the jackpot can actually get up to? How much does it cap off at now? And if they were to add more numbers, say, have they talked about how much we could possibly win?
Yeah?
At present, the maximum that loto can get to before it has to be struck as fifty million, so sort of jackpots every week that it's not drawn, And the mount that a jackpots kind of depends on how many tickets they sell for the previous draw. So last week you obviously rows to thirty million dollars that was split by between two lucky winners. I think that week lotoside about one point five million tickets, which is quite a big upturn on what they'd sell for say a four
or a ten million dollar draw. For the figure to be the maximum payout limit to lift that would take approvabley internal affairs in the government.
A lot of New Zealand aren't trying to seek that at the moment.
What they are trying to work through is if they can increase the numbers and the power ball to change the matrix. But I mean, I think if you look at our powerball lot, it's fifty million. In America, you can win billions and their powerball. Australia's got a record powerball payout of one hundred and sixty two million, so we're still still kind of small frin terms of payouts.
Really, what's the most someone's won in New Zealand?
The record PAOUD is just over forty four million, which is pretty mouth watering and could change your life in so many ways. There have been two previous fifty million dollar jaws which have been shared by multiple winners. Twenty twenty four there were seven players that shared that fifty million prize for when they got just over seven million dollars each, which I wouldn't.
Say no to seven million. I don't know if you would either. Chelsea.
Well, you've spoken about some of the global lotto trends and how they compare to New Zealand. Is there any reason why, say, America goes into the billions, Australia goes over one hundred million, and why do we cap it?
The big reason is population.
We've got sort of a fifth of quarter of the population of Australia, so when you sort of maybe leverage it out that way, our payments. Probably maximum payment proportionally is fairly even with Australia.
America or America is a whole different beast all together.
Obviously a huge country which has got multiple gambling options. Probably that American dream that everyone wants to get rich there. The A Lotto games are huge over the air, and it's not just the mega millions. For New Zealand, the fifteen million limit. Part of that is to do with problem gambling. I think if it would be pretty hard argument, I think for a lot of New Zealand to put forward and I don't know even if they want to
put it forward to increase that level. I think if they did, they're probably be quite a bit of blowback from Problem Gambling Foundation and other community organizations about the potential risks that could could pose with gambling traits.
Yeah, that makes sense because I saw that the forty four million dollar one that was in twenty sixteen in November that was actually the greatest number of tickets sold for a draw was that draw. And I suppose as soon as it gets up to fifty everyone, even even people who don't usually buy a Lotto tickets want to get involved.
Hey, absolutely, family's going away on holidays, always want to buy a ticket for those big draws when they're in a different place.
For luck.
Last weekend when Lotto had thirty million, it's the first time for a while that has actually been sort of if you drive past lot of outlets, and I did, there were lines and queues outside some of the lotto sellers at supermarkets and different places around town.
When it really does drive a bus.
I remember sort of the other those two weekends when there were fifty million dollar draws.
It was massive.
You know, they'd be driving past a stationary store or bookshop or a supermarket and gave sort of lines of ten twenty people longer waiting to get a ticket to potentially change their life.
Wouldn't I have got the money I put all the tune deposits, which was suggested by the Lotto commission. Then I started getting all these friends coming in and people and people are asking me, and these new people I didn't even know, and hey, can I have, can I have?
Can I borrow?
Can I learn? And I was doing I was giving them, I was answering them, and all of a sudden, have got too much. I'm not seeing the results of what they wanted the money for and things like that. So that sort of turned me upside down of it. I sort of had to stop doing that, and I felt quite distinct stopping that.
And of course we've heard some horror stories, but also some real success stories from winners.
It really depends what kind of road you go down.
Hey, I mean, you hear stories and I'm thinking of one in the UK, I think where somebody won lotto and just completely wasted all their money. I mean it's heartbreaking. And you see those kinds of things in the news A.
Absolutely, I think the things you imagine.
I mean, if I won touch Wood forty million dollars, it would change my life. And most people just aren't prepared for that overnight sensation of, you know, never having to work again. Really, you know, some people there's been winners in New Zealand that have taught previously confidentially about it that people came out of the woodwork that you didn't really know before. They want money, you're not used to budgeting for what to do with it. I think a lot of news doing a lot more proactive now
than maybe what they were earlier on. I know it's the big winners they're given opportunities for counseling, for financial literacy, the Office of Financial Coaching. You know what potentially what to do with their money in terms of what your
ISSUA could invest in. But you think, sort of if your bank account went from Jesus one hundred and fifty bucks in your bank account on a Saturday morning to potentially thirty million dollars when your bank your winning ticket and it's it's a hell of a life style change. It'd be pretty hard not to go on a bit of a slurge. I know, I'd probably buy a couple of nice cars and go on holiday and waste the rest.
Of it and give me a couple of meal, wouldn't you?
Absolutely? Chelsea?
How do you think that these changes might go down with the general public? Noil, I think we all know that people are obsessed with lotto at the moment. Do you think a bigger jackpop could outweigh a harder chance of winning.
Yeah, there's a.
Real cruck sort of if these number change the matrix change goes ahead, Loto were very happen with me when I talk to them that a matrix change of me at a be tougher to win lotto when it's like a four million dollar draw, six million dollar draw, et cetera, et cetera.
But the flip side is that there are going to be bigger, more regular, bigger jackpots.
So and the last almost decad there's only been two fifty million dollar draws. You could have a fifty million dollar drawer every year, potentially every couple of years, which is what Lotto would love to have. I think that the punters would definitely like it. I think the dream
of getting rich from Lotto. People probably stick with Lotto if they think that he you know, is a chance we could win, they get even though it's probably least likely we're going to win the big prize every week or for for six million dollars every weekend of course is that they're going to change Powerball, so things with like fierce Division or strike for those other options won't be changing.
Thanks for joining us, Neil.
Lotto and Z's chief innovation and product Officer Ben Coney said the ideas about evolving the game so that it can remain compelling to players. The prize value is not eroded through inflation, and the odds of winning move in line with population growth.
He said, Our enduring interest is.
In having a powerball game that is appealing to our customers, generates consistent profit for distribution to the community, and allows for responsible growth over time. The details of exactly what they'll change and what it would mean for customers is still to be confirmed, as they are subject to regulatory consultation and ministerial approval. That's it for this episode of The Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at enzedherld dot co dot nz.
The Front Page is produced by Ethan Sills and Richard Martin, who is also our sound engineer.
I'm Chelsea Daniels.
Subscribe to The Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.