Southland Drought Ends With Lotto Win, Powerball Rolls Over to $40M

Southland has its first Lotto winner in weeks, but Powerball rolls on.

Saturday's draw pushed the jackpot to $40 million after no one matched the Powerball numbers on Wednesday night. Three players split Lotto First Division, each taking home $333,333. Their tickets were sold at MyLotto in Carterton, MyLotto in South Wairarapa, and Timaru Discounter in Timaru.

The big individual winner from Wednesday's draw was a Dunedin player who scored $400,000 with Strike Four — ticket bought on MyLotto.

Sixteen players won Lotto Second Division at $27,740 each. Two of those also matched Powerball Second Division, lifting their total to $43,792.

The press release notes Southland ended a winning drought, though no further detail on which store or town was provided.

With $40 million on the line Saturday, Lotto NZ is urging players to buy early — in-store and online traffic peaks on draw day. Anyone who bought a ticket from one of the winning stores should check it in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLotto app.

The odds don't change with the jackpot, though. That's worth remembering.