New Zealand Lotteries Commission
| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Agency executives |
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| Key document |
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| Website | http://www.mylotto.co.nz |
Lotto New Zealand is a Crown entity that operates nationwide lotteries in New Zealand. The oldest and most popular draw is the twice weekly Lotto draw which boasts a top prize pool of NZ$1 million. There are two other draws, the four-draws-daily Keno, and Bullseye, newly introduced Play 3, and a variety of scratchcards known as Instant Kiwi. Powerball and Lotto Strike are optional extras with every Lotto ticket, whilst the Winning Wheel game is free to all Lotto ticket purchasers.
Instant Kiwi may only be played by persons 18 years of age or older, under the Gambling Act 2003.
Profits from the publicly regulated lotteries are passed to the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board to distribute as funding for recreation, arts, community projects and sports. Since its creation, Lotto NZ has contributed more than $3.6 billion to the Lottery Grants Board. The New Zealand Film Commission, Creative New Zealand, and Sport New Zealand are major recipients of lottery money.
The New Zealand Cabinet approved the creation of Lotto in February 1986, the necessary legislation passing through Parliament in April that year with a 47–20 vote. Lotto NZ was established in June 1987 and the existing Golden Kiwi lottery came under the Commission's authority. The first Lotto draw, with a top prize of $359,808, was held on 1 August 1987.
Over time the range of games were expanded, with Instant Kiwi scratchcards introduced in 1989 (replacing Golden Kiwi), Lotto Strike in 1993, Keno in 1994, Powerball in 2001 and Big Wednesday in 2005. The Winning Wheel was introduced in 2004 as a free "second chance" for Lotto players. Bullseye introduced in 2009 and Play 3 in 2014.
Lotto has previously been worked into two game shows, "Telebingo" and "Risk". There were also "Extra Draws" on a few occasions in 1998.
In April 2013 a Lotto advertisement featuring a dog stealing his owner's Lotto ticket because he ditched him for a cat faced a complaint at the Advertising Standards Authority. It was thrown out.
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