Lotto NZ's Powerball overhaul launches on Sunday 13 September 2026, and for anyone who plays Powerball in New Zealand it moves in two directions at once. Four more Powerballs go into the game, taking the count from 10 to 14, and with them come a new prize division and higher prize amounts across all divisions — Chief Executive Jason Delamore says that extra division will create thousands of extra winners. The same four balls lengthen the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot, from 1 in 38.4 million per line to 1 in 53.7 million.
This is Powerball the New Zealand game — the add-on that rides on the NZ Lotto draw, not the Australian, British, or American games that share the name. The base Lotto and Strike games are not part of the change.
Four more Powerballs, and a new prize division
The centrepiece is Powerball Division 8, which does not exist in the current format. It pays a fixed cash prize of NZ$12, and it is won by any player who matches two Lotto numbers, the Bonus Ball and the Powerball on a line. Lotto NZ expects that division alone to lift the total number of Powerball winners in an average week by around 30%, up from about 47,000 to 62,000.
The divisions that already exist move as well. The fixed prize in Powerball Division 7 rises from $15 to $20, and average prize amounts across Divisions 2 to 6 are lifted by about 45% — Lotto NZ's own figure for that increase. Delamore says prize amounts will rise across all divisions, and that the changes were designed to keep Powerball exciting for customers.
At the top end, the starting Powerball jackpot goes from $4 million to $5 million, and the maximum jackpot threshold from $50 million to $60 million.
| Powerball (NZ) | Before 13 September 2026 | From 13 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Powerballs | 10 | 14 |
| Starting jackpot | $4 million | $5 million |
| Maximum jackpot threshold | $50 million | $60 million |
| Division 7 fixed prize | $15 | $20 |
| Odds of winning the jackpot, per line | 1 in 38.4 million | 1 in 53.7 million |
Lotto NZ counts this as the fifth evolution of Powerball since the game launched in 2001 with eight Powerballs and a starting jackpot of $1 million.
The jackpot odds go the other way
That last row is the part of the change that runs against the rest of it. Delamore says the extra four balls mean the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot lengthen from 1 in 38.4 million per line to 1 in 53.7 million. More prizes and a longer shot at the top prize are both true, and they are true for the same reason.
He puts a second figure alongside it: on a Powerball ticket with 10 lines, the chance of winning the top prize will be 1 in 5.37 million. Worth being clear about what that describes — ten lines instead of one, not a better chance on any one of them. More lines mean more entries, at proportional cost. Every Powerball draw is independent of the one before it, and no selection method, pattern, or app changes what a single line is worth.
Lotto NZ's modelling suggests the jackpot will be won about once every three-and-a-half weeks, compared with about once every three weeks currently, and that when it is won the average prize will be higher than it is now. That is the operator's projection, not a result.
Lotto NZ says a Powerball line costs the same
Chief Innovation & Product Officer Ben Coney says customers do not need to increase what they spend on Powerball: players can keep spending the same amount as they do now, and the price of a Powerball line does not change.
Coney also says the government-owned lottery weighed player wellbeing while designing and introducing the changes, engaging with gambling-harm experts, treatment providers, and people with lived experience. One piece of that lands on the same date as the game itself. From 13 September 2026, every new MyLotto player will be required to actively choose a weekly spending limit, instead of automatically being assigned the maximum $150 limit. Lotto NZ has also strengthened its player-wellbeing messages for high jackpots, and says it is working with treatment providers on where gambling-harm information sits in stores.
The September dates that decide which format you are playing
Three dates separate the two versions of the game.
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Saturday 12 September 2026 — the final draw under the current 10-Powerball format, and a Must Be Won draw. Under that rule the jackpot amount is confirmed before the draw, and if nobody wins Powerball Division 1, the jackpot is shared in the next division down where there are winners.
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Sunday 13 September 2026 — tickets for the refreshed game go on sale, and the new MyLotto weekly-limit rule starts for new players.
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Wednesday 16 September 2026 — the first draw under the new format.
Results for each draw sit on our NZ Powerball hub, alongside the NZ Lotto draw that Powerball rides on. Prize amounts, division rules, and anything about a ticket you are already holding are Lotto NZ's to answer.
Play for fun, within a budget you set in advance. If gambling has stopped being fun, you can get free, confidential support at any time from the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655.
Always confirm winning numbers, prize amounts, and deadlines with the official operator before acting on a ticket — the operator's published results are the only ones that count.
Sources
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Lotto New Zealand (media release, published via Scoop), 28 August 2026 — More Powerballs, More Prizes Coming 13 September
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New Zealand Herald, 28 August 2026 — Lotto Powerball changes: Bigger jackpots from September 13
