From 13 September 2026, NZ Powerball draws from 14 Powerballs instead of 10. Lotto NZ, the operator behind MyLotto, made the change, and it applies to Powerball draws from that date onward. The bigger pool makes the Division 1 jackpot harder to win, lifts Lotto NZ's maximum jackpot threshold and adds a new Division 8 prize. Anyone in New Zealand who adds Powerball to a Lotto line is affected.
How the NZ Powerball jackpot works on a 14-ball draw
Powerball in New Zealand rides on the Lotto draw, but it is its own game with its own prize pool, and the Powerball is drawn from a separate set of balls. That separate set is what Lotto NZ has enlarged. Everything else in the change follows from it.
Here is the old shape against the new one, as Lotto NZ set it out:
| Before 13 September 2026 | From 13 September 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Powerballs in the draw | 10 | 14 |
| Division 1 odds, per line | 1 in 38.4 million | 1 in 53.7 million |
| Maximum jackpot threshold | NZ$50 million | NZ$60 million |
The odds row is the one that matters most at the counter. With more Powerballs, matching the jackpot combination is a longer shot than it was under the 10-ball game, on every line and in every draw. Each draw is random and independent. Past results, including how often the jackpot went off under the old format, tell you nothing about the next draw. Buying more lines gives you more entries, and it costs proportionally more. It does not change the odds on any single line.
Lotto NZ calls the second figure its maximum jackpot threshold. It says nothing about what any particular draw will be worth — for the jackpot currently on offer, see the NZ Powerball results hub or Lotto NZ's own pages.
Division 8: a new fixed prize at the bottom of the table
The other structural change is a new tier. Division 8 pays a fixed NZ$12 prize, which gives the game a prize level it didn't have before 13 September 2026. Lotto NZ's release also describes changes to the prize amounts in some existing Powerball divisions. The full division table, including the winning combination for each tier, is published by Lotto NZ, and the operator's table is the one to rely on.
What changes when you add Powerball to a ticket
In practice, not much changes about how you play. You still add Powerball to a Lotto line in the same way. The game you're entering has simply changed shape. In its release announcing the change, Lotto NZ said players do not have to change anything and can keep spending the same amount they did before.
Some things are worth knowing before your next ticket:
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The jackpot is a longer shot than it used to be. If you last looked at Powerball odds before 13 September 2026, those figures now describe a game that no longer runs.
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There is a new prize to check for. When you compare a ticket against the results, look at Division 8 as well as the tiers you already knew.
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New MyLotto accounts start differently. From 13 September, Lotto NZ requires every new MyLotto player to actively choose a weekly spending limit instead of being given the maximum limit automatically.
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Check results the way you always have. Lotto NZ's published results are the official record. Our ticket checker is an unofficial convenience check against lottery.fm's own crawled results history. It is useful as a quick look, but it is not a substitute for the operator.
How Lotto NZ says it is watching the new jackpot format
The change has drawn attention from a gambling researcher. Pacific Media Network has reported concerns from gambling researcher Dr Edmond Fehoko that the changes could encourage more people to gamble, particularly in lower-income Pacific families, and that the new Division 8 prize could become a generational habit.
According to that report, Lotto NZ said it considered groups at higher risk of gambling harm when designing the changes. It modelled the expected impact of the new odds, prize structure, jackpot patterns and Division 8. It also said it will monitor responsible gambling indicators, including high-spend transactions and customer spending patterns, across retail stores and MyLotto. Pacific Media Network also reported that Lotto NZ does not routinely publish that internal modelling, because it can contain commercially sensitive information.
Powerball is entertainment, not a way to make money. 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, 28 August 2026, More Powerballs, More Prizes Coming 13 September (media release) — Lotto New Zealand's Powerball changes release on Scoop
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Pacific Media Network, 23 September 2026, Bigger Powerball jackpots raise Pacific gambling concerns — Pacific Media Network's report on the Powerball changes
