Changes coming for Lotto will make it less likely people will win the big prize — but more likely they will collect a small one. This reduces the chances of winning Powerball from about one in 38.4 million to about one in 53.7 million for every line on a ticket. Lotto will also add a "division 8" prize, raise the starting Powerball jackpot from $4 million to $5m and increase the maximum jackpot from $50m to $60m. We expect its introduction will lift the total number of weekly Powerball winners by 30%, from about 47,000 winners to 62,000 winners on average." But what you’re selling when you’re selling a Lotto ticket is you’re selling hope.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 24, 2026 16:08 UTC