18 Oct 2008

No winner for record Lotto prize

10:56 pm on 18 October 2008

There was no winner in Saturday night's much anticipated $30-million Powerball first division Lotto prize.

Instead, the second division prize will be shared by five winners, each taking $6.2 million.

Two of the winning tickets were sold at shops in Wellington; the other three tickets were bought in Manukau, Onehunga and Reefton.

Ticket sales for the Powerball draw were more than triple the number in a usual week, causing long queues outside Lotto shops around the country.

The draw was delayed by half an hour because of a rare technical glitch with the Powerball machine's spinning functions.

A spokesperson for the Lotteries Commission, Karen Jones, says a back-up machine had to be used.

She says Audit New Zealand staff were on site to scrutinise the draw.

The odds of winning Powerball are more than 1 in 38,000,000.