There's a whopping $28 million up for grabs with Powerball on Wednesday and Kiwis around the country are heading to their local Lotto shop to pick up their lucky ticket — but where are New Zealand's ‘luckiest' stores?

Unichem Stortford Lodge Pharmacy in Hastings has long held the title as New Zealand's ‘luckiest' Lotto store — and for good reason. The store has sold an impressive 49 First Division winning tickets over the years, including an $11 million Powerball win in March this year.

'People definitely know that we're a lucky store, and go out of their way to buy their lucky ticket here,” says store manager, Carole Ormond.

'We've certainly noticed an increase in people coming in the last few weeks and we're bracing ourselves for tomorrow ahead of the big draw.”

While the North Island store may have cemented itself as the ‘luckiest' Lotto store in the country, South Island Lotto stores lay claim to the second and third ‘luckiest' Lotto stores with Richmond Night N Day in Nelson and Pak N Save Riccarton in Christchurch each selling an incredible 34 and 32 First Division winning tickets, respectively.

'Our store has become a bit of a destination. We often get people who are on holiday from other parts of the country or business trips come in and get their ticket. They hope that our previous good luck will rub off on them too,” says Richmond Night n Day store owner, David Smolenski.

'It would be pretty magical if someone who bought their ticket from our store won the big prize.”

While these stores are known for their good luck, New Zealand's next Powerball win could happen anywhere in the country.

'This year there have been big Powerball wins in Taranaki, Fielding, Auckland, Christchurch, Hastings, Taipa, Hamilton and Wellsford – so there's been luck all over the country,” says Kirsten Robinson, Senior Corporate Communications Manager at Lotto NZ.

'Powerball can be won by anyone, anywhere, at any time – it's all part of the fun. The only thing we can guarantee is that you can't win if you don't have a ticket!”

Players can buy a ticket for Wednesday's $28 million Powerball draw at any Lotto store, online at MyLotto.co.nz or through the Lotto NZ App. This is the first time the Powerball jackpot has been this high since late 2017, when Powerball rolled over to $38 million before being split by two players from Warkworth and Greytown who each took home $19.1 million. Only four players in the history of Powerball have ever won a prize over $28 million.

Background

New Zealand's ‘Luckiest' Lotto stores
Number of First Division winning tickets sold for Lotto Family (Lotto, Powerball and Strike) and Big Wednesday

Powerball First Division wins in 2019

Largest Powerball wins of all time