New Zealand

Lotto (New Zealand) odds — every division, derived

Every figure on this page is calculated from the game's published rules. The operator's own odds page is linked below as verification — but the working is here, on this page.

The combinatorics

A standard entry picks 6 numbers from 40. The number of possible combinations is:

C(40, 6) = 3,838,380

After the 6 winning numbers, 1 supplementary/bonus ball is drawn from the same pool — they create extra divisions but don't change the jackpot odds.

Division odds

DivisionMatchWinning combinationsDerived oddsProbabilityPrizeOperator says
Division 16 main11 in 3,838,3802.605e-7First Division pool — NZ$1 million most draws1 in 3,838,380
Division 25 main + 1 bonus61 in 639,7301.563e-6Pool share1 in 639,730
Division 35 main + 0 bonus1981 in 19,3865.158e-5Pool share1 in 19,386
Division 44 main + 1 bonus4951 in 7,7540.0129%Pool share1 in 7,754
Division 54 main + 0 bonus7,9201 in 4850.2063%Pool share1 in 485
Division 63 main + 1 bonus10,5601 in 3630.2751%Pool share1 in 363
Division 73 main + 0 bonus109,1201 in 35.182.84%Free Lotto ticket1 in 35

"Winning combinations" counts how many of the possible outcomes land in that division. "Operator says" is the operator's published figure — shown so you can check us against them (small differences are their rounding).

Odds of winning any prize

1 in 29.92

Sum of all division probabilities — usually the number the ads quote.

Odds of the top prize

1 in 3,838,380

One standard game. Two games doubles it — and it's still tiny.

How long are these odds? Winning the top prize is about as likely as calling 21.9 coin flips in a row correctly (221.9 3,838,380). If you bought one line every draw, at two draws a week you would expect one top-prize win roughly every 36,908 years.

Sources

Last verified: 2026-08-29