Lotto stores in the South have increased staffing levels to cater for floods of people buying tickets for tonight's $35 million Big Wednesday draw.
Sales this week had been so exceptional, New Zealand Lotteries yesterday increased the $30 million jackpot to a $35 million "must be won" draw, which was the largest prize offered in New Zealand.
Centre City New World general manager Craig Nieper had rostered on more staff during the days leading up to the draw.
"We usually have one person on the Lotto cash terminals, but we have had to have two. It's been constant," he said.
Sales usually doubled when there was a big draw, he said.
Last week, about 60 people had consistently lined up from the register and out the door to buy their tickets for the $26.7 million Big Wednesday draw.
"It was a really big week. From what I understand, there were big queues most of the day."
Mr Nieper said the store was likely to sell 5000 Big Wednesday tickets this week, compared with the 3000 sold last week.
Gore Paper Plus owner Denise Grant said yesterday she and her husband would probably have to work beyond the usual hours of their shifts to serve Lotto customers.
Dunedin Pak'n Save co-owner William McDonald had rostered on three staff members compared with the usual two. By 10am yesterday, he had already noticed "steady queues" of Lotto customers.
"It's still early, so it's going to be very busy this afternoon," he said.
NZ Lotteries said tickets sold for this week's Wednesday draw were likely to hit three million.
The Big Wednesday $35m
The odds: One in 16,290,120 per line played; one in 2,715,020 chance to win with a six-line Lucky Dip ticket. Winning line must have six winning numbers with correct coin toss.
Lucky Lotto outlets: South Dunedin Pak'n Save, 14 first division, two first division Strike wins; Newtone Drycleaners, South Dunedin, 12 first division, one first division Strike wins; Ryder's Paper Plus, Balclutha, 11 first division, one Strike win; Centre City New World, Dunedin, 11 winning first division wins; Oamaru Paper Plus, 10 first division wins.
• Big Wednesday first division has been won 32 times.
• $35m jackpot is the biggest and longest running (21 weeks) in NZ Lotteries' history. 2.9m Big Wednesday tickets sold for June 17 draw, compared with 500,000 in average week.
• Largest prize: $19 million Powerball prize to New Plymouth ticket, in April 2008.
- Cerisse Denhardt
