Lotteries in Australia and New Zealand offer a lot of excitement not just for local players, but for people from all over the world.
Between the two countries’ offerings, it’s easy to find a game that fits your preferences in terms of odds, prizes and affordability.
In this guide to the best Australian and New Zealand lotteries online, we’ll provide an overview of both countries’ top lottery games and how they work.
Here’s a snapshot of the games we’ll be covering:
Lottery | Biggest Prize Ever | Jackpot Odds |
Oz Lotto | AU $111.9 million | 1 in 45,379,620 |
Australia Powerball | AU $107.6 million | 1 in 134,490,400 |
NZ Powerball | NZ $44 million | 1 in 38,383,800 |
Australia Saturday Lotto | AU $30 million | 1 in 8,145,060 |
Set for Life | AU $20,000 per month | 1 in 38,320,568 |
Australia Monday Lotto | AU $1 million | 1 in 8,145,060 |
Australia Wednesday Lotto | AU $1 million | 1 in 8,145,060 |
NZ Lotto | NZ $1 million | 1 in 3,838,380 |
NZ Strike | NZ $1 million | 1 in 2,193,360 |
If you’re after the biggest jackpots, then you’ll want to play Oz Lotto and Australia Powerball. Both of these games have broken records exceeding AU $100 million with their outstanding jackpots over the years.
However, if you’d rather have much better odds of winning, then check out Australia Saturday Lotto, Australia Monday/Wednesday Lotto or New Zealand Lotto.
Of these, the best-balanced game is Saturday Lotto, which has the same odds as Monday/Wednesday Lotto but bigger prizes.
That said, the other games still have a lot to offer. Read on for more details.
🇦🇺 Best Australian Lotteries Online
The Australian government is pretty strict about the lotteries its residents can play, but it certainly doesn’t stop international players from playing Australian games.
This is great news for lotto lovers, as the country has some truly excellent lotteries. Featuring big tax-free prizes and solid odds, they offer plenty to get excited about.
Read on for a detailed breakdown of the top games and how to play them!
Oz Lotto
Oz Lotto is easily one of Australia’s biggest and most popular lotteries.
Operated by LotteryWest in Western Australia and The Lott in all other regions, the game has a rich history that dates way back to February 1994.
Why People Love It
- Record-breaking rollover jackpots
- Cheap tickets
- Readily available online
How to Play Oz Lotto
- Choose seven numbers from 1-45
- To win the jackpot, match all seven numbers
- Two additional bonus balls are drawn (from the same pool) that determine certain secondary prizes
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets (16 in Western Australia)
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 45,379,620
Overall Odds: 1 in 55
Biggest Jackpot Ever: AU $111,972,151
Minimum Jackpot: AU $2 million
Prize Tiers: 7
Draw Time: Tuesdays at 8:30 pm AEST
Official Ticket Price: AU $1.30 per line
Australia Powerball
The Australia Powerball might not be as big as its American rival, but it’s still a monster of a lottery.
Launched in May 1996, the game has undergone various changes over the years that have made it better balanced and even more exciting.
Why People Love It
- Record-breaking jackpots (including Australia’s largest jackpot ever)
- Tax-free prizes
- Readily available online
How to Play Australia Powerball
- Choose seven numbers from 1-35 and one Powerball from 1-20
- To win the jackpot, match all seven main numbers plus the Powerball
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets (16 in Western Australia)
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 134,490,400
Overall Odds: 1 in 44
Biggest Jackpot Ever: AU $150 million
Minimum Jackpot: AU $3 million
Prize Tiers: 9
Draw Time: Thursdays at 7:30 pm AEST
Official Ticket Price: AU $4.85 for four games
Australia Saturday Lotto
Saturday Lotto might not be as massive as Oz Lotto or Australia Powerball, but its cheap tickets and much better odds make up for it.
Also known as Tattslotto, Gold Lotto, X Lotto and simply Lotto depending on the region, Saturday Lotto was launched in June 1972.
Its popularity grew quickly, as it was the first Australian lottery to allow players to choose their own numbers.
Why People Love It
- Great odds
- Cheap tickets
- “Megadraws” held throughout the year
- Annual “Superdraw”
- Readily available online
How to Play Australia Saturday Lotto
- Choose six numbers from 1-45
- To win the jackpot, match all six main numbers
- Two supplementary numbers are drawn (from the same pool) that determine certain secondary prizes
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets (16 in Western Australia)
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 8,145,060
Overall Odds: 1 in 85
Biggest Jackpot Ever: AU $30 million (Superdraw)
Minimum Jackpot: AU $5 million
Prize Tiers: 6
Draw Time: Saturdays at 8:30 pm AEST
Official Ticket Price: AU $3.30 for four games
Australia Monday/Wednesday Lotto
Monday and Wednesday Lotto are basically the same games as Saturday Lotto.
However, the key difference between them is that the jackpots are static year-round and tickets are even cheaper.
Why People Love It
- Guaranteed $1 million jackpots for up to four players
- Cheap tickets
- Good odds
- Readily available online
How to Play Australia Monday & Wednesday Lotto
- Choose six numbers from 1-45
- To win the jackpot, match all six numbers
- Two supplementary numbers are drawn (from the same pool) that determine certain secondary prizes
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets (16 in Western Australia)
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 8,145,060
Overall Odds: 1 in 85
Biggest Jackpot Ever: AU $1 million
Minimum Jackpot: AU $1 million
Prize Tiers: 6
Draw Times: Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:45 pm AEST
Official Ticket Price: AU $2.40 for four games
Australia Set for Life
Set for Life does things a bit differently, as its jackpot prize does what you might expect: sets you up for life.
This is because it pays out AU $20,000 per month over a period of 20 years. That kind of money would buy a lot of Vegemite!
Why People Love It
- Unique prize that pays out monthly
- Cheap tickets
- Readily available online
How to Play Set for Life
- Choose seven numbers from 1-45
- To win the jackpot, match all seven numbers
- Two additional bonus balls are drawn (from the same pool) that determine certain secondary prizes
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets (16 in Western Australia)
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 45,379,620
Overall Odds: 1 in 55
Biggest Jackpot Ever: AU $111,972,151
Minimum Jackpot: US $2 million
Prize Tiers: 7
Draw Time: Daily at 9 pm AEST
Official Ticket Price: AU $1.30 per line
🇳🇿 Best New Zealand Lotteries Online
New Zealand might not have the variety of great lotteries that Australia has, but its primary offering and Powerball add-on are well known around the world.
With affordable ticket prices, exciting add-ons and tax-free prizes, there’s a lot to fall in love with here.
New Zealand Lotto
The straightforwardly named New Zealand Lotto is essentially three games in one.
This is because players can choose to play Lotto on its own, play either (or both!) Powerball and Strike as add-ons to Lotto, or play Strike on its own.
Why People Love It
- Impressive jackpots
- Cheap tickets
- Great add-ons for a small extra fee
- Bi-weekly draws
How to Play New Zealand Lotto
- Choose six numbers from 1-40
- To win the standard jackpot, match all six numbers
- To play Powerball, choose one additional Powerball number from 1-10
- To win Powerball, match all seven numbers
- To win Strike, match the first four Lotto numbers in the exact order drawn
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets
Lotto Jackpot Odds: 1 in 3,838,380
Powerball Jackpot Odds: 1 in 38,383,800
Strike Jackpot Odds: 1 in 2,193,360
Biggest Jackpot Ever: NZ $44 million
Minimum Jackpot: NZ $1 million
Prize Tiers: 7
Draw Times: Wednesdays at 8:20 pm NZST and Saturdays at 8 pm NZST
Official Ticket Price: NZ $2.80 for four lines