The smooth rollout of our updated Powerball game this week was years in the making and marks an exciting new chapter for the game. Lotto New Zealand is proud of the work that went into delivering this change thoughtfully, with a view to responsibly growing returns for New Zealand communities for years to come. Read more from our CEO, Jason Delamore.
It was great to be there in person at the TVNZ studios on Wednesday night as 14 Powerballs dropped into our machine in a live draw for the first time. A brand new number 11 popped out, which meant 5,720 players became our inaugural winners of our new Powerball Division 8. What wasn’t evident to viewers watching at home was the enormous amount of mahi that got us to that point – we had about 110 people from all parts of the organisation who contributed to the project in some way. Extensive research and modelling went into the game change, including the simulation of thousands upon thousands of Powerball draws. This allowed us to test a wide range of possible outcomes, including years with higher and lower jackpot activity, and build robust forecasts. We also spent months engaging closely with a wide range of stakeholders in Government, as well as gambling-harm experts, treatment providers and people with lived experience to understand how the changes may affect different groups of players. Changes to MyLotto to accommodate the new purchase options were built, tested and deployed, and we spent significant time planning a nationwide retailer roadshow that took the changes out to the regions via 35 in-person events, with 905 attendees. Simultaneously, our marketing materials got a massive overhaul, with a fresh new Powerball look dropped on to about 24,000 assets across digital, TV, billboards, retail and our live televised draw. It’s the fifth evolution of Powerball in the 25 years since it launched. Change is a consistent theme for successful lotteries around the world, but change on this scale takes real determination, dedication and drive from teams across the entire organisation. I’m incredibly proud of everyone who helped deliver such a complex project on time, setting Lotto NZ on a new path towards an exciting future. The upside? We’ve introduced a change that will keep the game interesting for players and enable the responsible growth of profits, all of which go back to New Zealand communities through distributions from the Lottery Grants Board. Many thanks to all of our players, retailers and stakeholders for their support.