“The impact of this win will reach far beyond the individual winners,” he said.

Fifteen other lucky Lotto punters will also be celebrating after winning a $55,556 share of Lotto First Division.

Sixty-two other players also won $16,909 in Lotto Second Division.

Of Aotearoa’s 12 previous “must-be-won” draws, the top prize has been shared at a lower division seven times.

Victoria University of Wellington’s Richard Arnold said there was about a 30% chance the full $55m would be won by one person, depending on the total number of players.

He told Herald NOW’s Ryan Bridge if two million players buy 10 lines each, there’s about a 30% chance of a single winner in Division 1.

He said if there are four million players, that probably goes up to about 36%.

The winners of the last $50m jackpot told Lotto NZ the key was not to be changed by the sudden wealth.

They advised tonight’s winners to “make sure you’re confident in the team you build around you – you have to trust they are giving you good advice”.

What to do if you win

Ticket holders can see immediately if they have won if they purchased a ticket through MyLotto. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to the account.

For prizes exceeding $1000, winners must complete an online prize claim form.

Winners with a physical ticket must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.

For the Powerball jackpot to be claimed, a ticket holder must get all six Lotto numbers correct as well as the added Powerball number.

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