Coronavirus: Lotto putting the balls away and going online
Wednesday, 25 March 2020
Lotto's balls will be put away for the duration of New Zealand's emergency level 4 coronavirus response but sales and draws will carry on.
From Thursday all Lotto counters at pharmacies, dairies, petrol stations and supermarkets will be closed with sales and draws being shifted online. The physical draw will be replaced by computer-generated results.
'Our priority during this time is to protect the safety and wellbeing of our customers, team members, retailers and all New Zealanders,' Lotto chief executive Chris Lynn, said in a statement.
'We're very used to running computer-generated draws as they are regularly run this way for Keno and Bullseye.'
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Lotto used a computer-generated draw in October 2019 when studios were made unavailable following the Sky City Convention Centre fire.
While prizes still needed to be claimed in person, winners have been advised to hold on to their tickets until stores reopen. Winners have 12 months to claim their prizes.