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Lotto and Lotteries - What You Should Know

Last updated: 30 August 2024

Lotto and other Lotteries might seem benign and harmless. However in 2020 - 2021, 12% clients said Lotto was their primary mode of gambling. This article discusses how Lotto might not be as harmless as it seems.


The harm

In 2020-21 12% of all clients who have received gambling harm treatment services identified Lotto as their primary mode of gambling harm, compared to 50% for pokies, and 9% for the TAB. 

While buying a Lotto ticket might be considered to be one of the types of gambling that is less harmful overall, there are still some warning signs to look out for:

  • You occasionally can’t afford basic items like milk and fruit because you ‘want to be in to win’. 
  • You can’t pay back a debt. 
  • You are hiding playing Lotto from others. 
  • You are using Lotto to get out of debt or chase losses. 
  • Big jackpots can also drive people to spend more money than they can afford to in the hope of winning big.

Instant Kiwi is a much more harmful form of gambling as it is considered a ‘continuous’ form of gambling which means people can place bets quickly and repetitively (a click of a mouse, or a scratch of a card). That is why Instant Kiwi is restricted to adults aged over 18 years. 

For instance it’s illegal to purchase an Instant Kiwi scratchie ticket for a minor so if you’re thinking of putting one in your child’s Christmas stocking, you might want to think again as you’re actually breaking the law! 

The 2008 AUT Gambling and Addictions Research Centre review on lottery gambling in New Zealand found:

  • The possible unlimited access to gambling via the Internet has the potential to lead to excessive gambling behaviour and could lead to greater exposure to underage participants, as adolescents are more susceptible to the negative effects of online lotteries and online gambling. 
  • Internet gambling has potential for underage participants to hide their age. 
  • There is a diminished perception of money when playing with electronic money.

     

What can you do to keep yourself safe?

There are several things you can do to keep yourself safe either when you’re purchasing Lotto products in a physical retail store or via your online account:

  • Set a spending limit – this can be done in-store or online. All players have a weekly online spending limit of $150 and a monthly limit of $500. Of the $150 weekly spending limit, no more than $50 can be spent on Instant Kiwi Online games. 
  • You can lower your own online weekly and monthly personal spending limits. When you’re logged into your account just click on your account balance, Settings, then Spending limits. 

    Changes to your weekly limit will take effect on the following Sunday and changes to your monthly limit will take effect on the 1st of the following month. 

  • Know the odds – it helps to keep things in perspective. 
  • Unsubscribe from Lotto’s promotional communications – Log into your account, click on account balance, Settings, then Notification settings. 
  • Block games – you can block any games on MyLotto for a time period of your choice, preventing you from purchasing tickets online during that time. 

    When you block a game, you automatically stop receiving promotional communications for that game. 

    Log into your account, click on your account balance, Settings, then Block games. 

  • Exclude yourself from buying Lotto NZ games in retail stores. Lotto has an exclusion form on its website. 
  • Block all gambling through game blocking software.

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