Lotto NZ reopens in more locations

Lotto NZ has announced it will reopen in more locations across New Zealand as COVID-19 social distancing measures are eased.

New Zealand.- Lotto NZ has announced it will reopen in more locations across New Zealand as Covid-19 social distancing measures are eased.

New Zealand moved to Alert Level 2 yesterday (May 13) of its Coronavirus alert system as the country comes out of the crisis.

Level 2 enables more businesses including Lotto NZ to reopen to the public, as long as they continue to follow the relevant public health guidance.

However, despite the eased measures, ticket write-up counters will remain closed and customers will not be able to scratch Instant Kiwi tickets inside stores.

The ticket checker will remain the only option for consumers to see if they have won, with retailers only validating winning tickets.

Chris Lyman, Lotto NZ Chief Executive said: “We’re committed to keeping both retailers and customers safe, while still allowing people to purchase their tickets.

“We’ve also added in some extra safety precautions for transactions – so these may take a little bit longer. We ask that people be patient, and be kind.

“We have seen a big increase in customers purchasing their tickets online during the lockdown, which has been fantastic, but sales over the lockdown have decreased to around 60 per cent of what we would normally see at comparable jackpot levels.

“This ultimately means less community funding, so we’re pleased to have the retail part of our business up and running again, giving our customers an option to buy their tickets in open stores if they wish.”