Kawerau has been revealed as the most Lotto-obsessed town in New Zealand, topping a nationwide ranking based on more than 20 years of Google search data.
The Bay of Plenty community, located near Tarawera Forest, scored 302 out of a possible 500 in Casino.org New Zealand’s Lotto Obsession Index – the only place in the country to break the 300-point barrier.
The analysis examined Google Trends data for five key Lotto-related search terms: “online lottery”, “Lotto”, “MyLotto”, “Lotto results” and “NZ Lotto”.
Kawerau led the nation for “MyLotto” searches and posted strong scores for both “Lotto results” and “NZ Lotto”, indicating high engagement with both ticket purchases and draw results.
Casino.org New Zealand, spokeswoman JJ Lee said the data showed Lotto fever burned brightest in smaller communities.
“With Powerball sitting at $40 million, people all over New Zealand are picturing how that sort of money would change their lives,” Lee said.
“What our data shows is that in some of the country’s smaller communities, the Lotto daydream is practically a way of life – their search behaviour around draws, results and online tickets is off the charts,” she said.
Ruakituri in Hawke’s Bay ranked second with a score of 275, followed by Matahina Forest (235), Reefton (232) and Raukumara Forest Park (203).
Other Bay of Plenty locations also featured prominently, with Matahina Forest and Raukumara Forest Park both making the top five.
Major cities ranked far lower, with Auckland placing 68th (16/500), Hamilton 70th (3/500) and Tauranga, Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington all scoring just 2/500.
Lee said the rankings reflected the share of Lotto-related searches in each community’s overall online behaviour, rather than raw search volume.
The Lotto Obsession Index was compiled using Google Trends data from January 1, 2004, to November 6, 2025, with scores normalised by location to ensure fair comparison across 82 regions.
With Powerball rolling over to $45m for Wednesday night, the jackpot is now the biggest Lotto prize in more than a year.
1 comment
Lotto gives us hope
Posted on 14-11-2025 13:09 | By morepork
Given a scientific background throughout my life, I recognize that buying Lotto is a very poor bet. I do not generally buy LOTTO tickets but I admit that when things are not going so well, LOTTO can give you hope... :-)
When you see a jackpot of $55 million that MUST go, I think most people just want to have a CHANCE at it without realistically expecting to win it.
Gambling addiction causes pain and upheaval in many families, just as substance abuse does, and it needs to be properly controlled. By-and-large, I think it is in NZ.
The secret to success and enjoying your gambling (whatever form it takes) is to NOT gamble more than you can AFFORD to lose. (and NEVER EXPECT to win...be pleasantly surprised when you do.)
I wish everybody here good luck for tomorrow night... :-)
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