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What Would New Zealanders Do if They Won the Lottery?
Here at EmuCasino, we always have our fingers crossed that our customers win big in the variety of games we have on offer. For most people, winning a large amount of money would be life-changing and could be the key to taking away some of life’s biggest stressors.
We were curious as to how exactly New Zealanders would use their hypothetical lottery winnings along with any lottery-playing habits, so we conducted a survey with 1,000 New Zealanders and analysed the results to find out.
How often do New Zealanders play the lottery?
From seasoned lottery-players to once-in-a-blue-moon purchasers of a ticket, there are many types of people who play the lottery. Our survey revealed that from 1,000 New Zealanders, the most common routine of playing the lottery is weekly, with 26% trying their luck at winning big. 22% of respondents said they play inconsistently, which could refer to a multitude of ways of playing the lottery such as several times in one month, then only entering the lottery again several months later.
9% of respondents stated that they play the lottery every single day and 18% of New Zealanders said they never play the lottery at all. Although the chances of winning big on the lottery are slim, the first step is always buying a ticket as you never know what could happen!
| How often do you play the lottery? | Count | Percentage |
| Everyday | 87 | 9% |
| Weekly | 261 | 26% |
| Monthly | 183 | 18% |
| Yearly | 88 | 9% |
| Inconsistently | 215 | 22% |
| Never | 166 | 17% |
Who would New Zealanders tell if they won the lottery?
It’s a common pub question that everyone has asked their friends at some point – if you won the lottery, would you tell people or keep it a secret? We wanted to find out what the nation would do, so let’s take a look at what our respondents came back with.
| Who would you tell if you won the lottery? | Count | Percentage |
| Partner | 486 | 27% |
| Family | 567 | 32% |
| Friends | 213 | 12% |
| Colleagues | 128 | 8% |
| Boss | 120 | 7% |
| Everyone I Know | 127 | 7% |
| I wouldn’t tell anyone | 144 | 8% |
32% of people said they would let their family know of the news that they’ve won the lottery and 27% they would tell their partner. Interestingly, 8% of respondents said they wouldn’t tell anyone and 8% said they would tell everyone they knew. Furthermore, 7% of people stated that their work boss would be someone who they would tell.
What is the first thing New Zealanders would do with their lottery winnings?
For most people, the thought of winning the lottery is both exciting and overwhelming as they could potentially be looking at a substantial amount of money. Our survey asked New Zealanders what they would spend their winnings on first.
| What is the first thing you would spend your lottery winnings on? | Count | Percentage |
| Property | 250 | 25% |
| Travel | 140 | 14% |
| Shopping | 78 | 8% |
| Cars | 55 | 6% |
| Investments | 98 | 10% |
| Charity donations | 52 | 5% |
| Paying off debts | 244 | 24% |
| Nothing – I would save the winnings | 55 | 6% |
| None of the above | 28 | 3% |
24% of respondents said they would firstly spend the money on paying off any outstanding debts they had. This may be linked to the ongoing cost of living crisis here in New Zealand as widely reported in the media, with mortgages, rents, and food all increasing with wages unable to keep up. 25% said they would spend the money on property, presumably buying a house, and 14% said they would use their winnings to travel.
Based on winning $1 million, who would New Zealanders consider giving some of their winnings to?
Being able to treat those closest to you if you ever win a lot of money is usually at the top of people’s lists, as it’s a great way to give back to those who have supported you.
From our survey, 33% of respondents said they would consider giving some of their winnings to (very lucky) family members. 23% said they would give some of the money to a partner/ significant other and 18% said they would consider donating some of their winnings to a charity.
Interestingly, 6% said they would consider giving some of their winnings to their coworkers.
| – | Count | Percentage |
| Family | 645 | 33% |
| Partner/significant other | 437 | 23% |
| Friends | 263 | 14% |
| Donation to charity | 355 | 18% |
| Coworkers | 111 | 6% |
| I wouldn’t give away any money | 123 | 6% |
If New Zealanders made a charity donation with their winnings, what kind of charity would it be?
Donating money to charity can be really rewarding as it means you are giving back to organisations which work to address societal needs. We asked New Zealanders what kind of charity they would donate to if they were to give some of their lottery winnings away.
Charities for children came out on top with 29% of respondents stating they would donate to these. This was followed by animal charities at 18% and charities relating to specific illnesses at 13%.
| What kind of charity would you donate some of your winnings to? | Count | Percentage |
| Animal | 182 | 18% |
| Children | 290 | 29% |
| Disability | 103 | 10% |
| Ilness | 133 | 13% |
| Overseas aid | 57 | 6% |
| LGBTQ+ | 52 | 5% |
| Local community | 111 | 11% |
| I wouldn’t donate money to charity | 72 | 7% |
What percentage of $1 million winnings would New Zealanders consider giving away?
When you’ve decided that you would be generous and give some of your winnings away if you ever won the lottery, it’s a question of how much money you would then be willing to give away. Our survey revealed whether New Zealanders are generous or prefer to keep the lion’s share for their own use.
The results revealed that the majority, at 36%, would donate between 11% and 25% of their winnings which is the equivalent of between $110,000 and $250,000 when based on hypothetical winnings of $1 million in the lottery.
This was followed by 25% stating that they would give away less than 10% of their winnings to family and/ or friends and 17% said they would consider giving away between 26% and 50% of their winnings – working out at a whopping $260,000 to $500,000 for some potentially very lucky family members out there!
| What percentage of $1 million winnings would New Zealanders consider giving away? | Count | Percentage |
| None | 76 | 8% |
| Less than 10% | 251 | 25% |
| Between 11% – 25% | 358 | 36% |
| Between 26% – 50% | 167 | 17% |
| Between 51% – 75% | 59 | 6% |
| Between 76% – 99% | 43 | 4% |
| I would give away 100% of $1 million lottery winnings | 46 | 5% |
If New Zealanders bought a lottery ticket for someone and they won $1 million on it, how much, if any, would they expect to receive?
A tricky situation but one that could potentially be a reality for any hopeful lottery winners out there – you buy a ticket for someone and then you find out they’ve won $1 million due to your nice gesture. We asked New Zealanders in our survey how much they would expect to receive from someone close to them if they had purchased a lottery ticket for them and they ended up winning.
| If you bought a lottery ticket for someone and they won $1 million from it, how much would you expect to receive? | Count | Percentage |
| Between $750,000 and $1 million | 48 | 5% |
| Between $500,000 and $749,999 | 69 | 7% |
| Between $250,000 and $499,999 | 146 | 15% |
| Between $100,000 and $249,999 | 73 | 7% |
| Between $50,000 and $99,999 | 73 | 7% |
| Between $10,000 and $49,999 | 88 | 9% |
| Under $10,000 | 91 | 9% |
| I wouldn’t expect anything | 412 | 41% |
From the results, we can confirm that New Zealanders are a selfless bunch as 41% stated that they wouldn’t expect a penny from someone close to them, even if they did buy them the ticket. Other respondents had slightly higher expectations with 15% stating they would expect between $250,000 and $499,999 of the winnings to be shared with them.
