You can play pokies, live casino, and games like blackjack, roulette, or baccarat at casinos. New Zealand punters have made many incredible wins at casinos over the years.
On online casino websites, you can find the winners list on the homepage so Kiwis can feel proud of their wins.
Table of Contents
1. Mega Moolah Pokies Wins
Mega Moolah pokies are the most widely played and popular pokies, and they have created so many winners worldwide that you will be amazed to find that most of the wins came from New Zealand.
In 2013, a New Zealand player unlocked the biggest progressive jackpot winning on mobile. The lucky player decided to play a few spins on Microgaming’s Mega Moolah pokies from his mobile device only to find a massive $943,971 winning at the end of a few spins.
The winning occurred in May 2013, when mobile casinos started becoming popular.
Before this win, no other major mobile jackpots were triggered, making the lucky Kiwi player the first big mobile winner. Microgaming confirmed this winning at the time, and the rewards were granted.
In the game’s Jackpot Bonus Round, an anonymous player spun and landed an instant Major Jackpot prize of $943,971.
Though the prize value is outstanding, the Major Jackpot is the second-tier pot in the game, which means the player narrowly missed the opportunity to come away with a whole lot more than that.
In June 2016, a lucky player from New Zealand won $10 million playing Mega Moolah pokies. Winner Rawiri Pow scooped up one of the biggest online jackpots on the well-known Mega Moolah video pokies from Microgaming.
The KFC employee explained that he was playing the games online and won an impressive $1,500 at first, which already amazed him.
However, instead of cashing out, the Kiwi kept the reels turning, eventually granting access to the progressive jackpot wheel bonus game. Not having significant expectations, he spun the wheel and found himself progressing through the levels and reaching the mega jackpot, worth a gigantic $10 million!
The casino presented Rawiri with a massive check-in at a hotel in Auckland, which made national news.
In 2018, Mega Moolah pokies for the win again as another Kiwi loaded up the game at an unknown offshore casino.
According to broader slot recording data, New Zealand players have hit jackpots of:
- NZ$13,615,861 in May 2020 (progressive jackpot, likely Mega Moolah network).
- NZ$6,720,526 in December 2020.
- NZ$6,017,396 in October 2020.
- These figures indicate that Kiwi players have repeatedly landed into the multi-million dollar zone across years of jackpot play.
This time, a mobile player walked away with the coveted Mega Jackpot win, which peaked at just over NZ$8 million. The wildlife safari game had done it again, making dreams come true and altering a life forever.
Known players from New Zealand won $1,895,696 in 2022, with an average single win of about $4,439. See the total statistics for New Zealand here.
2. Wins in the game of Roulette
NZ Player Wins ≈ NZ$50,000+ on XXXtreme Lightning Roulette
A New Zealand player scored two huge multiplier-enhanced wins on Evolution’s XXXtreme Lightning Roulette, earning about NZ$29,980 and NZ$27,960 on the same number due to huge multipliers in March 2023. This resulted in total winnings of over NZ$50,000+ from two spins in one session.
In 2024, a Kiwi player recorded one of the largest known Lightning Roulette wins online of about NZ$7,800 playing Evolution’s Lightning Roulette (a popular live variant with multipliers).
In 2016, a lucky player claimed one of the best rewards he could’ve ever wished for while playing online Roulette. The player chose one of the NetEnt live dealer tables and scooped up over $100,000 within just a few hours.
This anonymous player claimed to have used various strategies, including the popular Martingale system and inside betting strategies.
He started with just $1,000 in his account and dropped to below $500 before claiming the first win, which raised his account balance to over $2,000.
He says within the first few hours, he managed to increase the account balance to over $10,000, allowing him to increase the betting values and get into making profits.
In all but four hours, his account balance was $94,500, and the last few rounds sent him over the $100,000 mark.
He says he could’ve played longer, but with the massive profits he had already claimed, he stopped playing and decided to find a cruise for himself and his family.
3. Wins in the game of Blackjack
Wins in the game of Blackjack in New Zealand came in 2012. In the online casino world, this winning player came across multiple new variations of online Blackjack he never known about as a land-based Blackjack player.
Applying the same strategies, these unknown players managed to win over $500,000 within a week!
His game was Blackjack Switch, which initially seemed strange, but with the new rules and features, he could adjust the current strategy and apply it to the new game he found.
The most incredible part of the win is that he began with a small account balance of just $200. This means he began placing smaller bets, as his strategy was a higher risk if he bet large. However, small bets could result in multiple winnings, which he accomplished quickly.
He added that after a few successful rounds, he could take on higher risks and make bigger bets, resulting in more profits over time.
When asked why he didn’t use the same strategy at land-based casinos, he said the table limits of a regular casino game block any strategy, especially if you double up. Therefore, you lose a considerable amount while simply trying to regain some of the winnings you lost before.
Recent NZ player leaderboard data shows several blackjack-related wins in the NZ$1,800–$3,000 range at online casino tables in 2024:
- NZ$2,285 win on All Bets Blackjack
- NZ$1,950 on 888 Jewel Blackjack
- NZ$1,800 on Live 888 VIP Blackjack
These aren’t mega jackpots, but they’re some of the largest widely recognised online blackjack wins by NZ players this year.
4. Lotto Wins
Lotto wins can be seen daily in NZ. Recently, an Auckland grandmother had a life-changing start to the week after discovering the Powerball ticket she had sitting in her handbag had won $28.16 million.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, buys Lotto tickets “from time to time” and picked up a Triple Dip ticket ahead of Saturday night’s draw—and didn’t think much else of it until she was watching the news on Sunday night.
It wasn’t until Monday that the woman discovered how lucky her little yellow ticket had become when she decided to check it while shopping.
That’s when she called the store owner over. They pointed at the sign saying, ‘Big winner sold here,’ and whispered to her, ‘That’s you!’
The owner took her to the back of the store to tell her exactly how much she had won and to sort out all the paperwork.
With the prize safely claimed, the woman thinks carefully about what she will do with her winnings. But she says whatever it is, it will be centred around her family.
Another latest winner was from Pōkeno, which produced a life-changing $42.2 million Powerball prize in the small town.
The winners, who wish to remain anonymous, had no idea that Powerball had been struck – let alone by a single ticket. With her little yellow ticket in hand, the woman pulled up the results on MyLotto and started to check off the numbers.
When her husband entered the door, the winner jumped up to share the good news. With the historic prize now claimed, the lucky family are starting to plan for the future.
The winning ticket was sold at Countdown Pōkeno in Pōkeno for the draw on Wednesday, 20 October 2021.
Another 2022 Lotto winner was a Wellington man who won $500,000 with Lotto First Division. He and his work colleague, who have been buying Lotto tickets together for four years, can’t believe their luck after their ticket won $500,000. The pair, who wish to remain anonymous, always chose a Dip ticket while keeping the same Powerball number.
They decided to change their routine and pick their numbers. So, they chose half the numbers each and thought they would see how they got on.
On Wednesday night, it was his turn to check the numbers, and as he tuned in to watch the live Lotto draw, he sat speechless as all six of their new shared numbers came up.
As it was late at night, he stashed the ticket safely away in his wallet and started to plan how to surprise his colleague the next day.
This winning Lotto First Division ticket was sold at New World Newlands in Wellington for the draw on Wednesday, 11 May.
Largest Ever Single Ticket Win – ~$44.67 million
An Auckland family set the record for the largest prize ever won on a single Lotto NZ ticket in August 2024, taking home approximately $44.67 million. This came from a Powerball First Division win plus additional Lotto First Division shares.
Huge Multi-Million Winners in Recent Years
• In August 2025, a Bay of Plenty ticket holder won $12.5 million (Powerball + Lotto).
• In February 2025, a Hamilton player scooped $10.5 million.
• Multiple Powerball wins of $15.08 million have been claimed in 2025 by different players.
You can check out more Lotto wins in NZ at the Mylotto NZ site.
5. Wins in Sports Betting
It’s not only pokies, but wins are made in NZ and sports betting games in New Zealand. In 2016, one Papatoetoe Welder made his knowledge of all things sports work for him to raise rewards amounting to around NZ$180 000 over a single weekend.
With only NZ$12 in his pocket, as he had forgotten his wallet at home, he hit the Hunters Corner TAB and spread the meagre amount of money over wagers on several sporting events that weekend.
Bets on French Open Tennis, International and Super Rugby, Netball, and European Soccer pursued him 15,000x his initial reward bet!
This man proves that sport pays, even if you are not the professional playing the game yourself.
In 2024 a TAB NZ customer assembled a 17-leg multi bet on various international football matches — including games from Finland, Norway and South Korea — and turned just NZ$3 into ~NZ$107,111, one of the biggest accumulator wins for that year on TAB NZ.
What are the pokies that make you a millionaire?
The following are the jackpot pokie games that can make you a millionaire, and you can be another winner on New Zealand’s list of wins.
1. Mega Moolah
Mega Moolah by Microgaming is considered the most successful progressive slot game ever. Over the years, Mega Moolah NZ has made many players millionaires.
It has paid out more prizes than any other progressive pokies game. The game features five reels, three rows, and 25 paylines.
It also comes with a 96.92% RTP. Mega Moolah has four jackpots: Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega.
Mega Moolah’s progressive jackpot is the largest online gambling prize, with a current valuation of over $6 million.
If you are lucky enough to win the jackpot, you can expect to go home with at least $1, making it the most lucrative prize on the market.
Microgaming has created various variants based on Mega Moolah, including Mega Moolah Isis and Mega Moolah Atlantean Treasures. This demonstrates how lucrative this progressive jackpot pokies is.
The highest amount ever won by a Kiwi layer was NZ$32,829,081, paid out in 2018. It would be best to spin the jackpot wheel, which is triggered randomly while playing the game to win.
So far, Mega Moolah has paid over €1 billion in jackpot prizes to winners across the globe, and it continues to make more winners as the jackpot prize grows.
Continue reading: The Best Online Casinos to Play Mega Moolah In New Zealand.
2. Mega Fortune
Mega Fortune is a NetEnt progressive pokies game with low volatility and an RTP of 96.6%. The game has been around for years, and players have won jackpots.
These pokies have five reels, three rows, and 25 paylines. The wagering is low; you can place a wager between $0.25 and $50 per spin.
Mega Fortune progressive slot game comes with a free spins round that multiplies a player’s win five times. Its payout potential stands at 2162x without considering the jackpot. The game also features three progressive jackpots, which a player can access through the bonus round.
You must get three bonus symbols on the first three reels to trigger the jackpot round. It is easy to trigger the jackpot round, and once you do, you are redirected to a screen that displays a tiered jackpot wheel. As you approach the centre of the wheel, the price keeps increasing.
This is also where you will find the Mega jackpot. The highest win from Mega Fortune is €17,861,800, which a Finnish player won after playing with only $0.25.
3. Major Millions
Major Millions is another progressive jackpot pokie game from Microgaming that creates wins for players in NZ. This low-volatility game has an RTP of 89.37%.
It is a military-themed pokie game with a jackpot prize. The game features 5-reels and 15 paylines. It also has wild multipliers and wilds; a player’s wins are multiplied by 3, including the wilds.
Players can choose the number of paylines they wish to activate on every spin. However, to win the Major Millions jackpot, you should have the 15th payline active since the progressive jackpot will be activated if you land five wild symbols on this payline.
The minimum Major Millions jackpot prize stands at over $1 million. The highest Major Millions jackpot payout stands at NZ$1,146,407.
4. Hall of Gods
Hall of Gods by NetEnt is a Norse-themed progressive pokies game with great wins. The game features three jackpots: Mini, Midi, and Mega.
The game features the gods Loki, Thor, Odin, and Freya. It transports you on an adventure above the clouds as you look for riches if the gods favour you.
A player must trigger the bonus round by getting three bonus symbols on the paylines to win the jackpot prize.
That allows them to smash Thor’s hammer, revealing at least three matching symbols. What you reveal can be a cash amount or one of the jackpots.
The Mega jackpot is progressive. It starts at around £500,000. However, the average amount a Kiwi can win is around NZ$8,000,000. The game comes with an RTP of 95.7%.
FAQs
Do you have to bet big to win the pokies?
Not. Pokies can be won by playing the game as low as $0.25. Luck and strategy matter, not the stake in pokies to make some wins.
Which online casino has produced lots of winners in NZ?
Though there is no particular online casino that has produced lots of winners in NZ, the most popular NZ online casinos where players play pokies and make wins are as follows:
And others.
Which NZ cities produced more wins?
According to a survey, the following NZ cities have produced more wins:
- Matamata
- Auckland
- Wellington
- Christchurch
- Nelson
- Greymouth
- Dunedin
- Tauranga
- Hamilton Hill
- Hastings
And more.
Is there any tip to win pokies?
Unfortunately, there is no sure strategy or tip for winning at pokies. This means there is no set formula for hitting the jackpot. A great deal of it comes from pure luck.
The only strategy you can develop is learning how to play pokies and stick to your bankroll when playing. Always stop playing further if you are losing.