£l.5m In Lottery Prizes

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29901, 15 August 1962, Page 16

£l.5m In Lottery Prizes

(N Z Press Association)

WELLINGTON. Aug. 14. The sum of £1,500.000 has been paid out in prize money m the 50 Golden Kiwi lotteries drawn since Decembei 18, said Mr N McArthur, secretary of Hammond and McArthur. Ltd., today “When w e started the Golden Kiwi we estimated that we would drafw one a week, ’ he said "We have passed the half-century mark in 36 weeks from the opening of the first one. and the demand for tickets is as strong as ever.” Mr McArthur said the lottery organisation had settled down to an efficient routine and was coping well with drawing up to eight lotteries

a month Both distribution and collection of butts was going smoothly and the 2400 selling agents were returning butts quickly A survey of the 50 lotteries drawn so far shows that the rate of sale has stepped up to seven or eight a month. It took 22 weeks for the first 25 lotteries to fill and be drawn but only 14*4 weeks tor the second 25 At the current rate of sale the number of lotteries for the year up to December 4. the date on which the first opened, will exceed 71. As each lottery returns an average of £17.000 in profits, the total handout for the year will exceed the £1 million

estimated by the Minister of Internal Affairs <Mr Gotz). It is likely to reach £ 1£07.000 The last accounting of Golden Kiwi profits covered grants made up to the end of June. In this period, from No. 1 to 39. £215,252 was paid out in grants The gross proceeds of the 39 lotteries came to £2,437.500 If the number reaches 71 for the year, more than £4 43 million will have been spent by gamblers on the lotteries

Of the 50 winners of the £ 12.000 first prize, 14 have been Aucklanders. Four others have lived in the province Wellington residents have had eight wins, Christchurch five, and Dunedin two