Know your odds

You might be hoping that a big win could make a difference for you and your family but your chances of winning while gambling are a lot lower than you might think. Getting to know your odds of winning can really put your chances into perspective.

Test yourself
  • You're more likely to be killed on the way to buying a lotto ticket than you are to win first division?
    True, if you drive just 10km to buy your ticket, you're many times more likely to be killed in a car crash on the way to get the ticket.
    True
    False
    True
  • Playing a pokie machine for just 10 minutes gives you a better chance to win than playing it for an hour?
    True, the longer you play, the higher the chances are you will lose.
    True
    False
    True
  • How much do Kiwi's lose on gambling every year?
    Two billion dollars is lost every year gambling by Kiwi's. That's about $5.6 million a day!
    A. $496,000,000
    B. $1,875,000,000
    C. $2,000,000,000
    C. $2,000,000,000
  • Sports betting is a skill, you can't lose if you know what you're doing?
    False, while knowledge and skill can come into play, there's no such thing as a sure bet! The TAB are in business to make money, which is why you will always get better odds on things that are less likely to happen. If you think you can sometimes win, then know you can always lose.
    True
    False
    False
  • If all the people with gambling problems in New Zealand were all in the same place, it would roughly be the same size as?
    Tauranga...With over 130,000 people in New Zealand being directly harmed by gambling, they would be the same size as our 6th biggest city.
    A. A 10 storey office building
    B. The Otago Uni Campus
    C. Tauranga
    C. Tauranga
  • You're at work and get stuck talking for 5 minutes to Gary, that annoying guy that always bugs you. In that time that you will never get back, how much will Kiwi's lose gambling on average?
    On average, every minute of every day, Kiwi's lose over $4,100 gambling. It took about a minute to read this question so that's another four grand gone...
    A. $9,450
    B. $15,800
    C. $20,500
    C. $20,500
  • There are more pokie machines in poorer areas of the country?
    True, in well off areas, there is 1 pokie machine for every 465 people, but in poorer areas there is 1 machine for every 75 people and every single one of them is designed to take in more money than they pay out.
    True
    False
    True
  • How many Kiwi's know a family member has gone without something or not paid a bill because of gambling?
    One in every 6 Kiwi's reckon a family member has gone without something because of gambling. Chances are, you will know someone like this right now.
    A. One in 10
    B. One in 6
    C. One in 3
    B. One in 6
  • You are more likely to win Powerball than you are to lose an arm in a chainsaw accident
    The chance of winning Powerball is one in 38.3 million, which means not only are you more likely to lose your arm in a chainsaw accident than win it, but you are also far more likely to date a supermodel or even get hit by lightening!
    True
    False
    False
  • Cashing out your coins and putting them back in resets a pokie machine?
    False...No matter what you do to a pokie machine, you cannot change what it is programmed to do. A pokie machine is a computer designed to take in more money than it pays out, there is no skill or trick to cheat it.
    True
    False
    False