South African National Lottery
The National Lottery is operated by ITHUBA Holdings, to whom the licence was granted in 2015. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established in 2000.
 Logo used 2015 - present | |
| Region | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Regulated by | National Lotteries Commission |
| Highest jackpot | R232,131,750.69 |
| Odds of winning jackpot |
|
| Number of games | 6 |
| Shown on | E.tv, SABC 2 |
| Website | www |
Lottery tickets may be bought only by people of at least 18 years of age.
In the 2007 fiscal year transaction values totalled R3.972 billion, with an average of five million transactions per week. In the 2012 National lottery generated R4.7 billion in sales of Lotto and Powerball tickets.[1]
Lotto is the most popular type of gambling in South Africa[2] but Powerball has been the faster-growing for last years due to its high payouts.[1]
History
The National Lottery was introduced to South Africa on 11 March 2000. At the time it was run by Uthingo.
After a marketing effort that aimed to reach 80 percent of South African homes directly[3] more than 800,000 tickets were sold in the first day of availability[4] Nearly R70 million worth of tickets were sold in the first three weeks of operation.[5]
In October 2002 operator Uthingo suggested a daily lottery to supplement the weekly draw. The concept, called Keno, was rejected by the trade and industry ministry in March 2003.[6] In November 2003 the Lotto Plus game was launched, acting as a supplementary weekly lottery available on the purchase of a primary lottery ticket, with an entry fee of R1.[7]
In July 2006 the Gidani consortium, featuring Greek company Intralot as a technical partner, was judged the preferred bidder to operate the lottery for seven years starting April 2007. The operating licence was awarded in October 2006.[8] In March 2007 the Pretoria High Court set aside that award on application by incumbent Uthingo, finding that the failure to adequately investigate the shareholders in some bidding consortia left room for conflicts of interest.[9]
Following the final draw by incumbent Uthingo, the lottery was indefinitely suspended in April 2007.[10]
In September the operating licence was awarded to Gidani again.[11] When ticket sales re-opened in October more than 200,000 tickets were sold within the first three hours.[12] Gidani introduced scratch cards, but they were discontinued for several months when they lost their licence to Ithuba.
In 2015, Lotto licences were awarded to ITHUBA. In 2015, 2 new games were introduced by Ithuba: EAZiWIN, an instant win game consisting of four types of indigenous inspired games; Morabaraba, Fafi Fortune, 4 Siya Wina and Popa Feela and PowerBall Plus.
In December 2020 the lottery draw the unusual final number sequence "5", "6","7", "8" and "9" with a powerball number of "10". This caused controversy with members of the public accusing the lottery of corruption or collusion with the 20 winners.[13]
Eligibility
- Players must be 18 years or older
- Tickets may be bought in person at approved retailers, handheld partners and participating banks in South Africa.
- Online purchase of tickets are only available to people who have an ABSA, FNB, Nedbank and Standard Bank account or have registered on the South African National Lottery website and are residents of South Africa with a South African ID.
Games
8 games operate under the South African National Lottery brand:
Current games
The National Lottery has a variety of games to play and win money and the current games are:
LOTTO
| Match | Odds of winning | % of total winning pool |
|---|---|---|
| 2 and bonus | 1 : 96 | Lotto R20.00, Lotto Plus R15 |
| 3 | 1 : 72 | Lotto R50.00, Lotto Plus R25 |
| 3 and bonus | 1 : 1028 | 7.3% |
| 4 | 1 : 1,371 | 8.4% |
| 4 and bonus | 1 : 30,161 | 5.0% |
| 5 | 1 : 75,402 | 4.0% |
| 5 and bonus | 1 : 3,393,087 | 2.3% |
| All 6 | 1 : 20,358,520 | 73.0% |
Players buy tickets with their choice of six different numbers between 1 and 52; there is provision for random numbers to be generated automatically for those who do not wish to choose, known as Quick Pick.
When introduced, the LOTTO jackpot draw required numbers from 1 to 49. Ithuba Holdings increased the number from 49 to 52 on 30 July 2017.[14]
In the draw, six numbered balls are drawn without replacement from a set of 52 balls numbered from 1 to 52. A further Bonus Ball is also drawn, which affects only players who match five numbers.
Prizes are awarded to players who match at least three of the six drawn numbers, with prizes increasing for matching more of the drawn numbers. All players who match all six drawn numbers win equal shares of the jackpot; the chance of doing so is 1 in 20,358,520. If four, five, or six balls are matched, the relevant prize is divided equally between all who match that many balls. If no player matches all six numbers, the jackpot is added to that of the next Lotto draw—a Rollover.
The entry fee to the LOTTO draw is set at R5.00 per board.
The draw is conducted on Wednesdays and Saturdays on SABC 2 at 20:56.
| Match | Odds of winning | % of total winning pool |
|---|---|---|
| PowerBall | 1 : 35 | Fixed (R10 for PowerBall/ R5
for Power Ball Plus) |
| 1 ball and PowerBall | 1 : 57 | Fixed (R15 for PowerBall/ R7.50
for Power Ball Plus) |
| 2 balls | 1 : ? | ?% |
| 2 balls and PowerBall | 1 : 299 | 3.00% |
| 3 balls | 1 : 225 | 4.00% |
| 3 balls and PowerBall | 1 : 4,280 | 4.80% |
| 4 balls | 1 : 9,912 | 4.24% |
| 4 balls and PowerBall | 1 : 188,334 | 2.50% |
| 5 balls | 1 : 2,230,274 | 4.00% |
| All balls including PowerBall | 1 : 42,375,200 | 54.46% |
LOTTO PLUS 1
LOTTO PLUS 1 is exactly the same as LOTTO, but gives the player a second chance to win. When buying a LOTTO ticket, the player must pay an extra R2.50 per board to enter the LOTTO PLUS 1 draw. Odds are the same, while prizes are usually slightly lower.
LOTTO PLUS was introduced on 26 November 2003.
The draw is conducted on Wednesdays and Saturdays on SABC 2 at 20:56.
LOTTO PLUS 2
LOTTO PLUS 2 is exactly the same as LOTTO, but gives the player a third chance to win. When buying a LOTTO ticket, the player must pay an extra R2.50 per board to enter the LOTTO PLUS 2 draw. Odds are the same, while prizes are usually slightly lower.
LOTTO PLUS 2 was introduced on 30 July 2017.
The draw is conducted on Wednesdays and Saturdays on SABC 2 at 20:56.
PowerBall
When introduced, the PowerBall jackpot draw required players to pick five main numbers from 1 to 45 and one 'PowerBall' number from 1 to 20 for an entry fee of R5 per board. Prizes may be won by matching the main numbers, with matches of the PowerBall number winning higher prizes. The top prize of the game is won by matching all five main numbers as well as the PowerBall. Draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays on Mzansi Magic (Channel 161) and NewzRoom Afrika (DSTV Channel 405) at 20:58.
After 28 November 2015, odds were changed as more possibilities to win were introduced. An example of the recent additions were, if the player matched only the Powerball, he or she would win money, while before, that ticket would not win anything. In addition, the number of main balls was raised from 45 to 50.
The record prize for any Lottery game in South Africa was in PowerBall at R102,016,595. This prize was won in the Free State but never collected. The highest claimed prize was also from PowerBall at R91,068,427
PowerBall PLUS
PowerBall PLUS is exactly the same as PowerBall, but gives the player a second chance to win. When buying a PowerBall ticket, the player must pay an extra R2.50 per board to enter the PowerBall PLUS draw. Odds are the same, while prizes are usually slightly lower.
Powerball PLUS was a more recent game added by the National Lottery of South Africa and is currently the newest game. It was introduced on 28 November 2015.
Draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays on Mzansi Magic (Channel 161) and NewzRoom Afrika (Channel 405) at 20:58.
Daily LOTTO
Players buy tickets with their choice of five different numbers between 1 and 36; Numbers can be selected using a manual or QuickPick selection method at a cost of R3 per board.
There are four prize pools for matching 2, 3, 4 or 5 numbers correctly and if nobody matches 5 balls in a draw, the jackpot rolls down to matching 4 numbers.
The Daily LOTTO was introduced on 10 March 2019[15] and draws take place every night at 21:00, every single day except Christmas Day.
SPORTSTAKE 13
A player can play SPORTSTAKE 13 by predicting outcomes of 13 predetermined match fixtures drawn from English and other identified professional soccer fixtures.
For each fixture the player chooses their prediction by marking on the bet slip;
[1] – for a home win
[x] – for a draw
[2] – for a home loss (Away win)
| Prize division | Theoretical odds of winning | Pool % |
|---|---|---|
| Match 13 | 1:1,594,323 | 30% |
| Match 12 | 1:62,320 | 15% |
| Match 11 | 1:5110 | 20% |
| Match 10 | 1:697 | 35% |
- You can select a single or multiple outcomes result for each fixture.
- A valid wager must consist of at least one selection per fixture.
- A minimum price per wager per board is R2.00 vat incl, and a maximum wager per Betslip is R2000.00
- Each wager will cost you R2.00 vat incl.
- You can play PROPICK™ as a quick play option
- There is no Multi Draw option.
- SPORTSTAKE 13 fixture results are considered as the final score after 90 minutes of play or after extra time where applicable, however excludes penalty shoot-out.
| Name of Game | Game based on | Price of Card | Highest Prize | Odds of winning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popa Feela | Unknown | R3 | R30,000 | 1 : 4 |
| 4 Siya Wina | Unknown | R5 | R100,000 | |
| Fafi Fortune | Fafi | |||
| Morabaraba | Morabaraba |
EAZiWIN
As well as tickets for the Draw Games, the National Lottery also sells instant win digital scratch cards.
They are digital scratch cards, where a card is compared against a slip and not scratched like traditional scratchcards. These are called 'EAZiWIN and are based on traditional African games.
Cards range from R3 to R5.
PICK 3
Lotto's newest game was announced to launch on 3 December 2016. It will be a daily game with a top prize of R10,000.
Discontinued games.
These are the games that The National Lottery offered as over the years but there are no more sales for the games that we missed over the years:
Wina Manje
Wina Manje was a scratchcard game that consisted of many types of scratch cards. This was replaced by EAZiWIN in 2015.
Raffle
South African National Lottery announced that there would be a once-off raffle for Christmas 2016. The draw took place on 30 December 2016. It was officially named "Raffle". Prizes included R1,000, R10,000, R100,000, with the top prize being a Mercedes Benz C200 Cabriolet
Other ways to play
As well as by purchasing a ticket at a shop, tickets can be purchased many other ways.
Online
All National Lottery games can be played online after registering. There are two ways of playing the lotto online.
FNB & Nedbank: LOTTO, LOTTO PLUS 1, LOTTO PLUS 2, PowerBall and PowerBall PLUS are available for play through the bank's apps.
National Lottery website: LOTTO, LOTTO PLUS 1, LOTTO PLUS 2, PowerBall, PowerBall PLUS, Daily Lotto and SPORTSTAKE 13 are available for play through the South African National lottery website.
Record jackpots
Below lists the highest 11 jackpots from the National Lottery of South Africa.
| Rank | Jackpot | Game | Draw number | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R232,131,750.69 | PowerBall | 965 | 2019-02-19 | Claimed (1 Winner, a man in his 50s) |
| 2 | R153,466,150.39 | PowerBall Plus | 1110 | 2020-07-10 | Claimed (1 Winner, a man who is not a regular player) |
| 3 | R145,469,799.30 | PowerBall | 908 | 2018-08-03 | Claimed (1 Winner, 34-year-old man) |
| 4 | R141,343,180.95 | PowerBall | 1018 | 2019-08-23 | Claimed (1 Winner, 50-year-old man) |
| 5 | R135,366,753.00 | PowerBall | 1089 | 2020-04-28 | Claimed |
| 6 | R121,730,295.90 | Powerball | 1133 | 2020-09-29 | |
| 7 | R114,580,902.70 | Powerball | 1065 | 2020-02-04 | Claimed (1 Winner who is 35 years of age & the first woman to win a jackpot over 100 million) |
| 8 | R114,242,816.50 | Powerball | 1045 | 2019-11-26 | Claimed (1 Winner, 32-year-old man) |
| 9 | R110,000,000[16] | Lotto | 1783 | 2018-01-27 | 4 Winners won R27.5 million each |
| 10 | R102,016,595.00 | PowerBall | 166 | 2011-06-03 | Claimed (1 Winner, a man in his 20s) |
| 11 | R91,068,427.00 | PowerBall | 32 | 2010-02-12 | Claimed |
Operators
| Operator | Year begun | Year stopped |
|---|---|---|
| Ithuba | 2015 | Present |
| Gidani | 2007 | 2015 |
| Utingo | 2000 | 2007 |
Socio-economic impact
In June 2003 it was reported that 27 percent of lottery players were unemployed[17] and that 43 percent of players earned less than R2,000 a month.[18] It was also reported that legalised gambling had created 50 673 jobs in 2000, although it may have redirected spendings from other industries.[19]
2006 research found that 82 percent of South Africans played the lottery once a week and that 53 percent of the population did not engage in any other form of gambling. The average player spent R81 per month on the lottery.[20]
Revenue distribution
Under the current operator, Ithuba, 34 percent of revenue is paid to a central charitable distribution fund, up from an initial 28 percent.[21] Six percent of revenue is paid as retail commission, ten percent is retained as operational costs[22] and 48 percent is paid in prizes. [23]
Controversy
In 2020 it was reported by GroundUp that people close to senior executives of the National Lottery, including its chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda,[24] had improperly benefited from the charitable distribution fund. The National Lottery responded by initiating criminal charges against the news organisation and a journalist if the stories were not retracted[25] which the National Lottery lost.[26] The stories of corruption and improper benefit resulted in a government investigation of the National Lottery.[27]
Previous lotteries in South Africa
The now-defunct homeland of Ciskei established a lottery in 1984 and operated by Score-A-Lot. In 1991 Score-A-Lot was the first Lottery in Africa to operate Video Lottery Terminals (VLT) in Africa and the first totally cashless operation using smart card technology. After lengthy negotiations with South Africans "Department of Trade and Industry" (DTI) Score-A-Lot closed in Dec 2001[28] [29]
A lottery was established by decree in the former homeland of Transkei in 1989 and operated by Score-A-Lot. In 1991 Score-A-Lot was the first Lottery in Africa to operate Video Lottery Terminals (VLT) in Africa and the first totally cashless operation using smart card technology. After lengthy negotiations with South Africans "Department of Trade and Industry" (DTI) Score-A-Lot closed in Dec 2001[30]
The Natal Lotto (also referred to as the KZN Lotto) was launched in the KwaZulu-Natal province in 1992.[31] During eight years of operation it raised R869 million and paid R345 million to charities and R448 million in prize money.[32]
See also
References
- "Betting on Africa. 2nd annual edition, November 2013. Gambling Outlook: 2013-2017 (South Africa - Nigeria - Kenya)" (PDF). PwC South Africa. 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- "National Lotteries Board Annual Report, 2007" (PDF). National Lotteries Board. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "National Lottery geared up to start on Thursday". The Daily Dispatch. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "R2m lottery tickets sold". The Daily Dispatch. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "R32m won in lottery – so far". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "No tata ma chance everyday, rules Erwin". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Big plus for Lotto punters – at just R1 a pop". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Operator for national lottery awarded". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Lottery shareholders under scrutiny". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Lotto debacle leaves public high and dry". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Gidani gets green light for lottery". Mail&Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Lotta mania hits SA". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- Johannesburg, Agence France-Presse in (2 December 2020). "Six in a row: winning numbers in South African lottery are: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- "Your chances of winning the lottery now slimmer". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- "Ithuba launches new Daily Lotto game". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- "Ithuba National Lottery | Lotto Result". www.nationallottery.co.za. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "'The Gambling Board must come to its senses'". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Lotto ticket sales coin R80m each week – research". Cape Times. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Parliament worries about gambling's growth". Business Report. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "SA starting to gamble sensibly, says report". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Gidani set for lotto high stakes". Independent Online. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- "Gidani boss strikes family off Lotto roll". Independent Online. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- "PowerBall and PowerBall Plus Rules and Regulations" (PDF). Ithuba. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- Joseph, Raymond (17 September 2020). "GROUNDUP: Embattled Lottery board chairman to leave in November". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- Staff, By GroundUp (3 February 2020). "Lottery threatens criminal charges against journalists". GroundUp News. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- Staff, GroundUp (21 July 2020). "GROUNDUP: GroundUp wins lottery court battle". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- Joseph, Raymond (2 September 2020). "GROUNDUP: Ebrahim Patel hands evidence in lottery probe over to police". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- "Annual Report of the National Lotteries Board, 2003" (PDF). National Lotteries Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Annual Report of the National Lotteries Board, 2004" (PDF). National Lotteries Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Judge calls for action on illegal gambling". The Daily Dispatch. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "KZN wishes it took a chance with old Lotto". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- "Lotto KZN lives on in its charitable work". Independent Online. Retrieved 9 September 2008.