Results and statistics
How to Play Lotto and PowerBall in South Africa, Online or at a Retailer
Buying a National Lottery ticket at a retailer or through the operator's own channels, choosing numbers and add-ons, checking a ticket and what to do if it wins.
To play Lotto or PowerBall in South Africa, you buy a ticket from the National Lottery operator, at an authorised retailer or through the online and banking channels the operator lists, choose your numbers or take a quick pick, decide on any add-on draws, and check your ticket after the draw. Since 1 June 2026 that operator is Sizekhaya Holdings, not Ithuba. You must be 18 or older.
This guide walks through each step and is clear about what changed with the new operator and what we could not confirm, such as prices and claim rules.
How to play, in five lines
- Where: a lottery retailer, or the operator's own online and banking channels.
- Pick: your own numbers or a quick pick; both have the same chance.
- Extras: add-on draws such as Lotto Plus are separate draws you choose to enter.
- After the draw: check the right draw date, then confirm with the operator.
- Who: 18 and over only.
Playing lotto step by step
The steps are the same for PowerBall, Lotto and Daily Lotto. Only the game you choose, the draw days and the add-ons differ.
- Choose the game. PowerBall, Lotto or Daily Lotto. Each has its own draw days, reported as Tuesday and Friday for PowerBall, Wednesday and Saturday for Lotto, and every day for Daily Lotto.
- Choose your numbers. Mark a playslip, enter them in the app, or ask for a quick pick. The playslip or the screen shows how many numbers each line needs.
- Decide on the add-ons. Lotto Plus 1 and the second Lotto add-on (now listed as Lotto 5 Max), or the PowerBall add-on (now listed as PowerBall XTRA). Each is a separate draw and costs extra.
- Pay and keep the ticket. Check the printed ticket or the confirmation before you leave: game, draw date, lines and add-ons.
- Check the result for your draw. Use the draw date on the ticket, not whichever result is newest.
- Confirm and claim. Have the ticket checked at a terminal or with the operator, and follow its claim rules.
Ways to buy a ticket
There are two official routes and one that only looks like the lottery. The difference matters, because only the first two give you a National Lottery ticket.
- At a retailer Authorised lottery terminals sit in many supermarkets and convenience stores. Fill in a playslip or ask for a quick pick, pay at the till and keep the printed ticket: it is your proof of entry.
- Through the operator's channels Playing lotto online officially means buying through the operator's own website or app, or a banking channel it has authorised. Sizekhaya's site lists the options it currently supports.
- Not at a betting site Some bookmakers sell "lucky numbers" bets on draw results. These are fixed-odds bets, not lottery tickets, and section 57 of the Lotteries Act restricts betting on any lottery outcome.
Whichever route you use, the National Lottery Regulations prohibit anyone under 18 from buying, selling or obtaining tickets. An online channel may ask you to verify your age and identity.
Picking numbers: your own or a quick pick
Every combination has the same chance of being drawn, so it makes no difference to your odds whether you choose numbers yourself, use family birthdays or take a quick pick. It can make a difference to how much you would win: popular combinations, such as dates, are shared by more players, and a prize division is split among everyone who wins it. Our payouts guide explains shared pools, and lotto number statistics explains why hot and cold numbers do not help.
Add-on draws and what they change
Lotto has two add-on draws, Lotto Plus 1 and a second one, formerly Lotto Plus 2 and now listed by results services as Lotto 5 Max. PowerBall has one, formerly PowerBall Plus and now listed as PowerBall XTRA. Under the previous operator, an add-on took the numbers from your main line into its own draw, with its own results and prize table. The new names come from aggregators and sponsored news reports, which also mentioned a higher PowerBall price, "cascading jackpots" and a "Multiplay 2" option; we could not confirm how any of these work. Ask at the till or check the operator's site before you choose.
Checking your ticket after the draw
Draws take place in the evening, reported as around 21:00. Once the numbers are out, compare your ticket line by line with the result for the draw date printed on it. You can do it on our results pages, with the checker below, on the operator's own channels, or by asking the retailer to scan the ticket.
Check your ticket against recent draws
Type the numbers from one line of your ticket. The checker compares them with the latest draws in our results feed and shows how many match in each draw. It runs only in your browser.
Matches only: which matches pay a prize, and how much, is set by the official game rules and the prize table the operator publishes for each draw. Confirm any win with the National Lottery operator.
Results for each game are on the PowerBall results, Lotto Plus results and Daily Lotto pages. Results sites, including this one, are a convenience; the operator's result is the one that counts.
If your ticket wins
First, confirm the win with the operator or at a retailer terminal; a match on a results site is not proof. Keep the ticket flat, dry and somewhere safe, because the ticket itself is your claim. Where you collect a prize, which documents you need and any deadline for claiming are set by the operator, and we could not find a current source for them under Sizekhaya, so read the claims section of its site or call it before you travel anywhere with a ticket.
Ignore anyone who contacts you about a prize and asks for a fee or your bank details. On tax: casual lottery winnings are generally not taxed as income, according to tax advisers, but there is no SARS ruling to point to, so speak to SARS or a tax practitioner about a large win.
Who runs the National Lottery now
Sizekhaya Holdings took over as the National Lottery and Sports Pools operator on 1 June 2026, on an eight-year licence issued under the Lotteries Act 57 of 1997 and overseen by the National Lotteries Commission. Ithuba's licence ended in May 2026. In November 2025 the High Court in Pretoria refused Ithuba's urgent bid to stop the award, and review applications by losing bidders were set down for hearing in 2026; we do not know the outcome. Sizekhaya's site, sizekhaya.co.za, calls itself the home of the National Lottery, and its first live televised draws on 2 June 2026 were reported on e.tv and SABC.
Keeping lotto a small part of your week
The lottery is a game of chance with no skill involved, so the only thing you control is how much you spend. Choose a weekly amount, include the add-ons in it, and do not buy more after a near miss or a big rollover. If buying tickets has become hard to stop, the National Responsible Gambling Programme offers confidential counselling on 0800 006 008, and our responsible gambling page lists more help.
Questions and answers
Can I play the National Lottery online in South Africa?
Yes, through the National Lottery operator's own channels. Since 1 June 2026 the operator is Sizekhaya, and its site lists the online and banking options it currently supports. A betting site's "lucky numbers" product is not a lottery ticket.
How old do I have to be to play Lotto?
18. The National Lottery Regulations bar anyone under 18 from buying, selling or otherwise obtaining tickets.
How much does a PowerBall or Lotto ticket cost?
A PowerBall price increase was reported in October 2026, but we could not confirm current prices from the operator. The retailer terminal and sizekhaya.co.za show them.
What is a quick pick?
A quick pick is a line of numbers chosen at random by the terminal or the app instead of by you. It has exactly the same chance of winning as numbers you choose yourself.
Do I have to buy the add-on games?
Under the previous operator, Lotto Plus and PowerBall Plus were optional extras on a Lotto or PowerBall entry. The add-ons have been reported under new names since June 2026; check the current rules with the retailer or the operator.
Can I still buy Ithuba tickets?
Ithuba's licence ended in May 2026. Sizekhaya has run the National Lottery since 1 June 2026, so tickets are sold under the new operator, through its retailers and channels.
What should I do if my ticket wins?
Keep the ticket safe, flat and dry, confirm the win with the operator or a retailer terminal, and read the operator's claim rules before you go anywhere with it. Where you claim and what you bring are set by Sizekhaya.