How to Play Lotto Online in South Africa
Welcome to our expert guide on how to play lotto online in South Africa. On this page, you’ll find a thorough overview of the national and international lotteries that you can play while in South Africa. We’ll show you how to play these games safely and securely over the internet, allowing you to play the most exciting games and chase the biggest jackpots from across the globe.
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How does Lotto Work in South Africa?
The South African National Lottery is operated by Ithuba Holdings, which has led the system to become known as the Ithuba National Lottery. Players can buy tickets for a number of different games, including the traditional Lotto and multiple versions of Powerball. Overall, the lottery is the most popular form of gambling in South Africa.
You can play the SA lotto online through both a web-based interface or a mobile device. Tickets for all of the major lotto games in South Africa are on sale, and you can keep track of all of your tickets and your winnings through a single account. Any South African aged 18 or older can play online lotto in SA.
Is it Better to Play Lotto Online?
There are a number of reasons to prefer playing lotto online rather than buying your tickets in person.
The most obvious one is convenience. Once you’ve set up your account, you’ll be able to buy your tickets quickly and easily with just a few clicks. That’s far easier than making trips to a local retail location to buy paper tickets every time you want to play.
Online lotto play is a guarantee that you will never lose a ticket. Physical lotto tickets can be lost, stolen, or destroyed after you buy them. If that happens, you’re usually out of luck, even if you would have won a prize! When you play lotto online in South Africa, your tickets will be digitally stored, so you’ll always be sure you’re collecting all of your winnings.
Online lotto simply offers more variety to choose from. You can opt for the national online lottery, but you can also buy tickets for international lotteries such as the US Powerball and the UK national lottery, which usually come with a massive jackpot.
Types of South African Lotteries by the Ithuba National Lottery
If you want to know how to play lotto online, you’ll need to know the games that are offered. The Ithuba National Lottery has a number of different lotto games to choose from. Here’s a quick breakdown of each one.
Lotto
Lotto is a traditionally lottery game in which you must pick six numbers between 1 and 52. You can also choose a Quick Pick in which your numbers are randomly picked. Each ticket costs R5.00 to play. If you match all six numbers, you can win a progressive jackpot typically worth tens of millions of rand. However, even matching just two balls and a bonus number is enough to win a prize of R20. Lotto draws are held each Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto Plus 1/Lotto Plus 2
Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 are bonus games that can be played if you buy a regular Lotto ticket. For an additional R2.50, you can enter your ticket into Lotto Plus 1 as well. For another additional R2.50, the ticket will be part of the Lotto Plus 2 draw. The lowest fixed prizes for the Lotto Plus games are lower – for instance, you will only win R15 for matching two numbers and the bonus ball. In addition, since not everyone plays Lotto Plus, the jackpots are also smaller, though they are still worth millions of rand.
Powerball
In Powerball, you must pick five numbers between 1 and 50, as well as an extra number – the Powerball – between 1 and 20. Each ticket costs R5.00. To win the jackpot, you must match all numbers, including the Powerball. However, there are smaller prizes available, down to R10 just for hitting the Powerball alone. Powerball has generated most of the largest jackpots in SA online lotto history, with one jackpot in 2019 reaching R232 million.
Powerball Plus
Powerball Plus is similar to Lotto Plus. For an extra R2.50, any Powerball ticket can also be entered into the Powerball Plus drawing. The Powerball Plus prizes are smaller than in the main game, but the jackpots can still grow quite large, with one 2020 jackpot growing to more than R150 million.
Sportstake 8/Sportstake 13
The Sportstake games ask you to predict the results of a number of football matches from top leagues around the world. In Sportstake 8, you’ll be asked to predict both halves of eight games (16 half predictions in total), while Sportstake 13 asks you to predict the final result of 13 matches. Each ticket costs R2.00. If you don’t want to make your own picks, you can use the Pro Pick option to receive a combination of expert and random choices.
For Sportstake 8, you must match at least 13 of 16 outcomes to win a prize, with a perfect 16 for 16 winning the jackpot. In Sportstake 13, getting at least 10 matches right will earn you a prize, with a perfect ticket needed for that jackpot as well. Jackpots start in the hundreds of thousands of rand, but can grow to R1 million or more.
EAZiWIN
EAZiWIN is an instant game that can be played in person or online. There are a number of different titles available with names like Fafi Fortune, Calabash Cash, Popa Feela Plus, and Balloon Bonanza. Ticket prices vary, with R3.00, R5.00, and R10 being common. These are usually matching games: the more numbers you match, the more you stand to win. Top prizes vary: for instance, in Fafi Fortune, the top prize for a R5.00 ticket is R75,000.
Daily Lotto
In the Daily Lotto, you must pick five numbers between 1 and 36. Each ticket costs R3.00. In order to win, you must match at least two numbers, with larger prizes available for matching three, four, or five numbers. Prizes vary each day depending on the number of players and winners.
International Lotteries in South Africa
International lotteries are also available to you in South Africa. While you can’t buy these tickets directly from the Ithuba National Lottery, there are third-party services online that can purchase tickets for you in some of the world’s biggest lotteries. Here are a few of the most famous lotteries you can play from other countries:
US Powerball
In the American version of Powerball, you must pick five numbers from 1-69, as well as a special Powerball number, which ranges from 1-26. Each ticket costs $2 (about R33). While the jackpot starts at $20 million, it often grows much larger. Powerball is responsible for the largest lottery jackpot in history, with a 2016 game awarding $1.586 billion (R26.3 billion).
UK National Lottery
Much like in South Africa, the UK National Lottery offers a wide range of games. Its traditional Lotto game asks players to pick six numbers between 1 and 59, with each ticket costing £2 (R43). The largest jackpot in UK National Lotto history came in at just over £170 million (R3.6 billion).
EuroMillions
EuroMillions is a transnational lottery that nine European countries take part in. In most countries, tickets cost €2.50, though buyers in Switzerland and the UK pay in their own currencies. Players pick five numbers between 1 and 50, as well as two “lucky star” numbers that range from 1-12. To win the jackpot, a player must match all seven numbers. If the jackpot reaches €130 million (R2.5 billion), a Super Draw is held, in which numbers are redrawn until there are one or more winners.
Australian Powerball
Australia’s version of Powerball costs A$1.10 (R13) to play. Each player must pick seven numbers from 1-35, as well as a Powerball, which ranges from 1-20. If you hit all seven numbers plus the Powerball, you will win the jackpot, which has grown as large as A$150 million (R1.77 billion) in the past.
Play the National South African Lottery vs. International Lottery
One of the most common questions we get is whether you should play the SA lotto online, or opt for international lotteries instead. In truth, there are advantages to either approach.
Pros of International Lotteries:
- offer the biggest jackpots in the world
- More variety to choose from
Cons of International Lotteries:
- More difficult to win
- Tickets tend to be more expensive with premium prices
Our recommended sites offer you both domestic South African lotteries and international games so that you can choose whichever type of game you prefer to play.
Which Lottery are You Most Likely to Win?
All lottery jackpots are very difficult to win – that’s how the prizes can grow so large. However, some games are easier to crack than others.
For instance, every ticket you purchase in the SA Lotto has a 1 in 20,358,520 chance to winning a share of the jackpot. That may seem unlikely, but it’s actually one of the easiest jackpots to win! The odds of winning South African Powerball are more than 42.3 million to one. The biggest international lotteries are even tougher to win: EuroMillions is nearly 1 in 140 million, while each ticket has a 1 in 292.2 million chance in US Powerball.
How to Buy Your Lotto Ticket Online
If you’re not sure how to play the lotto online, don’t worry – it’s simple to start purchasing international or SA lotto tickets from one of our trusted sites. Here’s a quick guide to how the process works.
How to Buy Your Lotto Ticket Online Step by Step
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Sign Up for an Account: First, click on our provided links to join one of our recommended online lottery vendors. Provide some basic information and you’ll have an account registered in a matter of minutes.
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Choose the Lottery You Want to Play: Each of our recommended sites works with dozens of different SA and international lotteries. Pick the one you wish to play.
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Fill Out Your Tickets: Pick the numbers you wish to play. You may choose to play multiple tickets if you’d like.
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The Site Buys Your Tickets: Next, you’ll have to purchase your tickets through the payment method of your choosing. The site will then use a local office to buy tickets on your behalf for the lotteries you’ve requested.
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Wait for the Results: You’ll be able to track the results of your tickets online. Most sites offer automatic alerts by email or SMS if any of your tickets win!
How do You Claim Your Lottery Winnings Online?
If you have lottery winnings to claim, you will be informed about your win via SMS or your personal national lottery inbox. For most prizes, your winnings will be automatically added to your account after the site can cash the ticket themselves, though procedures can vary slightly depending on the game played and the size of the prize. If participating in the Ithuba National Lottery, any prize less than R50,000 will be paid directly to your account with no need for further identification. A prize over R50,000 requires you to fill out a prize claim form and a visit to one of the Ithuba regional offices.
For jackpot prizes, you will usually need to collect your prize locally by traveling to the country where the lottery was held. Some of the top lottery providers will assist by paying for your flight. There, employees of the site you bought your ticket through will help you collect your winnings.
Do You Pay Taxes on Lottery Winnings in South Africa?
Currently, there are no taxes due on lottery prizes in South Africa. Winners are free from both income taxes and capital gains taxes. That means you will be able to enjoy the entirety of anything you win while playing the SA lotto online.
How Long Does it Take to get the Money in South Africa When You Win the Lottery?
Most lottery prizes are paid very quickly, as winning tickets simply need to be exchanged at a retail outlet for their prizes. However, jackpots and other very large prizes may take longer to claim. Even for jackpots, however, winners rarely have to wait long, with most top prizes being paid in a matter of days or weeks at most. For the largest jackpots, players can usually choose to be paid in one lump sum or in payments over the course of 20 or 30 years.
FAQs
Has anyone won the lottery playing online?
Yes! Millions of winning tickets have been cashed by players who have played the SA Lotto online.
Can a South African play the UK lottery?
Yes. Many of our recommended lottery sites allow South African players to purchase tickets in the UK National Lottery.
Can I play Mega Millions from South Africa?
Yes, South African players can purchase tickets from Mega Millions, one of the two major multistate lotteries in the United States of America. You can also play the US Powerball game from South Africa.
How does FNB notify lotto winners?
FNB contacts players who have won online SA lotto prizes via SMS notifications.
Is it safe to play lotto online?
Playing at our trusted online lotto sites is completely safe. These reputable operators ensure that you retain all legal rights to your winnings while also making sure your money and your personal information is safe and secure at all times.
Is it a waste of money to play the lottery?
Not at all. While the lottery is not profitable for all players, it is one of the most popular ways to try to win a very large prize for a very small investment. Also, most lottery profits go to fund educational and other government programs, so even when you lose, your money is going to good causes.