Lotto

The first Lotto draw took place in South Africa in 2000 when lottery regulations were set up. This was operated by Uthingo. The National Lottery is now managed by ITHUBA Holdings. Lotto is the most popular category of gambling.

In this system, you have to purchase tickets with your choice of 6 numbers from 1 to 52 by presenting a bet slip to the retailer. You also have the option to “Quick Pick” where random lotto numbers can be generated automatically by the lottery processing system in case you do not wish to choose. When the draw takes place, 5 balls are picked out and an additional sixth ball is drawn which will affect you only in case you match the first 5 numbers.

To win a prize, you have to match at least 3 numbers. The prizes will be raised in proportion to the amount of matching. The jackpot is divided among the players who match all 6 numbers. If there is no such person with 6 matching numbers, then the prize is added to the next round of the draw. Prizes are also distributed equally among those who match 4 or 5 numbers. You can get more information on the ITHUBA National Lottery site.

Lotto results

Get the latest Lotto results here after every draw. The lottery is held every Wednesday and Saturday at 8.56pm local time.

How to play

Lotto is a lottery based on number matching. The player needs to select six different numbers. The numbers have to be between one and fifty-two. For the draw, six numbered balls are drawn one by one without replacement. Higher the number of matches, higher is the assured prize money for a player, provided there are at least three matches. If all five numbers are matched, a bonus ball is drawn which, if matched, assures the jackpot prize for the player. If no number is matched, the jackpot prize is rolled over to the next draw.

The price of a Lotto ticket is R5. Tickets are to be purchased before 8:30 PM on the day of the draw.

Lotto divisions

Lotto winning divisions
Division Winning Combination Division Odds Percentage of Prize Pool
no. 1 Match 6 numbers 1 in 20,358,520 73%
no. 2 Match 5 numbers and BONUS 1 in 3,393,087 2.3%
no. 3 Match 5 numbers 1 in 75,402 4%
no. 4 Match 4 numbers and BONUS 1 in 30,161 5%
no. 5 Match 4 numbers 1 in 1,371 8.4%
no. 6 Match 3 numbers and BONUS 1 in 1,028 7.3%
no. 7 Match 3 numbers 1 in 72 R50 Fixed prize
no. 8 Match 2 numbers and BONUS 1 in 96 R20 Fixed prize

Lotto FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions to help you understand aspects of Lotto:
Any working lottery outlet can be approached to buy tickets before 8:30 PM on the draw day.
It is a Random Number Generator that is used to find the winning numbers for the lottery.
When you have to choose six out of fifty-two numbers, there are 20,358,520 possibilities to win the jackpot.
A rollover is a situation when the current jackpot is added to the next draw in case not a single player matches all six balls. It can happen for any number of times until a jackpot is won.
As per expected sales, the Jackpot value is estimated every week by fixing the value at 50% of the sales. Only for special draws, the Jackpot amount is guaranteed.
For prizes up to R2000, any retailer can be approached. For those between R2000 and R50000, your post office has to be approached. For the rest, i.e. above R50000, the claim has to be done at your regional ITHUBA office.
The machines and balls are used only after getting tested and certified by Wits University.
You have 365 days to claim the prize from the day of the draw, post which 50% of the amount shall be donated for good causes to NLDTF.

You can find out lots of information about lottery balls like what is the winning ratio of each ball, how many jackpots a particular ball had, what is the prize in each ball, etc.

Use our tool to find out if your number combination comes together often.

Check which lottery number is most likely to come up based on historical data.

It can help you find out how many draws or days ago your favorite number was drawn.

The biggest prizes won in a previous period.