Powerball was originally introduced in the United States in the year 1992. In South Africa, the lottery system was established in 2000 when the first Powerball draw took place. Back then, this was coordinated by Uthingo. The National Lottery is now managed by ITHUBA Holdings. Powerball has been growing at a rapid pace in the last few years as the payouts are more.
There are certain eligibility requirements in place for people to purchase a ticket. Firstly, you need to be a minimum of 18 years old. You can only buy tickets from authorized retailers and participating banks. If you wish to purchase a ticket online, you need to hold an account with ABSA, Nedbank, FNB, and Standard Account. Otherwise, you need to be registered on the website of the South African National Lottery and hold residency in South Africa.
Initially, the system in place for Powerball called for players to select 5 numbers from 1 to 45. Additionally, you could choose one “Powerball” number from 1 to 20 for an entry fee. When you match the Powerball number winning prizes with your first 5 selected numbers, you could win prizes. When all 5 numbers are matched, the winner gets the top prize. The highest prize that was claimed was of R91,068,427.
After 2015, there were a few changes made so that there could be more opportunities to win. One example is that if you match only the Powerball number, you are eligible to win. Furthermore, the main balls were increased from 45 to 50 in number.