National Lottery

National Lottery South Africa Review 2024

In this review, we will tell you more about the National Lottery, and the games it offers and have a detailed explanation of how to play, and win.

The South Africa National Lottery is one of the most popular platforms where South Africans can play lottery games. The National Lottery has a website where players can play games. The company has apps for both Android and iOS users. 

The National Lottery Licensing

The National Lottery Commission is a product of the Lottery Act of 1997, which gives it the power and mandate to appoint a company with the exclusive rights to undertake lottery gambling in South Africa on behalf of the Commission in South Africa. The license was issued in 2015 to Ithuba after winning the bid from the Gidani consortium that had taken over from Uthinga. Ithuba’s primary obligation was to give a boost to the deteriorating National Lottery brand and effectively raise maximum funds that will contribute to the betterment of the socio-economic status of South Africans. 

The National Lottery has 8 lottery games that include:

1. Lotto
2. PowerBall
3. Sportstake
4. Daily Lotto
5. Raffle 
6. Rapido

We shall delve in deep and tell you all the information that you need to know in order to maximize your possible wins and also inform you on how to play each of them as they have different rules that apply to them.

Lotto

This is the most popular online lottery game on the site. Under this game, players buy tickets with various lines, numbered 1 to 52. Under this category, there are three ways players can play to win, including Lotto, Lotto 1 and Lotto 2. 

How to play Lotto

• Using your cell phone, log on to nationallottery.co.za. (If you are a newbie, begin the registration process using the steps provided)
• If you already have an existing account, click log in, and begin playing your favorite lottery games
• Click on “my wallet” to deposit money into your account.
• Click on “play now” and select your game of choice. 
• Find a LOTTO bet slip.
• Choose 6 of your lucky numbers between 1 and 52 on any board and mark them. 
• You can play as many as 8 columns to increase your chances of winning. 
• After selecting the numbers of your choice, confirm and wait for the final draw to see where you lie in terms of winning. 

How to play Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2

• To play Lotto Plus 1, mark off the “Lotto Plus 1” option on the bet slip.
• To play Lotto Plus 2 mark off the “Lotto Plus 2” option on the bet slip.
• Please note that you are only eligible to play lotto plus 2 when Lotto and lotto plus 1 have been played. 
• You can also use the multi-draw option and use the same numbers to play as many times as possible because this is a game of probability and the more you play, the higher your chances are of winning. 
• One lotto play costs R5.00, one Lotto Plus 1 play costs an additional R2.50, and one Lotto Plus 2 play costs an extra R2.50. 

How to win the Lotto

• When you successfully match the 6 main numbers with the ones offered at the final draw, you win the jackpot. 
• Jackpot prizes normally begin at R3,000,000 and the sum increases provided no one has won the money. It is currently at a massive R4,000,000.
• If you do not win the top prize, you can still win a prize because South Africa Lotto offers seven secondary prize divisions for particular matches.
• When you match 5 digits and a bonus ball, you get a prize. The other options include matching 5 balls, matching 4 balls and a bonus ball, matching 4 balls and a bonus ball, matching 3 balls, and matching 2 balls and a bonus ball. The prize money depends on the overall draw and may vary every week. 
• The bonus ball chosen on each draw dictates winners in those categories. 
• To identify whether you have won, you can navigate the website and check the latest South Africa Lotto results on the National Lottery website and find out the prizes you may have won. 

PowerBall

The PowerBall lottery differs from the traditional lotto because there is a special ball that determines whether you win the jackpot prize. Under this option, players choose 6 numbers from 2 columns. One column has 5 numbers whereas another one has the PowerBall number. The first column has numbers 1 to 50, and the column having the PowerBall number has numbers 1 to 20.

How to play PowerBall

• Select the PowerBall option from the menu on the home screen. 
• Select 5 lucky numbers from 1 to 50, in one column, and 1 number, from 1 to 20, in the PowerBall column. 
• Alternatively, you can use the quick pick option by clicking on it. The lottery processing system will then select 6 lucky numbers for you at random. 
• You can play as many times as you want to increase your chances of winning using the multi-Draw option. 
• One PowerBall play costs R5.00 and one PowerBall Plus play costs an additional R2.50.
• Remember, you must play the PowerBall before you become eligible for the PowerBall plus option. 

How to win the PowerBall 

Winning probability

Different matches have different prizes and different odds of winning. The prizes differ every draw. They depend on whether the requirements for winning the jackpot were achieved and the number of players who won. It also depends on the number of tickets sold. The two payout divisions that are fixed, are when a player gets results such as a 0 out of 5 or 1 out of 5 with Powerball. When a player matches all the numbers, they win the jackpot, as shown in the table. There are instances where this might change as you move down the table. 

All the jackpot prizes are rounded to the nearest R1. Therefore, a player can win once in every entry filled with numbers that match the drawings of the Powerball. The exact jackpot rollover is identified on the day of the draw. The other payouts are rounded to the nearest 10 cents.

There is a decreasing likelihood of winning when the price as you move up the table. This shows that it is more difficult to win the Powerball jackpot as compared to Lotto, therefore you are advised to gamble responsibly.  

Sportstake

There are 5 games you can play and win under the Sportstake. They include Sportstake 4, Sportstake 8, Sportstake 13, Sportstake Rugby, and Sportstake Cricket. Sportstake 4, 8, and 13 are for soccer, whereas Sportstake Rugby and Cricket are for Rugby and Cricket respectively. 

How to play Sportstake 4

• Visit the nationallottery.co.za website and log in using your personal details. You could also create a new account if you do not have one at the moment.
• Load cash using your unique and secure online wallet. The cost of playing each bet is R2.00. 
• Go to the home page and select “Play Now”. 
• Select Sportstake 4. 
• Predict the first half (45 minutes) of a soccer game and the full-time score of 4 matches that are predetermined by the draw and confirm your bet. 

How to play Sportstake 8

• You can play this game by predicting the first half and second half outcomes of 8 predetermined football games. 
• Visit the nationallottery.co.za and log in using your personal details.
• Load cash using your unique and secure online wallet.
• Go to the home page and select “Play Now”. 
• Select Sportstake 8
• Identify an applicable Fixture List for the Sportstake 8 game and predict both 1st half and 2nd half results for every one of the eight soccer matches featured in the match list.
• Mark your predictions in the applicable boxes for each relevant half in a soccer fixture. A Home win (lead) prediction is indicated by marking (1), a Draw prediction is indicated by marking (X), and an Away win (lead) prediction is indicated by marking (2) for each half. Should you make a mistake, you can repeat the whole procedure before confirming your bet. 

How to play Sportstake 13

You can play the Sportstake game by predicting outcomes of 13 predetermined football match fixtures drawn from various leagues and other identified professional soccer leagues across the globe.

• Visit the nationallottery.co.za and log in using your personal details.
• Load cash using your unique and secure online wallet. Each bet costs R2.00. 
• Go to the home page and select “Play Now”. 
• Select Sportstake 13. 
• Identify a fixture list that suits your expertise and predict 13 games regarding how you feel the outcome will be. 
• Mark your predictions in the available boxes for each relevant fixture. 1 represents a home win, X represents a draw and 2 represents the away team winning the match. 

How to play Sportstake Cricket

• Visit the nationallottery.co.za and log in using your personal details.
• Load cash using your unique and secure online wallet.
• Go to the home page and select “Play Now”. 
• Select Sportstake Cricket.
• One board entry costs R5.00.
• Predict the outcomes of 10 predetermined Cricket matches drawn from various leagues or tournaments and other identified professional sources across the world. 
• To win the jackpot for this draw, you have to predict 10 correct outcomes from the 10 tosses.

How to play Sportstake Rugby

• Visit the nationallottery.co.za and log in using your personal details.
• Load cash using your unique and secure online wallet.
• Go to the home page and select “Play Now”. 
• Select Sportstake Rugby.
• One board entry costs R5.00.
• Predict the outcomes of 10 predetermined rugby matches drawn from various leagues or tournaments and other identified professional sources across the world. 
• To win the jackpot for this draw, you have to predict 10 correct outcomes from the 10 tosses.

Daily Lotto

The Daily Lotto is ideal for players who cannot wait for the normal lottery draw days. Therefore, the National Lottery South Africa offers the Daily Lotto for players to pick 5 lucky numbers between 1 and 36 to win prizes. It costs R3.00 to play and win. 

How to play the Daily Lotto

• Visit the nationallottery.co.za and log in using your personal details.
• Load cash using your unique and secure online wallet.
• Go to the home page and select “Play Now”. 
• Select Daily lotto and identify a Daily Lotto bet slip. 
• Pick 5 lucky numbers between 1 and 36 to win prizes.
• Compare the five numbers you selected to the winning South Africa Daily Lotto final draw numbers. 
• If all the numbers on your ticket match, you win the jackpot.
• If there are 4 matches, you win Prize 2.
• If there are 3 matches, you win Prize 3.
• If there are 2 matches, you win Prize 4.

Raffle 

This is a unique lottery game where winners can win any prizes, not necessarily money. You can even win a house! 

How to play the Raffle

• Enter the online raffle
• Request your desired number of tickets
• A ticket will be generated through the “quick pick” system. 
• Fill out your raffle entry
• Wait for a notification
• Keep your ticket details safe
• To check if you have won, visit your nearest National Lottery retailer, or visit the website on www.nationallottery.co.za

Eaziwin

They are digital scratch cards, where a card is compared against a slip and not scratched like traditional scratch cards. These are called “Eaziwin” and are based on traditional African games. Cards prizes range from R3 to R5.

How to play Eaziwin

• Unlike the main draw-based games, Eaziwin can be played at any time online. You simply need to log in to your National Lottery account and head to the Eaziwin page.
• You will then see a list of the different games that are offered, alongside the different wager amounts available. Once you have chosen a game and have sufficient funds in your online wallet, tap 'Play' to begin your game.
• Each game has different designs and animations, with areas that you need to tap to reveal an outcome or prize amount. The rules are easily accessible before you purchase your game, and they explain in detail how to win a prize.
• The games are known as 'instant win' games, which means you don't need to wait for a draw - you see the outcome of your game after paying for it.

Payment methods for Depositing and Withdrawal

Payments are deposited in the account using South African channels, such as Visa, MasterCard, Skrill, Neteller, and Paysafecard. Payouts are also made through the website and channeled to personal accounts you used to register your lottery account. 

Customer Support

The company has vibrant customer service, accessible through the contacts provided on the home page. Customers can therefore make phone calls or send emails regarding their queries and are guaranteed they will get a response.