Lotto and PowerBall in 2026: what changed under the new operator, how to play, the real odds, and what to do if you win

On 1 June 2026, Sizekhaya Holdings took over South Africa's National Lottery from Ithuba, which had run it since 2015. The licence runs for eight years. For players the change was abrupt: every terminal in every retailer stopped working on 31 May, online accounts did not carry over, and the first draw under the new operator was on 2 June on a completely new technology platform.

The games survived. The rules did not entirely.

What changed on 1 June 2026

Lotto is now a 6/52 game. You pick six numbers from 1 to 52 instead of 1 to 58. The same range applies to Lotto Plus 1 and the new Lotto 5 Max. Fewer numbers means shorter odds against the jackpot, which is the point: the old 6/58 game had produced long droughts without a winner.

Jackpots cascade. Under Ithuba a jackpot nobody won rolled over to the next draw. Under Sizekhaya, an unclaimed division-one prize cascades down and is shared among division-two winners. Rollovers into R100 million jackpots are largely a thing of the past; more people win smaller amounts more often.

PowerBall Plus became PowerBall Extra. Same idea, new name: an add-on draw on the same numbers for an extra fee.

Prices. A Lotto board is still R5. PowerBall went up to R10 a board, with Extra an additional R5.

Scratch cards are back after years of absence, and there is a new app and website. If you played online with Ithuba, you had to withdraw your balance before 31 May; the new operator does not have your account and you register from scratch.

Retailers had to reapply. If your usual spaza or garage stopped selling tickets in June, that is why. Most large chains are back on the new system.

How each game works

Lotto. Pick six numbers from 1 to 52, R5 per board, up to ten boards on one ticket. Draws are Wednesday and Saturday evenings; sales close at 20:30. Prize divisions run from matching two numbers plus the bonus ball up to all six. Lotto Plus 1 (and Plus 2 where offered) enters the same numbers into additional draws for an extra fee per board.

PowerBall. Pick five numbers from 1 to 50 and one PowerBall from 1 to 20, R10 per board. Draws are Tuesday and Friday at 21:00; sales close at 20:30. PowerBall Extra adds a second draw on the same numbers for R5.

Daily Lotto. Five numbers from 1 to 36, drawn every evening, the cheapest and most frequently won game.

Sportstake. Predict the outcomes of a set of football fixtures. Technically a sports pool, run by the same operator.

You must be 18 or older to buy any ticket, in a shop, on the app, or through your bank's app (most major banks sell tickets in their banking apps).

The odds, honestly

The jackpot odds for a 6/52 Lotto are about 1 in 20 million per board. PowerBall's jackpot is longer, roughly 1 in 40 million. To put that in context, you are considerably more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime.

The odds of winning any prize are far better: about 1 in 38 for Lotto, thanks to the small divisions. Most of those prizes are R20 to R50, less than the ticket costs over time. Over a year of two boards per draw you will almost certainly win something and almost certainly be down overall. That is not a criticism; it is how the game funds itself and the National Lotteries Commission's grants to charities, sport and the arts, which is where roughly a third of every ticket goes.

Playing more boards multiplies the ticket price and the chance of a win by exactly the same factor. There is no system, no hot number and no software that changes this. "Most drawn numbers" lists are trivia, not strategy.

If you win

Prizes under R50 000 are paid at retailers or into your app wallet. Above that you claim at a National Lottery regional office with your original ticket and ID. Above R250 000 you also get financial advice and counselling, and your identity stays private unless you choose otherwise. Lottery winnings are not taxed in South Africa, though the interest you earn on them afterwards is.

Sign the back of your ticket the moment you buy it. Unsigned winning tickets are bearer instruments: whoever holds it can claim it. Tickets expire 365 days after the draw; tens of millions of rand go unclaimed every year.

Play like an adult

The lottery is entertainment with a small chance of a life-changing outcome. It is cheap entertainment if you treat it as a fixed weekly amount you would otherwise spend on something else, and it is a problem the moment you play to recover what you lost last week. If lottery, betting or casino play is causing you or someone you love harm, the National Responsible Gambling Programme offers free, confidential counselling 24 hours a day: call 0800 006 008, or WhatsApp or SMS "HELP" to 076 675 0710. It costs nothing and no one is judged.

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