How to Play Lotto

Lotto offers multimillion-rand jackpots twice a week and eight prize divisions in every draw. Draws take place at 20:56 on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Learn all about the game and see the latest winning numbers.


You must purchase your Lotto tickets before 20:30 on draw days. Follow the steps below to take part online or at a retailer:

Online

You will receive an email confirming your entry and your numbers will be saved in your online account.

In-Store

Each board costs R5.00, and Lotto Plus 1 and Plus 2 each cost an extra R2.50. One full entry for Lotto and both Lotto Plus draws costs R10.00.

If you cannot get to a store to fill in a betslip, there are various other ways to enter Lotto, including through the websites and apps of South Africa’s major banks. Go to the How to Play page to learn more about all the different ways you can enter.

Prizes and Odds of Winning

To win a prize in Lotto, you just have to match the numbers on your ticket with the winning ones drawn. The more you match, the more you win. There are eight divisions of prizes, the lowest two of which are fixed amounts of R20 and R50. The other divisions receive a set percentage of the prize fund; the table below shows how this is split, as well as the odds of winning each prize:

SA Lotto Prizes and Odds
Prize Division Numbers Matched Odds of Winning* Percentage of Prize Pool Average Prize
for the past 365 days' draws
1 6 1 in 20,358,520 73.0% R22,184,334.37
2 5 + Bonus Ball 1 in 3,393,087 2.3% R73,888.48
3 5 1 in 75,402 4.0% R5,754.71
4 4 + Bonus Ball 1 in 30,161 5.0% R2,158.42
5 4 1 in 1,371 8.4% R160.23
6 3 + Bonus Ball 1 in 1,028 7.3% R103.56
7 3 1 in 72 R50 R50.00
8 2 + Bonus Ball 1 in 96 R20 R20.00
* The overall odds of winning a Lotto prize are 1 in 38

To win the jackpot, you must match all six main numbers. If there are no jackpot winners, the prize money will roll over to the next draw and keep on growing until someone wins. The prize fund receives 45 percent of the money from every ticket sold.

If you’ve won a prize on Lotto, visit the How to Claim Prizes page to find out what you need to do next.

FAQ

Below are the answers to some of the most common questions about Lotto. Visit the FAQs page if you need any further information about playing the lottery in South Africa.

Show All Answers


+ When do Lotto draws take place?

The winning Lotto numbers are drawn at approximately 20:56 every Wednesday and Saturday. Lotto draws are closely followed by those for Lotto Plus 1 and Plus 2

+ Do you have to match the winning numbers in the exact order they are drawn?

No. To win a prize, you can match the numbers on your board with the winning numbers in any order.

+ Is there a limit to how high the Lotto jackpot can go?

The jackpot is not limited and will roll over until someone wins it. It has managed to reach nine figures in this way before.

+ When did Lotto start?

Lotto was the first National Lottery game launched in South Africa, with the first draw taking place on 11 March 2000. The game was initially only played on Saturdays, until a second weekly draw was introduced on Wednesdays in October 2001. You originally had to choose your numbers from a choice of 49.

+ What is the biggest Lotto jackpot ever won?

The biggest Lotto jackpot of all time was the R110 million split between four winning tickets on Saturday, 27 January 2018. Find out more about South Africa’s biggest lottery winners.


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