Quick Facts

• Lotto has better jackpot odds: 1 in 20.4 million vs PowerBall’s 1 in 42.4 million
• PowerBall offers bigger prizes and better odds for smaller wins
• Both cost R5 to play, but PowerBall has more ways to win

The Basic Differences

Lotto is South Africa’s original lottery. You pick 6 numbers from 1 to 52. It costs R5 to play. Draws happen on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 20:56.

PowerBall came later in 2009. You pick 5 main numbers from 1 to 50, plus 1 PowerBall from 1 to 20. It also costs R5 to play. Draws happen on Tuesdays and Fridays at 20:58.

Both are run by Ithuba Holdings and both have “Plus” versions that cost an extra R2.50 per play.

✅ Your Chances of Winning

For the jackpot, Lotto is easier to win. Your chances are about twice as good with Lotto compared to PowerBall. Think of it this way: you’re more likely to be struck by lightning (1 in 350,000) than win either jackpot!

For any prize, PowerBall is much better. You have a 1 in 18 chance of winning something with PowerBall, compared to 1 in 38 with Lotto. This means you’ll win small prizes more often with PowerBall.

PowerBall lets you win money by matching just the PowerBall number (odds: 1 in 35) or the PowerBall plus one main number (odds: 1 in 57). Lotto requires at least 3 matching numbers to win anything.

Prize Sizes & Payouts

Lotto minimum jackpot: Around R2 million (but can roll over with no limit)

PowerBall minimum jackpot: Around R3 million (also no limit)

Record winners as of 2025:

• PowerBall record: R232.1 million (February 2019)
• Lotto record: R110 million (January 2018, shared by 4 people)

PowerBall consistently produces bigger jackpots because it’s harder to win, so the money rolls over more often.

⚠️ What It Really Costs

Both games cost R5 per ticket, but the “Plus” options add up:

• Lotto + Lotto Plus 1 + Lotto Plus 2: R10 total
• PowerBall + PowerBall Plus: R7.50 total

If you play twice per week for a year, that’s R520 for one game or over R1,000 with all the Plus options. Remember: the odds stay terrible no matter how much you spend.

Reality check: Investing that R520 per year at 7% interest over 20 years would give you around R21,000 guaranteed.

✅ Don’t Forget Daily Lotto

South Africa also has Daily Lotto: pick 5 numbers from 1 to 36, costs R3, draws every night. The jackpot is guaranteed to be won every day (around R100,000).

Daily Lotto odds:

• Jackpot: 1 in 376,992 (much better than Lotto or PowerBall!)
• Any prize: 1 in 7.6 (excellent odds)

If you want regular chances to win, Daily Lotto is actually your best bet.

🚨 Lottery Scam Warning

Never pay money upfront to claim lottery winnings! Real lottery operators like Ithuba will never ask you to pay fees to collect prizes.

Red flags to avoid:

• SMS saying you won a lottery you didn’t enter
• Requests to pay “tax” or “processing fees” upfront
• Pressure to act quickly or keep winnings secret

Only buy tickets from official Ithuba retailers or the nationallottery.co.za website.

Choose PowerBall if: You want more frequent small wins and don’t mind worse jackpot odds. The 1 in 18 chance of winning something makes it more entertaining.

Choose Lotto if: You only care about the big jackpot and want the best odds of winning it. Your chances are twice as good as PowerBall.

Choose Daily Lotto if: You want the best realistic odds of winning. At 1 in 377,000 for the jackpot, it’s far more winnable than either big lottery.

Our honest advice: All lotteries are terrible investments. If you play for fun, set a strict limit (maybe R20 per month) and stick to it. Never spend money you can’t afford to lose.