Buy South Africa Powerball Tickets Online

As what is easily the most popular game in the country, South Africa Powerball is a game that is played by over 80% of the country’s lottery players.

In the following guide, we will look at what makes this game so popular. We will also see how to play it, what you stand to win and how you can buy South Africa Powerball tickets online.

About South Africa Powerball

Started relatively recently in lottery terms, South Africa Powerball was first introduced in 2009. It is operated under the supervision of the National Lottery Commission, which also runs South Africa Lotto and South Africa Daily Lotto.

The game soon became the most popular lottery in the country, beating out the massively popular South African Lotto.

The game kept its format from its launch until 2015 when it underwent several changes. These included a new price per ticket, the addition of another prize tier and a secondary draw that takes place after the first. 

South Africa Powerball Draws

There are two draws held each week on Tuesday and Thursday at 9 PM SAST at the lottery offices located in Sandton.

After the main draw is concluded, the secondary draw titled Powerball Plus takes place. The results of both draws are made available at the latest by the next morning.

How to Play South Africa Powerball

The game uses a double-matrix (5/45 + 1/20) system that is common to Powerball lotteries around the world. This makes the game easy to play, especially if you’ve already played another Powerball game.

To start, you will need to choose five numbers from a pool that ranges from 1 to 45.

Then, you will need to also select a single Powerball from a pool ranging between 1 and 20.

To win the jackpot, you will need to match all five numbers and the Powerball. Thankfully, you can take the pressure off of choosing by opting for the quick pick option.

A single line of play costs R5 when bought within the country. Adding the Powerball Plus option will add R2.50 to your ticket cost, bringing your total to R7.50.

Powerball Plus uses the same numbers that you have chosen for the second draw that takes place. This gives you an extra chance at winning some great prizes for half the price of another main draw line.

South Africa Powerball Prizes and Odds

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 24,435,180.

These are fantastic when compared to games like US Powerball (1 in 292,201,338).

But they are not great when you compare them to games like Canada Lotto 649 (1 in 13,983,816).

For these odds, you are playing to win a minimum jackpot of R3 million, or around US $205,410. This may not sound like a huge amount. However, in local currency, it is a significant amount.

Including the jackpot tier, there are a staggering nine prize tiers. These range from matching five numbers to matching just the Powerball.

Below is the pay table for the main Powerball draw:

And below is the pay table for the Powerball Plus draw:

Claiming South Africa Powerball Prizes

Claiming your winnings is a pretty simple process. Any winnings below R5,000 can be claimed at any authorised retailer. However, it is up to the discretion of the retailer as to whether or not they want to pay it.

Prizes between R5,000 and R50,000 can be claimed at any National Lottery Payment Centre. These are usually located at any South African Post Office.

Any winnings over the R50,000 mark must be claimed at the National Lottery Regional Offices.

There is also the option of submitting a claim via snail mail. To do this, you will need to mail your ticket and a completed Prize Claim Form to the National Lottery.

Notable South Africa Powerball Winners

Even though the minimum jackpot doesn’t seem very large, the fact that it rolls over and has no limit has resulted in some truly amazing amounts.

The largest amounts ever paid out include:

• 12 million won during the main Powerball draw on February 19, 2019.
• 46 million won from the Powerball Plus draw held on July 10, 2020.
• 46 million won from the main Powerball draw on August 3, 2018.
• 34 million from the main Powerball draw held on August 23, 2019.

South Africa Powerball-Should You Play?

There are many reasons that South Africa Powerball is the biggest lottery game in the country. These reasons range from the cheap tickets to the decent odds to the solid jackpots that the game offers.

Add to these reasons the great addition of Powerball Plus and there is not much to complain about. In short, this is certainly a lottery that you should keep an eye on.

To top off this great lottery, tickets are easily available online. So, if you want to buy lottery tickets, you should consider this great lottery.