10 biggest lotto payouts in South African history

The Powerball is the most popular type of gambling in South Africa, as it offers an uncapped jackpot that has surpassed R100 million on several occasions – leading to the biggest winner in South Africa’s history, receiving R232 million.

People play the lottery for various reasons, but the most common is the allure of winning a large sum of money. Powerball gives people a chance to become instantaneously wealthy – a powerful motivator for many people.

People also play the lottery because it is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment. The Powerball is R5 per board, with the supplementary PowerBall Plus game costing a further R2.50.

Additionally, the National Lottery is a source of revenue for the government. The funds raised are typically used to finance public projects, such as education, infrastructure, and charitable organisations. For some people, buying lottery tickets is a way of supporting these causes.

According to Lottoland – a licenced bookmaker with the Western Cape Racing and Gambling Board – the biggest winner in South Africa’s history was a man from Cape Town, who won a whopping R232 million in 2019.

The massive jackpot accumulated after rolling over 24 consecutive times, which increased the total significantly and caused a big increase in lottery ticket sales across the country, yet it was a single ticket which won the prize, said Lottoland.

The lucky ticket was purchased at an OK Mini Mart in Tygerdal. It took a week for the biggest Powerball winner to come forward, and when he did, he remained anonymous.

The winner claimed that he would continue working, despite his newfound fortune and being in his 50s, and would spend the money on his children’s education and to help his family members.

To put this payout into perspective, the winner would be able to spend R100,000 per month for 193 years before running out of money.

The second biggest winner won the Powerball in 2022 and received an impressive R167 million. According to Lottoland, the individual purchased their ticket in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, using the Quick Pick option.

Third on the list was a woman living in the North West – winning a grant total of R158 million in 2021. Lottoland said she also became the biggest online winner in South Africa, having played the Powerball using the ABSA banking app.

The woman pledged to use the winnings to build and furnish her dream home, added Lottoland.

All the top 10 biggest lotto winners in South Africa won over R100 million, with the least amount won, in 10th place on this list, winning a substantial R113.7 million. The winner was an unemployed father of two, said Lottoland.

Like all the winners in the top 10, the man pledged to use the money to build a house, better his family’s life and secure his children’s future.

The top 10 biggest lotto payouts in South Africa’s history are listed in the table below.

Lottery       Date                        Payout
Powerball     February 2019        R232,131,750
Powerball     February 2022       R167,332,410
Powerball     July 2021                 R158,035,647
Powerball     Plus July 2020       R153,466,150
Powerball     August 2018           R145,469,799
Powerball     August 2019           R141,343,180
Powerball     April 2020                R135,366,753
Powerball     February 2020       R114,580,902
Powerball     November 2019     R114,242,816
Powerball     December 2020     R113,769,364

Source: businesstech.co.za

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