Lotto is one of South Africa’s top games. This thrilling lottery offers a very tempting jackpot, some very generous prizes,great odds of winning as well as some attractive extra features.
The SA Lotto is available in South Africa, but also to the rest of the world via lottery messenger service theLotter. You can play Lotto online on a safe platform and gain access to some advanced play options to boost your odds of winning the game. Find out how to play South Africa Lotto, what you can win, and how to increase your chances of becoming one of the biggest South African lottery winners right here!
[Rules] | [Draw Schedule] | [Prizes] | [Boost Odds] | [Plus 1 & 2] | [Results] | [Biggest Winners] | [FAQs]
What are the SA Lotto Rules?
To play the game, you have to choose six numbers from 1 to 52. The lottery also offers a bonus number which is chosen at the time of the draw from the same drum as the regular guess set and is counted for secondary prizes only. Matching all the six numbers will score you the big jackpot. The bonus number is used for winning the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth place prize divisions.
How to Play SA Lotto Online
To play SA Lotto online, you can create an account on theLotter, the world leading lottery messenger service. Then, you can choose your six numbers in the play grid on their page. You can select your SA Lotto numbers manually or you can participate with a random combination of six numbers by using the Quick Pick feature.
You can choose how many lines you want to buy for the upcoming draw and you can also choose between some of the advanced play options available on theLotter – syndicates, systematic forms, and bundles. You can even choose a Multi-Draw pack or a subscription to participate in the following draws as well. These come with some sizable discounts that are certainly worth your attention.
After you make the online purchase on theLotter, one of the company’s local agents will buy the tickets on your behalf from an authorized retailer in South Africa. You will then get a scan of your SA Lotto ticket in your account before the draw takes place. If you win any of the Lotto prizes, these will be paid to you 100%. theLotter does not take commissions from winnings. If you want to try out other games on the platform, theLotter also offers the South Africa Powerball and many other international lotteries.
When is the SA Lotto Draw?
The official draws in the South Africa Lotto take place every Wednesday and Saturday a few minutes before 9:00 P.M. SAST. The SA Lotto draws are closely followed by those for Lotto Plus 1 and Plus 2. You can check the SA Lotto results online soon after the draw to find out if you are a winner.
SA Lotto Prizes
The SA Lotto offers eight prize categories including the jackpot. Each prize is worth a percentage of the prize pool and amounts vary from one draw to the other. The jackpot worth 73% of the prize pool will be shared by the players who match all the 6 main numbers in the game.
Players who match five of the main numbers and the bonus number are eligible for the second prize, which is worth 2.3% of the SA Lotto prize pool. The seventh and eight tier prizes are the only ones that have a fixed amount. They are worth R50.00, respectively R20.00. The 7th prize goes to players who guess three of the main numbers, while for the 8th prize, you need only 2 of the main numbers and the Bonus Ball.
As for the other SA Lotto prizes, they are calculated as percentages of the total prize fund. In the table below, you can see the full list of prizes in the game, as well as the odds you stand to win the prize with each line.
| Division | Match | Prize Fund % | Winning Odds |
| 1st |  |
73.0% | 1: 20,358,520 |
| 2nd | +  |
2.3% | 1: 3,393,087 |
| 3rd | |
4.0% | 1: 75,402 |
| 4th | + |
5.0% | 1: 30,161 |
| 5th | |
8.4% | 1: 1,371 |
| 6th | + |
7.3% | 1: 1,028 |
| 7th | |
R50 Fixed | 1: 72 |
| 8th | + |
R20 Fixed | 1: 96 |
How to Increase Your Odds of Winning the SA Lotto Online
The South Africa Lotto offers very good odds of winning, so it is certainly worth taking a chance for the big SA Lotto jackpot! But when you play the game online on theLotter, you can get access to some advanced play options and increase your chances of becoming a winner.
SA Lotto Syndicates – The more tickets you have in the game, the more chances you have to become a winner. With syndicates, you can play SA Lotto with a large number of tickets, but only pay a fraction of the cost. You purchase shares in a syndicate and if you win, you get your share of the winnings. It is a very affordable way to boost your odds of winning the lottery.
SA Lotto Bundles – On theLotter, you can buy packages with standard entries and a share in a SA Lotto syndicate at a special price. This way, you can play the game with your very own ticket, as well as a group entry.
SA Lotto Systematic Forms – With this advanced play option, you can play SA Lotto with all the possible combinations of your lucky numbers. This way, even if you only match some of the winning numbers, you will have them on more tickets and take home more prizes.
Multi-Draws and SA Lotto Subscriptions – With Multi-Draws, you can play SA Lotto 5 to 52 draws ahead to make sure you are in the game. This also comes with a discount of up to 25%. If you never want to miss a draw, then you can even subscribe to the SA Lotto and you will get every 7th ticket free of charge. By playing every time, you can actively improve your chances of winning the lottery.
South Africa Lotto Plus 1 & Lotto Plus 2
The South African lottery offers some very tempting additional features – Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2. With these, you stand a chance of winning different sets of prizes with the same SA Lotto numbers. Here’s how it works:
After you fill out your SA Lotto ticket and choose your 6 numbers and your bonus number, you can add the Lotto Plus 1 and the Lotto Plus 2 feature to your ticket. These cost an extra R2.50/ticket each. With these, you can win the Lotto Plus 1 or the Lotto Plus 2 prizes with your SA Lotto numbers. Please note that you have to play the SA Lotto to participate in the Lotto Plus 1 and that you have to play both Lotto and Lotto Plus 1 to enter Lotto Plus 2.
There are separate draws for Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2. After the lottery officials draw the winning numbers for the SA Lotto, they will draw a separate set of 6 numbers + bonus number from separate barrels for Lotto Plus 1 and then, another set from different barrels for Lotto Plus 2.
- Players select 6 numbers from 1 to 52 for the SA Lotto.
- The winning numbers for the SA Lotto determine the SA Lotto winners.
- The winning numbers for the SA Lotto Plus 1 determine the SA Lotto Plus 1 winners.
- The winning numbers for the SA Lotto Plus 2 determine the SA Lotto Plus 2 winners.
The Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 prizes are worth approximately half of the South Africa Lotto prizes, which makes them excellent contenders. Please note that the prize pools for these two additional draws are separate from the prize fund for the SA Lotto.
| Division | Match | Prize Fund % | Winning Odds |
| 1st | |
53.0% | 1: 20,358,520 |
| 2nd | + |
8.1% | 1: 3,393,087 |
| 3rd | |
5.4% | 1: 75,402 |
| 4th | + |
6.7% | 1: 30,161 |
| 5th | |
13.4% | 1: 1,371 |
| 6th | + |
13.4% | 1: 1,028 |
| 7th | |
R25 Fixed | 1: 72 |
| 8th | + |
R15 Fixed | 1: 96 |
Note that Lotto Plus 1 & 2 are, for the time being, not available on theLotter. Using their services, you can buy tickets for SA Powerball, SA Lotto or Daily Lotto.
SA Lotto Results
In case you haven’t tuned in to see the South Africa Lotto draw live on SABC2, you can always check your results online. Below you can check the SA Lotto results for the most recent 10 draws:
SA Lotto Biggest Winners
Who were the luckiest of all to scoop the SA Lotto biggest jackpots? While their identity is most of the time not disclosed, here are the amounts they won:
1.R110 Million – this is the biggest jackpot ever distributed by SA Lotto. It was won on Saturday, 27 January 2018, after 21 rollovers and it was split between four winning tickets, each ticket holder taking home R27.5 million.
One of the lucky winners waited almost a full year before coming forward to claim their share of the prize. The 58-year-old man from Ravensmead in Cape Town approached the official lottery just one day before his prize expired.
2. R79 Million – this amazing jackpot was won on May, 4 January 2019 by a woman from Cape Town. She decided to remain anonymous, but when claiming the prize she gave a few details about her plans. She intended to give R2 million to a petrol attendant who had always been polite and helpful. She also spoke about buying a house with a garden for her grandson to play in, sharing the prize with her daughter so that the latter could quit her job as a call-center agent and fulfill her lifelong dream of getting a psychology degree.
3. R58 Million – this was the Mother’s Day present a woman in her 50s from Cape town got for matching the winning numbers of the SA Lotto draw on May, 12, 2018. When claiming the win, she spoke about continuing work for another half year before taking an early retirement. She was usually playing SA Powerball, but she noticed a few days prior to the draw that SA Lotto had a big jackpot and decided to take a chance on this game.
Another jackpot of the same value was shared in 2013 by two lucky ticket holders. They matched the winning numbers of the draw on April, 24 and stopped the rollover streak initiated on March 30, 2013 by a special draw, which boosted the SA Lotto top prize to a guaranteed R40 million. This was the record for the highest jackpot ever distributed on the game for almost five years.
SA Lotto FAQs
Yes! You can use the services of a lottery concierge such as theLotter to buy SA Lotto tickets online.
Yes, as long as you do this on a reliable platform. Lottery messenger services buy the official ticket on your behalf and you are its sole owner as well as sole beneficiary of any winnings resulting from it.
To play SA Lotto, you need to pick 6 numbers from a guess range of 1-52. You scoop the jackpot if you match all winning numbers of the draw.
The SA Lotto game offers 8 prize divisions: the jackpot and 7 secondary prizes. To win the jackpot, you need to match all 6 numbers. For the second prize, you need to match 5 of the main numbers and the bonus number.
The SA Lotto record jackpot stands at R110 million. It was split between four ticket owners who matched the winning numbers of the draw on Saturday, 27 January 2018.