The lotteries in Africa don’t have the kind of jaw-dropping jackpots found in other parts of the world.
However, they are still incredible by local and regional standards-with the ones in South Africa being the largest.
Therefore, these are currently the best African lotteries online:
Lottery | Biggest Prize Ever | Jackpot Odds |
South Africa Powerball | ZAR 232.13 million | 1 in 24,435,180 |
South Africa Lotto | ZAR 110 million | 1 in 20,358,520 |
South Africa Daily Lotto | ZAR 500,000 | 1 in 376,992 |
Offering decent jackpot odds and low-priced tickets, these games offer the chance to win life-changing, tax-free prizes with a relatively small investment.
This makes them very appealing to the masses and results in draws that attract many players from every area of South Africa.
It’s for the same reason that players from all around the world regularly buy lottery tickets for these lotteries.
🇿🇦 South Africa Powerball
First introduced in 2009, South Africa Powerball is easily the largest lottery held in the country.
At its launch, the game required players to choose five numbers between 1 and 45 and a single Powerball from a range of 1 to 20. This changed in 2015 when the main number pool was increased to range from 1 to 50.
In 2015, the game launched an add-on called Powerball Plus. This add-on gives a second chance at winning for a small fee on the base price of a ticket.
South Africa Powerball is still the biggest and most played lottery game in the country and has millions of players each draw.
It also holds the largest jackpots of any lottery held in the country.
Why People Love It
- South Africa’s largest lotto jackpots
- Decent odds
- Tax-free winnings
- Relatively low ticket price
How to Play South Africa Powerball
- Choose five numbers from 1-50 and one Powerball from 1-20
- Select if you would like to play numbers in Powerball Plus
- To win the jackpot, match all five numbers plus the Powerball
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 42,375,200
Overall Odds: 1 in 18
Biggest Jackpot: ZAR 232.13 million
Minimum Jackpot: ZAR 3 million
Prize Tiers: 9
Draw Times: Tuesdays and Fridays at 9 pm SAST
Official Ticket Price: ZAR 5 per line (ZAR 2.50 extra for Powerball Plus)
🇿🇦 South Africa Lotto
South Africa Lotto, launched in March 2000, was the first lottery in the country. One year later, a second weekly draw was introduced on Wednesdays.
Initially, the game was only held on Saturdays and featured a number pool ranging from 1 to 49. In 2017, however, the format changed to include 52 balls.
In 2003, the game introduced an add-on called Lotto Plus. This gives a second chance at winning for a portion of a second ticket price. This feature was so popular that in 2017 a third chance to win was introduced: Lotto Plus 2.
Lotto remains one of the biggest lotteries in the country and still offers fantastic jackpots.
It is regularly played by many citizens of the country and continues to hold two draws each week.
Why People Love It
- Great jackpots
- Decent chances of winning
- Tax-free prizes
- Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 add-ons
How to Play South Africa Lotto
- Choose six numbers from 1-52
- Select if you would like to play Lotto Plus 1 or Lotto Plus 2
- To win the jackpot, match all six numbers
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 20,358,520
Overall Odds: 1 in 38
Biggest Jackpot: ZAR 110 million
Minimum Jackpot: ZAR 2 million
Prize Tiers: 8
Draw Times: Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:56 pm SAST
Official Ticket Price: ZAR 5 per line (ZAR 2.50 extra for Lotto Plus or Lotto Plus 2)
🇿🇦 South Africa Daily Lotto
First offered in March 2019, South Africa Daily Lotto offers a chance to win every day of the year (except Christmas).
The draw has retained the same single-matrix format since its launch.
Because it pays out the full prize tier every draw, it rolls down any prizes from tiers that have no winners.
Daily Lotto is a crowd favourite and has quickly grown to be an incredibly popular lotto game both in the country and beyond.
Why People Love It
- Draws held daily
- Cheap ticket price
- All prize tiers roll down
- Tax-free winnings
How to Play South Africa Daily Lotto
- Choose five numbers from 1-36
- To win the jackpot, match all five numbers
- Must be 18 years of age to buy tickets
Jackpot Odds: 1 in 376,992
Overall Odds: 1 in 7.5
Biggest Jackpot: ZAR 500,000
Minimum Jackpot: ZAR 201,314
Prize Tiers: 4
Draw Times: Daily at 9 pm SAST
Official Ticket Price: ZAR 3