Lottery PowerBall Prices Shoot up as Jackpot Increases

The SA National Lottery PowerBall has become a staple in the lives of South Africans in recent years and if you’ve bought tickets in the past at a cost of R3.50, now is the time to start thinking bigger. Ithuba Holdings, the company that runs the lottery, released a statement on 9 November 2015 stating that the prices of tickets to enter for a chance to win the jackpot would increase sharply to R5.00. For players who have long been buying batches of 10 tickets, this means that they’ll be forking out an extra R15.00 for the same tickets they paid R35.00 for a week ago. Players who buy tickets sporadically are likely to not feel the price change at all, while those who buy Lotto, Lotto Plus and PowerBall tickets every week may need to budget a little more carefully.

However, a new game, the PowerBall Plus, could see players on a budget still have a chance to enter at just R2.50 per ticket. So why the price increases and new games? Ithuba has explained that the jackpots for the games will much larger and players will have more chance of winning with the odds falling from just one in 34 to a much more impressive one in 18.

Further, the company stated that players would also be able to win in nine divisions, rather than the usual eight, and the bottom tier prizes, which are fixed, would also improve to R10 for matching the PowerBall number only or to R15 for players who are able to match the PowerBall and an additional number. The company’s CEO has stated that the move was made to provide players with more rewards for playing and in the long run, raise more money for the NLDTF, or National Lottery Distribution Fund.

Ithuba Holdings officially took control of the National Lottery and PowerBall in June this year and this will be the first large change players have seen in the almost six months since the switch in ownership. Smaller changes, such as the ability to purchase tickets via the National Lottery website are scheduled to appear soon but the change to the PowerBall may set the precedent for some of the bigger changes to come.

These changes are set to be in full force by the end of this month, 28 November, and players who have gotten used to picking up a few Lottery PowerBall tickets each week should take note that they may be in for a slightly bigger spend. However, as the reward has grown impressively, this may well be worth the extra cash, but what may be slightly disconcerting to players is the fact that the jackpot amount is already quite high. With an overall prize of R26 000 000 to be won in the PowerBall this week, many players will doubtless be asking how much higher the jackpot can get, and how much more they will have to pay for their corresponding tickets. Click here for Lotto & Lottoplus Results | Click here for Powerball Results