SA Lotto: rules of the game and frequently asked questions
How SA Lotto is played, how the prize tiers work and what this site offers, in brief. Only the operator's official rules are binding.
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Rules of the game
How is SA Lotto played?
SA Lotto is the main game of South Africa's National Lottery (operator since June 2026: Sizekhaya, previously Ithuba), drawn every Wednesday and Saturday at 21:00 (Johannesburg). Since 3 June 2026, 6 numbers are drawn from 52 (21 Sept 2025 to June 2026: 6 from 58), plus a bonus ball from the remaining balls. One board costs R5; statistics and prize tiers refer to the current format. Data: BetTip (bettip.co.za), based on the draws published by the operator.
How does the Bonus ball work?
The Bonus ball is drawn after the winning numbers from the remaining balls; it counts if it is among your own numbers.
Winning
What are the odds of winning?
The chance of the top tier (6 matches) is 1 in 20,358,520; the chance of winning anything is about 1 in 38. All tiers with their exact probability are on the Odds page.
This website
Where do the numbers come from?
Source: BetTip (bettip.co.za) based on National Lottery publications, amounts in rand. No guarantee. The data covers 1227 draws from 03.01.2015 to 14.10.2026.
Do statistics help you win?
No. Every draw is independent of the previous ones and every combination is equally likely.