21 Consecutive Rollovers and Counting
The PowerBall jackpot has reached its current figure following a run of 21 successive rollovers. The jackpot hasn’t been won since 23rd November of last year, when a single ticket holder won R7.4 million. That has allowed the top prize to keep on rolling ever since, and the estimated R180 million prize has captured the imagination of the South African public.
Several players have come close to bringing this incredible run of rollovers to an end, including two ticket holders who matched all five main numbers in last Tuesday’s draw. However, the sizeable jackpot just eluded them after they failed to land the PowerBall number as well. There is no jackpot cap in place for PowerBall, so the top prize will continue to grow until it has eventually been won.
The lottery’s previous biggest jackpot was worth R145 million, claimed by a 34-year-old engineer from Secunda, Mpumalanga, last year. The single ticket holder decided to remain anonymous, and bought his winning entry from the Total Garage gas station in Evander, Mpumalanga.
“The Thought of Someone Winning Excites Us”
Khensani Mabuza, Corporate Relations Executive at Ithuba, the National Lottery operator in South Africa, expressed his delight at the size of the jackpot available this Friday. He said: “When we took over the operation of the National Lottery in June 2015, our aim was to strengthen the National Lottery brand by creating attractive jackpots and introduce games that were relevant to the South African market whilst ensuring we are on par with international lotteries. The high jackpots have resulted in increased participation.”
Speaking about the R180 million figure up for grabs, Mabuza continued: “We have no idea of whether or not the PowerBall jackpot will be won this Friday, or where the winner will come from, but just the thought of someone winning such a life-changing amount of money excites us as the operator. We wish all players the best of luck and take this opportunity to remind them that they have to be in it, to win it."
You could become an overnight multi-millionaire by picking five main numbers between 1 and 50, and one PowerBall from 1 to 20, from any licensed retailer in South Africa, or picking your numbers online. There are eight prize tiers beneath the jackpot, with prizes beginning from matching just the PowerBall, and the overall odds of winning a prize remain at 1 in 18. When the jackpot is won, the winner, or winners, will receive counselling and financial advice, services which are provided free of charge by Ithuba to all big lottery winners in South Africa.
