Sizekhaya Lottery: What Changed in 2026 and What It Means for Players

In June 2026, Sizekhaya Holdings took over as the operator of South Africa's National Lottery, replacing Ithuba. The transition affected game names, prize structures, and some draw formats. Here's what you need to know.

What changed

• Lotto's number pool shrank from 1–58 to 1–52
• Lotto Plus 2 was discontinued and replaced by Lotto 5 Max
• Daily Lotto Plus was discontinued
• PowerBall Plus was renamed and reworked as PowerBall XTRA
• PowerBall's PowerBall pool shrank from 1–20 to 1–16
• PowerBall jackpot now starts at R50 million with cascading jackpot rules
• New branding and logo across all lottery materials
• Prize structures updated for some divisions

What stayed the same

• SA Lotto: still a 6-number draw with a Bonus ball, on Wed/Sat
• PowerBall: still 5 numbers + 1 PowerBall, on Tue/Fri
• Daily Lotto: still 5-from-36 format, daily draws
• Ticket prices: R5 for Lotto, R10 for PowerBall, R3 for Daily Lotto, R2.50 for Lotto 5 Max
• Draw time: 21:00 SAST for all draws

Lotto 5 Max explained

Lotto 5 Max replaced Lotto Plus 2. Despite the name suggesting 5 numbers, it actually uses the same 6-from-52 format as SA Lotto, with a separate prize pool and cascading jackpot. It's an R2.50 add-on to a Lotto board.

What to expect going forward

Sizekhaya has indicated plans to introduce new games and improve the digital experience. For now, the core games South Africans know and play remain largely in place. Check LottoNow for the latest results as always.