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Ithuba calls out Lottery conspiracies and reminds South Africans of big wins

Published

2 weeks ago

August 21, 2025

Chiraag

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Social media speculation sparks official response

The National Lottery operator, Ithuba, has come out firmly against what it calls “misleading and factually incorrect” claims circulating online about who actually wins South Africa’s biggest jackpots. Over recent weeks, social media users have suggested that only certain banks, particularly Absa and FNB, produce winners, fuelling conspiracy theories around fairness and access.

Ithuba has now put those rumours to bed, stressing that the Lottery remains fully transparent, closely monitored, and absolutely based on chance. Every draw is conducted using certified systems, overseen by independent auditors, and backed by strict security and surveillance protocols.

Winners are everywhere, not just from banks

The idea that only FNB and Absa clients have struck it rich since 2020 is false, Ithuba clarified. Winners, they said, have come from retail outlets, petrol stations, small-town cafés, and multiple banking apps across the country.

To prove the point, Ithuba highlighted some of South Africa’s most memorable jackpot wins:

In 2020, a R114 million PowerBall ticket was bought at Victor and Sons Café in Roodepoort.
A November 2021 PowerBall Plus win of R50 million came from a Caltex station in Groblersdal.
February 2022 saw one of the biggest PowerBall Division 1 prizes ever: R167 million, won at Superspar Lifestyle Ballito in KwaZulu-Natal.
In May 2023, a Lotto Plus 1 winner pocketed over R20 million via the Standard Bank app.
A May 2024 Lotto jackpot of R16 million was claimed by a shop assistant in Limpopo through the Capitec app.
And as recently as May 2024, a PowerBall jackpot worth R70 million was won in Benoni.

These examples, Ithuba said, show how unpredictable and widespread the wins really are.

Why bank-linked wins are more common

Some of the confusion, according to Ithuba, comes from history. When Ithuba was awarded the Lottery licence in 2015, FNB was already offering Lottery purchases on its digital platform. Absa followed, meaning those two banks naturally had more ticket sales in the early years. Since then, more banks have joined in, but statistically it makes sense that earlier platforms saw more winners.

Today, about 60% of National Lottery tickets are bought through banking platforms, with the rest sold through traditional retail outlets and digital apps.

The bigger picture: billions to good causes

Beyond jackpots, Ithuba reminded South Africans of the Lottery’s national impact. Since 2015, more than R15.4 billion has been channelled into the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund, which supports charities, community projects, and social initiatives across the country.

Public reaction and the trust question

The statement comes at a time when public trust in institutions is often fragile. On X (formerly Twitter), many South Africans joked about never seeing a winner in their own circles, while others shared stories of friends or relatives who had struck lucky. The tension between suspicion and celebration is a long-standing part of Lottery culture, not just in South Africa but worldwide.

Ithuba’s challenge now is to keep reinforcing confidence while still reminding the public that, at the end of the day, the Lottery is about chance. “We celebrate winners from every corner of South Africa,” the operator said, “because they represent the very heart of why the Lottery exists: creating opportunities and changing lives.”