There are many ways to try and boost your luck to possibly increase your chances of being a lottery winner. For players who believe each detail about your ticket purchase matters, it can be overwhelming as you may wonder what you’re doing that’s preventing that big prize from coming your way.
We researched data regarding where people tend to win the most when playing the lottery in South Africa. Use our overviews on the country’s locations and playing methods – such as banking apps – to give yourself peace of mind you’re doing all you can to secure a prize.
- Western Cape seems to be a very lucky province in SA if you want to play Lotto or Powerball.
- Certain banks’ apps produce more lottery winners than others.
- It’s possibly better to play Lotto via your banking app, rather than other lotteries.
SA Provinces with Most Lottery Winners
You may already let the stars align by playing your zodiac sign’s lucky numbers, but we wanted to see what other aspects of the natural world could give you clues about when luck would strike. Thanks to certain data being made available by the National Lottery, we were able to research whether there are correlations between big wins and geographical locations. Data is seen in the table below.
| Date | Lottery | Amount | Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 January 2018 | Lotto | ZAR 110,000,000 | 2 winners:
|
| 3 September 2022 | Lotto | ZAR86,938,411 | Western Cape |
| 4 May 2019 | Lotto | ZAR79,874,758 | Western Cape |
| 23 November 2022 | Lotto | ZAR74,773,380 | KwaZulu-Natal |
| 27 July 2019 | Lotto | ZAR61,633,381 | Western Cape |
| 9 October 2019 | Lotto | ZAR60,302,027 | Gauteng |
| 14 December 2019 | Lotto | ZAR60,000,000 | Gauteng |
| 12 May 2018 | Lotto | ZAR58,672,134 | Western Cape |
| 14 March 2020 | Lotto | ZAR58,390,419 | KwaZulu-Natal |
| 19 February 2019 | Powerball | ZAR232,131,750 | Western Cape |
| 11 February 2022 | Powerball | ZAR167,332,410 | KwaZulu-Natal |
| 27 July 2021 | Powerball | ZAR158,035,647 | North West Province |
| 10 July 2020 | Powerball | ZAR153,466,150 | KwaZulu-Natal |
| 3 August 2018 | Powerball | ZAR145,469,799 | Mpumalanga |
| 23 August 2019 | Powerball | ZAR141,343,180 | Western Cape |
| 28 April 2020 | Powerball | ZAR135,366,753 | KwaZulu-Natal |
| 25 November 2022 | Powerball | ZAR135,000,000 | Gauteng |
| 20 May 2022 | Powerball | ZAR126,589,752 | Gauteng |
| 29 September 2020 | Powerball | ZAR121,730,295 | Free State Province |
It’s very clear that certain provinces do produce many more winners than others. This chart shows how all 9 provinces match up against each other.
It could be that lottery playing is more popular in these regions or that the relevant provinces are more densely populated. But with lottery games being random, one would expect a more even spread of winners across the country. So, luck could be one reason why certain regions have more jackpot wins.
Next time you travel through the Western Cape or KwaZulu-Natal, it may be worth buying a Lotto ticket or two.
Which Banking Apps Produce the Most Lottery Winners?
Looking at data, you will often see mention of people in South Africa winning the lottery after playing via their banking apps. This could indicate another ‘place’ you may want to explore buying your next Powerball or Daily Lotto ticket from.
Also, if you have accounts with more than one bank, this graph will show you which of them is possibly the luckiest apps to use.
| Banking app | Lottery | Number of winners |
|---|---|---|
| ABSA | Lotto & Powerball | 4 |
| FNB | Lotto & Powerball | 11 |
| Standard Bank | Lotto | 2 |
| Nedbank | Lotto | 1 |
It seems it’s best to play the lottery on your banking app if you’re an FNB client. Also, focus on Lotto games and rather play Powerball or Daily Lotto via other platforms. Online lottery sites like theLotter can be just as convenient to use as your bank’s app. In addition you get access to international lotteries like Mega Millions and Eurojackpot.
Final Words
A bit of data breaks open new possibilities in how you can approach your lottery playing. You can still stick to your Lotto hot and cold numbers, or even enjoy the help of a Powerball number generator. But you can’t ignore the truth of what the numbers are saying. Your next holiday to Cape Town will take you to the luckiest area in the country, so don’t forget to buy your ticket while you’re there!
Important Notice:
- Only limited data is available for public perusal.
- For banking app research, data from the months of 2022 were used. Trends may change over time and we will keep you up to date should new data be made available.
- Despite our best efforts, there may be additional factors that influence how lottery winning plays out. We compiled our data to the best of our knowledge.
- Our list of sources include:
FAQ
Each lottery has its own set of common numbers that tend to appear in the draws. Because of random outcomes, these numbers may change over time. Still, it’s interesting that the number 3 often appears on these lists, for both SA games and international lotteries like EuroMillions.
In terms of odds, Daily Lotto is the easiest lottery game in South Africa. However, if you want to win a big jackpot, it’s easier to strike it really rich by playing Powerball, since it has the biggest main prizes.
Lotteries are games with random outcomes, so you don’t have any control over what happens. However, you can statistically improve your chances of winning a prize, by entering a certain lottery more times. With each ticket you buy that has a unique set of numbers, you give yourself a better chance of matching some or all the numbers that will be drawn.
Some believe Quick Pick is the most effective way to choose numbers, since jackpot winners’ stories often contain mention of using these random selections for their winning tickets. This feature is available in various forms, whether you buy in store, or when playing on an online lottery site like Lotto Agent.
Players have different approaches to using their horoscope’s lucky numbers and days. Some believe you should buy for draws that take place on your lucky days. Others wait until a lucky day before buying tickets for various lotteries that have draws in the near future.
It may not statistically improve your chances, but since some people report winning after using other methods of creating luck – such as dream guides – there’s no reason not to try. It could attract some positive energy into your life and help you win.