By Rorisang Modiba
- A single PowerBall ticket holder won R178.9-million on Tuesday night after matching five numbers and the PowerBall correctly nationwide.
- Ithuba confirms the win as the second biggest jackpot ever, with winnings paid tax free and support offered to prize winners.
One PowerBall player is waking up with a life completely changed after winning R178.9-million on Tuesday night.
The player matched all five numbers and the PowerBall in the latest draw. An estimated R177-million was expected, but the jackpot grew to R178,955,240 by draw time.
Ithuba, the National Lottery operator, confirmed the win and said it is the second highest jackpot ever recorded in its history.
“We have a PowerBall jackpot winner of R178,955,240 after matching five numbers and the PowerBall,” Ithuba said.
The winning PowerBall numbers were 02, 03, 16, 17 and 35, with PowerBall number 05.
The PowerBall Plus winning numbers were 01, 05, 07, 15 and 40, with PowerBall number 04.
The win follows another recent payout where a player won the PowerBall Plus jackpot of R33.7-million on Friday, 16 January. That ticket was also bought online using the Quick Pick option.
According to Lottoland, the biggest PowerBall win in South Africa was in February 2019. A Cape Town man won R232-million. Tuesday night’s win now ranks second, followed by a R167-million jackpot won by a Ballito man in KwaZulu-Natal in February 2022.
To play PowerBall, players choose five numbers between one and 50 and one PowerBall number between one and 20, or use Quick Pick. Tickets are sold on selected banking apps and online.
Sales close at 8.30pm on draw days, which are Tuesdays and Fridays.
Winners are notified by SMS from their banks. Winnings under R250,000 are paid directly into bank accounts, while larger prizes are handled by Ithuba.
All winnings are tax free. Free financial and trauma counselling is offered to winners who take home more than R50,000.
Players must be 18 years or older.
Pictured above: Lottery balls.
Image source: Unsplash
