PowerBall Rules

1. South Africa PowerBall
2. Information
3. Rules

This page lists all the conditions of playing PowerBall and PowerBall Plus. The games are easy to play but you should be aware of all the rules before you enter to make sure there are no problems when it comes to claiming your prizes. See the How to Play page if you want to find out how to enter PowerBall.

Playing PowerBall

• People under the age of 18 are prohibited from playing PowerBall and claiming prizes, and they may not do so on someone else’s behalf.
• PowerBall tickets can be cancelled according to the conditions below. When a PowerBall ticket is cancelled, that entry is rescinded from the draw and the purchase price of the ticket is refunded to the player. Tickets can only be returned if:

1. At least three minutes have elapsed since the ticket purchase;
2. The ticket is returned to the terminal that printed it;
3. The ticket is returned within two hours of purchase or the close of ticket sales, whichever is earlier; and
4. The ticket’s barcode can be scanned.

• It is the responsibility of the player to ensure that all the details shown on the ticket are accurate and correspond with the selections they made on the betslip.
• Entries will not be valid if the betslip is rejected by the terminal or if they are not recorded on the central computer system. Playing online, there must be a confirmation SMS and a ticket/receipt number for an entry to be valid.
• The board of directors of Ithuba and the National Lotteries Commission, and their immediate family members, are ineligible to play.
• The maximum that can be spent on a bet is R2,000 per ticket.
• Only those players that have purchased a valid entry to PowerBall can purchase an entry to PowerBall Plus on the same draw date.

Claiming Prizes

• Players may win just one prize per line of numbers in PowerBall, and one prize per line of numbers in PowerBall Plus. Only the highest value prize won by each line will be paid out.
• A valid winning ticket from the relevant draw must be presented in order for a player to claim a prize. It is a player’s responsibility to sign their ticket after purchase and add their identity number. The bearer of a ticket without a signature or identity number will be assumed to be the ticket’s owner.
• Tickets presented for claims must not have been altered, mutilated or tampered with in any way.
• Ithuba may, at its own discretion, conduct an investigation to check that a claimant’s identity matches up with the details on the ticket.
• Prizes must be claimed within 365 days of the draw taking place.
• Commercial syndicates which purchase large numbers of tickets in an attempt to guarantee a jackpot win are prohibited. They will not be permitted to claim prizes and will be charged an additional fee on top of the original ticket price.
• A prize can only be paid to a single legal entity, even if multiple players have shared the cost of purchasing a winning ticket. It is the responsibility of a group to designate one member to receive the prize.
• A person who reports a ticket as being stolen may still be paid a prize 365 days after the date of the draw if sufficient evidence can be provided that they bought a winning ticket. Ithuba’s decision on such claims will be final.
• Damaged tickets can still be redeemed if the serial number is intact and the ticket can be reconstructed and validated by Ithuba.
• If a claim cannot be processed by a retailer and becomes the subject of a dispute, it will be passed to the operator so that an investigation can begin. The claimant will be informed in writing that the matter is under investigation and will be informed of further developments as they happen.
• When claiming prizes by mail, Ithuba will not accept proof of postage as proof of winning.
• All winners have the right to remain anonymous if they so choose. Ithuba will keep records of all prizes paid out over R50,000 but will keep them confidential. Winners must give their consent for their identity to be made public.

Unclaimed Prizes

• Information about unclaimed prizes will be released 60 days after the relevant draw. Ithuba will then publicise details in the media six months after the draw and launch an awareness campaign 30 days before the prize is due to expire. Details will consist of the prize amount and the area where the winning ticket was bought, so as not to jeopardise a winner’s right to anonymity.
• Prize money that is not claimed within the 365-day period will be reallocated according to the rules set out in the Lotteries Act of 1997 and the Lotteries Amendment Bill of 2013.