Lotto vs PowerBall: South Africa's Lottery Showdown

Lotto vs PowerBall

• History of Lotto and PowerBall
• Lotto vs PowerBall - Format & Odds Compared
• Comparing The Payouts
• How to Bet on Lotto & PowerBall
• PowerBall vs Lotto – Which is Better?

We live in an era where the most famous lotteries of the world are readily available to us at the click of a button. Sometimes though, this may lead us to overlook the lotto’s that are right on our own doorstep. We are fortunate to have two of the best – and easiest to win --lotto’s in the world take place right here in South Africa, so let’s take a closer look at how the Lotto vs PowerBall battle shapes up!

PowerBall Vs Lotto
First Draw	11 March 2000	23 October 2009
Draw Days	Wednesday & Saturday at 20:56 SAST	Tuesday & Friday at 21:00 SAST
Format	Choose 6 from 1 to 52	Choose 5 from 1 to 50 + 1 PowerBall from 1 to 20
Top Payout Odds	1 in 20,358,520	1 in 42,375,200
Smallest Payout Odds	1 in 96	1 in 35
Record Payout	R110 Million	R232.1 million
Bet Price	R5	R5

History of Lotto and PowerBall

The Lotto was the first lottery to take place in South Africa. The grandfather of all South African lotteries was launched in March 2000, and the excitement was palpable—over 800,000 tickets were sold on the first day!

As the draw rolled around on 11 March, millions of South Africans eagerly awaited the draw – including Thabo Mbeki, who proudly purchased the first bet! The first top payout totalled around R3 million, and it would be shared amongst the six first-time winners.

The PowerBall, meanwhile, took a little longer to get introduced. Interest in the Lotto had been flagging somewhat, and the operator was searching for a way to boost the popularity of its draws. No doubt inspired by the American PowerBall, the South African PowerBall was conceived and introduced on 23 October 2009.

Lotto vs PowerBall - Format & Odds Compared

When comparing the Lotto and the PowerBall, the most striking differences lie in their respective formats and odds. The Lotto is one of the most simple lotteries to play in the world. Here, we find no “Bonus” nor “Power” balls; you need to simply choose 6 numbers from a choice of 52, and that is it!

This simple format gives the Lotto favourable odds when compared to some of the world’s most popular lotteries. The odds of winning the top payout are 1 in 20,358,520, which stacks up quite favourably to the 1 in 139,838,160 on offer in both the EuroJackpot and EuroMillions lotteries.

The PowerBall has a completely different format to the Lotto, one that was purposely chosen to increase the likelihood of multiple rollovers and, as a result, higher payouts. In the PowerBall, bettors choose five numbers from 1 to 50 and also one PowerBall from 1 to 20. This format gives you odds of 1 in 42,375,200 of hitting the top payout.

While the PowerBall’s odds of hitting the top payout are more than twice that of the Lotto, it gives a much better chance of taking home a smaller payout. If you choose the Lotto, you have a 1 in 96 chance of winning the smallest payout. If you choose to bet on the PowerBall, these odds drop significantly to just 1 in 35.

Comparing The Payouts

The different formats and odds of the Lotto and PowerBall lead us to, arguably, the most important part of any lotto – the payouts! As you may expect in two lotteries with such massively different odds, the payouts have been dramatically different!

The differences start with the minimum top payouts for each. The Lotto’s top payout will start at around R1 million, with the amount growing if/when rollovers occur. The PowerBall, meanwhile, offers a minimum top payout of R3 million – treble that of the Lotto!

As you may expect, the record payouts for both are also strikingly different, given the stark contrast in their respective formats and odds of winning. The largest Lotto payout was awarded in 2019 when four people shared the record R110 million bounty. The PowerBall, however, is responsible for the vast majority of the biggest South African lottery payouts.

The largest payout in PowerBall history was won in 2019 when just one man in his 50s took home an incredible R232,131,750.69! This payout was only made possible by the unique format of the PowerBall, which makes matching all the numbers drawn much more difficult. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of rollovers, and the top payout increases.

How to Bet on Lotto & PowerBall

Now, we come to two things that PowerBall and Lotto have in common. You can bet on both the PowerBall and the Lotto for just R5, and you can do so on Lottoland. All you need is a Lottoland account and you can bet on the South African lotteries, as well as some of the world’s most popular lotteries. Remember, you can check historical and recent Lotto results and PowerBall results almost instantly with Lottoland.

PowerBall vs Lotto – Which is Better?

So, here is the big PowerBall vs. Lotto question—which is better? They both cost the same price to bet on, yet the PowerBall has a history of awarding higher payouts, and it is easier to win the minimum payout. With that information, you may immediately opt for the PowerBall as the better lottery, but doing that would overlook one crucial fact—it is easier to win the top payout in the Lotto!

This is why the answer to the question of which is better is not one we should answer for you. As with all lotteries, the decision of whether to bet on the Lotto or PowerBall depends solely on what you want to get from the lotto. If you opt for the PowerBall you are more likely to win the smaller payouts, and it is likely the top payouts will surpass that of the Lotto. Choosing to opt for the Lotto, however, will see you bet on a lottery that is not just the easiest lotto to win in South Africa but also one of the easiest lotto’s to win in the world!