Ithuba and the SA National Lottery: What Changed in 2026
Ithuba ran the South African National Lottery for years, and most people still call the lottery by its name. That changed on 1 June 2026, when Sizekhaya Holdings took over as the licensed National Lottery operator. If you are looking for Ithuba, the games you know are still running, but some have new names and some boards have changed.
This guide sets out who runs the lottery now, which games were renamed, what changed on the Lotto and PowerBall boards, and how the National Lottery differs from the fixed-odds lucky-numbers bets bookmakers offer.
Does Ithuba still run the National Lottery?
No. Ithuba's licence ended at the close of May 2026, and Sizekhaya Holdings became the National Lottery operator on 1 June 2026. The National Lotteries Commission still regulates the lottery, and tickets are still sold through licensed retailers and authorised online and banking-app channels. Anything that still says "Ithuba" on a ticket, app or website is either old material or from before June 2026.
Which games were renamed?
Lotto, Lotto Plus 1, PowerBall and Daily Lotto kept their names. Four games were renamed when Sizekhaya took over, and a few were dropped: Daily Lotto Plus, SportStake 4, SportStake Cricket and SportStake Rugby no longer run. The football pools gained new versions, MatchPlay 14, MatchPlay 14 Omnisports and MatchPlay 9/14.
| Name under Ithuba | Name since June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Powerball Plus | PowerBall XTRA |
| Lotto Plus 2 | Lotto 5 Max |
| SportStake 13 | MatchPlay 13 |
| SportStake 8 | MatchPlay 8 |
National Lottery games, boards and draw days
| Game | Numbers to pick | Draw days | Price per board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lotto | 6 numbers from 1 to 52 | Wednesday and Saturday | R5 |
| Lotto Plus 1 | Same board as Lotto | Wednesday and Saturday | R2.50 |
| Lotto 5 Max | Same board as Lotto | Wednesday and Saturday | R2.50 |
| PowerBall | 5 numbers from 1 to 50, plus a PowerBall from 1 to 16 | Tuesday and Friday | R10 |
| PowerBall XTRA | Same board as PowerBall | Tuesday and Friday | R5 |
| Daily Lotto | 5 numbers from 1 to 36 | Every night | R3 |
| MatchPlay 13 | Predict 13 match results | Weekend and midweek lists | Per board |
What changed on the Lotto and PowerBall boards?
Lotto now uses 52 numbers instead of 58, which improves the odds of matching all six to 1 in 20,358,520. PowerBall now has you pick five main numbers from 1 to 50, and the PowerBall itself comes from a smaller range of 1 to 16 instead of 1 to 20. Daily Lotto is unchanged at five numbers from 1 to 36. Older articles and number-picking tools that still use the previous ranges are out of date.
How do you play National Lottery games legally?
Buy tickets at licensed National Lottery retailers, or online and through the authorised banking apps. You must be 18 or older. Keep your ticket or digital confirmation until you have checked the result, because it is what you claim with. Be wary of anyone selling "guaranteed" numbers or asking for a fee to release a prize: the National Lottery never charges you to claim a win.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ithuba still the National Lottery operator?+
No. Sizekhaya Holdings took over the South African National Lottery from Ithuba on 1 June 2026. The main games are still running, but Powerball Plus is now PowerBall XTRA, Lotto Plus 2 is now Lotto 5 Max, and SportStake 13 and 8 are now MatchPlay 13 and 8.
What happened to Powerball Plus and Lotto Plus 2?+
They were renamed, not scrapped. Powerball Plus is now PowerBall XTRA and Lotto Plus 2 is now Lotto 5 Max. Both still use the same board as their main game, PowerBall and Lotto respectively, and are drawn on the same days.
What days are the main National Lottery draws?+
Lotto, Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto 5 Max are drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays. PowerBall and PowerBall XTRA are drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays. Daily Lotto is drawn every night.
How is a National Lottery game different from a bookmaker bet?+
National Lottery games are pooled: everyone's ticket money funds a shared prize pool that is divided among the winners, and the operator is licensed under the Lotteries Act. Lucky-numbers bets at bookmakers, such as UK49s, are fixed-odds bets priced by the bookmaker and regulated as betting products. They can look similar, but the rules, prizes and regulators are different.
Reviewed for responsible-gambling compliance by Priya Naidoo.