R61 million on the line tonight, here’s what you need to know

Somewhere in South Africa tonight, someone is about to buy a ticket that could change everything. 

Tonight’s PowerBall draw, taking place at 21:00, carries a jackpot of R61,000,000, and by the time the last ball drops, one person’s life could look completely different.

WHO CAN PLAY, AND HOW

Anyone 18 or older can play. 

Where: tickets are available in-store at any authorised Sizekhaya retailer, through the National Lottery website, via the official mobile app, or through participating online cellphone banking apps.

How to play: pick 5 numbers from 1 to 50, plus one PowerBall number from 1 to 16.

A single board costs R10.

Match all six numbers, and the entire jackpot is yours.

WHY TONIGHT’S JACKPOT GOT THIS BIG

Why does a jackpot reach R61 million in the first place?

It’s simple: nobody has matched all six numbers in recent draws, so the prize has rolled over, again and again, growing larger each time. It’s this exact pattern that regularly pushes PowerBall jackpots into the tens, sometimes hundreds, of millions.

For context, the biggest PowerBall jackpot ever won in South Africa was R232,131,750.90, claimed on 19 February 2019, still the largest prize in the country’s lottery history across any game.

WHEN YOU NEED TO ACT BY

When: tickets close at 20:30 tonight, a full 30 minutes before the draw itself begins at 21:00.

If you’d rather not choose your own numbers, a Quick Pick lets the terminal select a random set for you instead.

WHAT ELSE TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY

You can also add PowerBall Xtra, previously known as PowerBall Plus, for an extra fee per board.

This enters the same numbers into a completely separate draw held immediately after the main one.

It comes with its own independent jackpot and results.

The odds of walking away with the full jackpot sit at roughly 1 in 42.4 million.

Steep, certainly, but somebody’s numbers eventually do come up, and tonight, it’s genuinely anyone’s turn.

I always find draw night oddly thrilling, even from the sidelines.

There’s something about knowing millions of South Africans are checking the exact same numbers at the exact same moment, all waiting to see if tonight is the night.

Are you playing tonight, and do you already have your numbers picked Mzansi?

Let us know in the comments below…

The South African is the first to deliver Lotto results each day. Check back at 21:00 for tonight’s results.