How to Claim Prizes
There are many different ways to claim lottery prizes in South Africa and they largely depend on how you entered the lottery. This guide details how to claim lottery winnings for each method of playing, whether you’ve won R25 or a multimillion-rand jackpot.
Prizes must be claimed within 365 days of the winning draw. Prizes that are not claimed before this deadline will be forfeited and 50% of the prize money will be allocated to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund to go towards good causes in South Africa.
Prizes Won via Retailer
If you purchased a ticket from a retailer, your first step should be to fill in the back of the ticket. Use the form on the back to write your name, ID number and home address; doing this protects your ticket from potential claims by others and ensures that you are the only person that can claim your prize.
Now that your ticket is signed and safe, you can proceed with claiming your winnings. There are three different claim procedures depending on the size of your lottery prize – find out which one applies to you below.
Up to R2,000
If you have won a lottery prize worth up R2,000, you can claim it back at any licensed lottery retailer in the country – simply take your signed ticket with you and collect your winnings over the counter. All retailers are required to pay out up to R50, though some will pay out up to R5,000 at their own discretion. Use the Store Locator to find your nearest retailer.
R2,001 to R49,999.99
If you win between R2,001 and R49,999, you can redeem your prize at an authorised payment centre – often your local post office. If you are unsure where your nearest authorised payment centre is, you can talk to any retailer for guidance.
R50,000 or more
If you win R50,000 or more, you must fill in an official Prize Claim Form, which you can collect from any post office. You would need to visit one of Ithuba’s regional offices in order to collect your winnings in person, once your entry is validated.
Consult the table below to find out how and when you should expect to receive your lottery winnings, according to the size of the prize and manner of collection.
| Prize Value | Payment Locations | Payment Method | Payment Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to R50 | All participating retailers | Cash | Immediately |
| Between R51 and R5,000 | Participating retailers (at their discretion) | Cash | Immediately |
| Between R2,001 and R49,999 | National Lottery Payment Centres (Post Offices) | EFT or Cheque | EFT: Up to 72 hours Cheque: Up to 10 business days |
| R50,000 or more | National Lottery Regional Offices | EFT | Up to 72 hours |
Claim by post
You can post your winning ticket, signed and dated along with a completed Prize Claim Form and proof of identity, to the National Lottery’s head office:
14A Charles Crescent
Eastgate Ext. 4
2031 Sandton
Prizes of up to R49,999.99 are paid by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), and will appear in your online account up to 72 hours afterwards. If your prize is R50,000 or more, you will be contacted by the National Lottery via post, with a request to visit a regional office in order to collect your winnings.
Be sure to use a secure postal service to minimise the risk of your ticket going missing in transit. If a ticket does go missing in the post, proof of postage does not constitute proof that you had a winning ticket or proof that the lottery has received it. You are advised to keep a photocopy of your winning ticket for your records.
What to do if your ticket is torn, damaged or lost
If your winning ticket is compromised in some way – whether it has been damaged, ripped or even lost – you could still receive your prize. Ithuba will investigate any claims involving damaged or lost tickets; should computer records and CCTV evidence match the information you provide, your claim can still be validated.
Prizes Won Online
Online prizes are usually much easier to claim, as you will be notified of any prizes you win and smaller prizes are often transferred into your online account without you having to initiate a claim.
Up to R49,999.99
Any online prizes amounting to less than R50,000 will be transferred to your online account straight away, without the need for a Claim Form or further identification.
R50,000 or more
If you win over R50,000 online, you must fill in an official Prize Claim Form. You would be required to visit one of Ithuba’s regional offices to collect your winnings in person, once your entry is validated.
Prizes Won via Bank
As with online prizes, those won through your bank are often transferred directly into your account without you needing to take any action. Find out how to claim prizes won through your bank below.
Up to 49,999.99
If you played via your FNB, Standard Bank or Nedbank account, any winnings amounting to less than R50,000 would be paid straight into your bank account within seven working days.
If further validation checks are required you may need to fill in a Prize Claim Form and take it to one of Ithuba’s regional offices – you will need proof of identity, bank statements and your ticket reference number to claim.
R50,000 or more
If you win over R50,000 on an entry purchased through your bank, you are still required to complete an official Prize Claim Form and visit one of Ithuba’s regional offices to collect your winnings in person. You will need proof of identity, your ticket reference number and one month’s worth of bank statements in order to verify your claim to the money.
All three banks will undertake reasonable endeavours to contact you regarding your prize. Standard Bank may contact the National Lottery on your behalf to begin the claim process; Nedbank and FNB will not contact Ithuba with regard to your win.
How to claim if your bank account is closed or blocked
If the bank account with which you buy lottery tickets is closed or blocked and you win a prize of any size, your bank will undertake reasonable efforts to contact you and arrange an alternative form of payment. FNB define this as three phone calls and a registered letter to your home address. If at this point they have not reached you, your prize money will be kept in a holding account until you come forward to claim it. The winnings are returned to Ithuba if they remain unclaimed for 365 days.
Prizes Won via Phone
There are various ways to participate in the lottery using your phone, supported by FNB, Standard Bank, Nedbank, and the National Lottery. You can purchase tickets on your phone by SMS or using USSD – to find out more, visit the How to Play page. Here is how you can claim prizes won on your phone.
Up to R50,000
If you won a prize of less than R50,000 via your bank’s USSD number you will receive the prize money into the mobile account you used for the purchase. The prize money will be available to you within seven working days. You will only be contacted by the bank if there is an issue with paying out – for example, if you live in a location which does not allow credit on accounts. You can withdraw money from your mobile account to your bank by entering your bank’s USSD number and following the instructions:
- FNB: *120*321# or *130*321#
- Nedbank: *120*001
- Standard Bank: *120*2345#
If you win R49,999.99 or less through your National Lottery account, you will receive an SMS confirming your win and instructions for claiming. You will need to provide proof of identity, after which the prize money will be deposited in the eWallet linked to your account. You can request transfer of those winnings from your eWallet to the bank account of your choice by using the USSD number *120*277# and following the instructions on your screen.
R50,000 or more
If you have won over R50,000 on a ticket purchased via USSD, your bank will make reasonable efforts to contact you about your prize. You will be required to visit one of Ithuba’s regional offices and collect your prize in person, after following instructions given by your bank when contacted.
If you win R50,000 or more through your National Lottery account, you will receive an SMS confirming your win and requesting that you contact Ithuba to claim your winnings. You will need to provide proof of identity and a completed Prize Claim form, after which you will be able to collect your winnings from one of Ithuba’s regional offices.
Lottery prizes expire a year after the draw in which they were won. If you do not claim your prize within that year, the prize money will be allocated to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, where it will be used to benefit good causes across South Africa.