Retail Lottery Sales Set To Resume
National Lottery tickets will be on sale again in stores from 1 June, having been unavailable for more than a month because of the coronavirus outbreak. Find out more about the resumption of retail sales.
The lockdown in South Africa has confined citizens to their homes apart from essential trips. Lottery tickets had initially remained on sale in stores but in late April it was clarified by Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel that this was not an essential service.
However, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that there will be an easing of restrictions from the start of June, with the country moving to level three of its five-level approach to returning to normal life.
This phase of the strategy is designed to kick-start the economy under ‘strict health protocols’ and will see various services resume, including National Lottery games at retailers.
Announcing the news, National Lottery operator Ithuba confirmed that all participating stores would start to sell tickets again from Monday. Players have been reminded that they should wear their masks, keep 1.5 metres away from others and stay sanitised to help protect themselves and others.
Playing Online is Safest
For the past few weeks it has only been possible to take part in games online, and this remains the safest way to play as South Africa gradually comes out of lockdown. You don’t need to have any social contact with others as you can enter from the comfort of your own home.
When you take part online, you will also be notified automatically if you win and the majority of prizes will be paid straight into your account.
The National Lottery’s offices have been closed so jackpot winners have been unable to claim. The claim period for all prizes is 365 days so there is lots of time to receive winnings.
The only games to be suspended during the outbreak were Sportstake 8 and Sportstake 13, which rely on soccer matches taking place around the world that can be bet on. However, Sportstake 13 returned earlier in May after football resumed in Germany.
Draws for all lottery games have continued throughout the crisis and have continued to create big winners, including a Powerball jackpot of R135 million on 28 April.
Published: Friday 29th May 2020Latest Lottery News News Archive