Guide To Online Lottery in South Africa

Online gambling keeps growing, and online lotto is among the games that have become popular in South Africa. This rise is mostly down to fast growing internet access and technology moving forward around the world. The idea behind online lotteries is straightforward. You put down a small amount of money for the chance of a very big payout. With a bit of luck, you could land a mega jackpot.

Games on offer include The Lotto, Powerball, Raffles, Scratch-off Instant Games and The Dailies, along with lotto spin-off games like Mega-Sena, EuroMillions, Mega Millions and La Primitiva.

Playing lotto online is fast and simple. In most cases the game providers produce draws or random numbers, and you win when your selection is correct. Cash prizes are the norm, but a few online lotto companies hand out physical goods instead.

Follow these steps to play lotto online:

• Step 1: Game selection
  The process for these games is pretty standard, and most online lotteries work in much the same way. Simply sign in to a site and pick the game you like best. You will see buttons asking you to do something, such as Buy Now, Subscribe Now or something similar.
• Step 2: Pick the number combinations
  Once you have chosen the game, you are taken to a page with a drop-down menu. It shows a range of options so you can select the ticket you want to buy. This is also where you choose your numbers. Alternatively, you can use Quick Pick mode, which lets the system choose a number for you automatically.
• Step 3: Create account or add to cart
  At this point you see a summary of your order, showing how much you have spent, the draws and tickets, and the name of the game. You also get 3 choices: buy another ticket, change the current one or go to check out. The usual minimum spend at most lotteries is $5, although this changes with the size of the jackpot and the kind of game.
• Step 4: Check out
  Going straight to Check Out is only possible if you have bought a ticket from that provider before. First timers will need to open an account. Once your account is set up, you go directly to the Check Out option.
• Step 5: Payment
  Online lotteries accept money through several different methods. Read through the payment details carefully so you can find the one that suits you best. Visa and Mastercard are the most popular, but certain online lotteries also take e-wallets like Paypal and Skrill, among others.

Some sites sell lottery bundles, which are special packages that cover both standard and syndicate games. Syndicates give you better odds of winning than ordinary lottery games. Popular lottery bundles include;

Personal Entry: This works like a normal solo ticket, where you pick your numbers yourself or let them be chosen at random. Any prize you win belongs only to you.

Syndicate Entry: Here you join a group and combine your tickets to improve your odds of winning. Any prize is split between the group members.

Syndicate Lines: How many syndicate lines you play depends on the Bundle you pick. A 456-line bundle might give you shares in a 200-line syndicate plus another one with 256 lines. That gives you more than 456 chances to win.

Syndicate Shares: Every syndicate is split into shares, and those shares decide how much of the prize comes to you. If a syndicate has 50 shares, you are entitled to 1/50th of the winnings.

Can I Play Lotto On Mobile?

You can play online lotteries on a desktop or on a mobile device. Big desktop screens add a little extra enjoyment, but mobile play lets you enjoy your favourite lotto game wherever you are. Certain lotteries only work on desktop, while others are built for mobile and run on both websites and mobile apps.

Lotteries fall into two groups: national and international lotteries.

National Lotteries

These are lotto operations that run within a country with the backing of the state. Because the state controls and shapes part of how they work, the operator has to pay a portion of the revenue to the government. South Africa's national lottery was set up in 2000. Later, in 2015, ITHUBA Holdings, the company that runs the National Lottery, was awarded a license. Regulating this lottery is the job of the National Lottery Commission. The national lottery suits South African players who would rather buy physical tickets than online ones.

International Lotteries

These online lotteries are run by companies with a global presence. South African players can buy tickets online and enter the draws. Because international lotteries compete hard for customers, many operators draw players in with enormous jackpots. International lotteries we recommend include:

Lotto 247: Here you can play some of the largest lotteries on the planet, and new players get a big welcome bonus in the shape of a FREE US Powerball entry. Keep in mind that the US Powerball is the world's top lottery. That free entry could win you a $1.6 billion jackpot.

Play Huge Lottos: This online lottery has been offering games to online players since 1998. It is a trusted company that also lets South Africans enter the billion-dollar US Powerball. Just sign up and enter the draws.

Lotto Kings: Here is another lotto that opens up huge US lotteries to South African players. With more than ten years in the business, the site has earned a solid reputation and a big player base. You can play lotteries like Powerball and Megamillions, plus extras such as syndicates, subscriptions and millionaire raffles.

Jackpot.com is a great choice for South African players who want to play online lottery za games from other countries. It offers a range of big jackpot games, plus card games to keep you entertained alongside the lotto. Jackpot.com holds a license from the Malta Gaming Authority, which reassures players that winnings will be paid quickly and in full.

Win Trillions has more than 20 lotteries, 9 international millionaire raffles and a strong range of syndicates. Rather than buying physical tickets for you, the site lets you bet on the results of lottery draws. You can also make use of plenty of bonuses and running promotions.

The Lotter: With almost twenty years in the business, The Lotter is one of the best known lotteries around. Games available at The Lotter include the US Powerball, the Italian Superstar and Spain’s Euromillions, among others. You can play in three ways: single games, syndicates or bundles. Extra features include multi-draw purchases, subscriptions and systematic forms.

Online lotteries have added features like quick pick and automatic rollover to make playing more enjoyable. You can also use a few tips and strategies to improve your odds of winning.

Online Lotto Features

Quick pick: The system generates random numbers for the player. It saves time because you avoid the boredom of choosing every number by hand. On top of that, lotteries like Jackpot.com and Win Trillions make sure you cover a wider spread of numbers that could produce a win.

Entries and subscriptions: A subscription lets players start games whenever they like. You could, for example, subscribe to providers such as The Lotter once their jackpots hit an amount you like. Subscribing means buying an entry that is played automatically in the following draws.

Automatic Rollover: Provided your account has enough credit, this feature gives you access to an unlimited number of games.

Tips and Strategies

These tips work for beginners and experienced players alike if you want to boost your chances of winning.

• Buy more tickets to improve your chances of winning. This does mean spending more, so always stick to your budget and only spend what you can afford to lose.
• Make use of bonuses and discounts. Look at the promotions page of the lottery site you prefer.
• Pool money with other lottery players by setting up a lottery syndicate, which improves your odds of landing a jackpot.
• Avoid picking consecutive numbers, numbers ending in the same digit or numbers from the same group. A win is possible, but the chances are very slim.
• Pick lotteries with better odds. The odds of winning the US Powerball, for example, are 1:292,201,338, while for the Swedish Lotto they are 1: 6,724,520. That makes you 40x more likely to win the Swedish lottery than the US Powerball.
• Look out for less popular games that have little competition.
• Sign up with several providers to boost your chances of getting free tickets.