JOHANNESBURG —
A R91-million PowerBall and PowerBall Plus jackpot will headline Friday’s national draw on 27 February 2026 after no top-prize winners were recorded in the Tuesday 24 February 2026 draw. The combined pool represents a ninth consecutive rollover since the R179‑million top prize paid out in January 2026, with the Friday split showing R61 million in the PowerBall and R30 million in the PowerBall Plus draw. Tickets for the 21:00 SAST draw on 27 February 2026 are available until 20:30 SAST.
Friday draw and prize breakdown
The most recent draw, held on 24 February 2026, produced the following number sets; no jackpot winners were recorded, producing the current rollover:
| Draw date | Game | Numbers | PowerBall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 February 2026 | PowerBall | 19, 23, 33, 34, 41 | 09 |
| 24 February 2026 | PowerBall Plus | 09, 14, 39, 41, 48 | 10 |
Entry mechanics and consumer costs for the Friday draws are unchanged: players select five numbers from 1–50 and one PowerBall number from 1–20. A single PowerBall board costs R5, PowerBall Plus is R2.50, and the combined ticket is therefore R7.50. The statistical odds of winning the PowerBall jackpot remain 1 in 42,391,200; average historical jackpot payouts are materially lower than the current pool, making this R91‑million total significantly above the game’s long‑run mean. For most participants, however, the more realistic outcome is a smaller lower‑tier prize or no prize at all, underscoring the high‑risk nature of lottery play.
Operator and regulatory framework
The operator historically associated with the National Lottery, ITHUBA Holdings, is organised as a privately owned South African company with a shareholder base that includes entities such as Zamani Gaming and ICT provider Paytronix, among others; the company presents its ownership and stakeholder information publicly on its corporate site. It operates under a time‑bound licence to run the National Lottery and related games, including PowerBall and PowerBall Plus.
The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) regulates the National Lottery and administers the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF). Under the licence framework the NLC oversees, a fixed portion of lottery revenue is transferred into the NLDTF on a weekly basis; the Commission also provides the statutory governance, oversight and grant‑administration structures that convert lottery proceeds into allocated funds for public‑benefit projects. The NLC’s mandate, functions and enforcement powers are set out in the Lotteries Act and subsequent amendments, which define conditions for licence awards, compliance monitoring and how net proceeds must be applied.
Revenue flows and public‑funding implications
Lottery ticket sales generate two distinct financial flows that matter to public finance and to participating retailers. First, prize pools and operator revenues are funded by ticket sales and subsequently disbursed through the operator’s prize‑pay mechanics. Second, the legislated transfers into the NLDTF convert a percentage of weekly revenue into funds earmarked for sport, culture and social projects; the distribution rules and sectoral allocations are set out under the Lotteries Amendment Act and administered by the NLC. These mechanics mean unusually large jackpots can temporarily lift weekly ticket revenues and, by extension, the short‑term receipts flowing into the NLDTF and operator accounts.
Retail and prize‑payment logistics are segmented by prize size. Retail outlets may pay small prizes directly (up to R2,000). Larger lower‑tier prizes are channelled through Approved Prize Payment Centres and participating banks for electronic funds transfer, with the highest prize tiers requiring in‑person verification at an operator office. These payout thresholds determine cash‑flow timing for winners and operational requirements for both the operator and participating banks, and are designed to support anti‑fraud controls, identity verification and compliance with financial‑sector regulations.
Market and operational notes
The current rollover sequence — now nine consecutive draws without a jackpot winner since the January 2026 R179‑million payout — has commercial consequences for retail turnover and for the operator’s marketing cadence. Internationally, extended rollover cycles are typically associated with short, sharp spikes in ticket demand as jackpots grow, followed by normalisation once the top prize is won. South Africa’s pattern appears to be tracking that global experience, with the current pool likely to lift week‑on‑week sales from casual and occasional players.
Auto‑generated Quick Pick entries sold through digital channels contributed to recent winning tickets in prior draws, signalling a continuing shift in distribution from purely in‑store purchase to app‑ and banking‑app‑facilitated transactions. The operator’s digital channel mix influences ticket‑sale concentration, retailer commission flows and the operator’s technology‑and‑payments cost base. For regulators and policymakers, the migration online also raises questions about how responsible‑gaming messaging, age verification and spending‑limit tools are implemented in digital environments compared with traditional over‑the‑counter sales.
For consumers, the ticket‑sale cut‑off remains 20:30 SAST for the 21:00 SAST draw on 27 February 2026. Final prize adjudication, payout ceilings by channel, and the 365‑day window for claims remain the operative procedures for any winning tickets. Players who fail to claim within that one‑year window forfeit their prizes, with the unclaimed amounts treated in line with the provisions of the Lotteries Act and licence conditions.
Tickets remain on sale until 20:30 SAST for the 21:00 SAST draw on 27 February 2026, subject to the usual terms and conditions of play.
