Ithuba Holdings ordered to withdraw misleading lotto ads
The ads, which aired on television and appeared on X, featured phrases like “more balls to choose from” and “over four times the chance to win something”.
South Africa.- Ithuba Holdings has been ordered by South Africa’s Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) to withdraw or revise its recent television and social media advertisements for the Lotto game after a ruling found them misleading.
The decision, issued on December 10, involves a campaign launched last month to promote changes to the Lotto format, including an expanded pool of numbers from 52 to 59 and a new entry-level prize for matching just two numbers.
The ads, which aired on television and appeared on X, featured phrases like “more balls to choose from” and “over four times the chance to win something” alongside screen text reading “4 x more chances to win”.
One complainant stated that the ad implies that extra numbers boost winning prospects, when in fact they increase the total combinations and reduce the odds of hitting the jackpot.
The complainant wrote “More numbers do not amount to more chances to win”, noting the shift from 52 to 59 balls creates more possible outcomes. A second complaint targeted the X post, calling it “baiting a punter to play on the false premise of better odds”.
Ithuba defended the campaign by clarifying that “overall odds” referred to the probability of winning any prize, not the top jackpot. The company submitted data showing the new two-number match tier had improved those odds from one in 38.2 to one in 9.61, roughly quadrupling the number of winners. For instance, average winners per draw across Lotto, Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 rose from about 67,000, 59,000 and 57,000 in the 10 draws before the update to 276,000, 248,000 and 226,000 afterward.
Ithuba stated: “The reduction of overall odds created four times the number of winners”. The board’s directorate acknowledged the validity of the improved any-prize odds but ruled the ads failed to separate this from the number expansion, violating code clauses on honesty and misleading claims. The decision read: “The overwhelming communication is that the addition of the extra balls has improved the odds.“
The watchdog pointed to the risk of confusing everyday players, many of whom buy tickets hoping for life-changing jackpots rather than small consolation prizes. It emphasised the diverse audience for Lotto, including those with limited mathematical background, and said the ads exploited that gap by linking unrelated features into one promise.
