{"id":34370,"date":"2026-10-02T01:23:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T04:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=34370"},"modified":"2026-10-02T10:28:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:28:12","slug":"sizekhaya-addresses-national-lottery-concerns-over-integrity-powerball-and-old-tickets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/sizekhaya-addresses-national-lottery-concerns-over-integrity-powerball-and-old-tickets","title":{"rendered":"Sizekhaya addresses National Lottery concerns over integrity, PowerBall and old tickets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The operator has responded to public questions about live draws, older tickets, PowerBall pricing and jackpot payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sizekhaya has addressed concerns over the integrity and transparency of South Africa\u2019s National Lottery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The operator said live draws are part of efforts to improve transparency around the lottery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ithuba-era tickets can now be verified at participating retailers or by scanning the ticket barcode digitally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sizekhaya&#8217;s Kgothatso Mashile invited members of the public to attend live draws and observe how the balls and machines are selected and how the draw is conducted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jackpot winners are notified by their bank before being directed to Sizekhaya to complete the payment process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Africa.- South Africa\u2019s National Lottery operator, <strong>Sizekhaya Holdings<\/strong>, has addressed concerns over draw integrity, older winning tickets and the PowerBall price, responding to questions raised by members of the public since taking over the lottery on June 1, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sizekhaya head of marketing <strong>Kgothatso Mashile<\/strong> addressed the issues during a Radio 702 interview with presenter Thabo Mashao. The interview included questions from 702 listeners about the National Lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sizekhaya took over the <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/sizekhaya-gears-up-for-sa-national-lottery-takeover-with-expanded-access-and-bigger-jackpots\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/sizekhaya-gears-up-for-sa-national-lottery-takeover-with-expanded-access-and-bigger-jackpots\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Lottery and Sports Pools<\/a> on June 1, replacing Ithuba. The operator became South Africa\u2019s fourth National Lottery operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the biggest concerns discussed during the 702 interview was the integrity and transparency of the National Lottery. Mashile said this had been a key issue for Sizekhaya to address and pointed to the introduction of live broadcasts as a step towards greater transparency. \u201cThat was a <strong>call to action<\/strong> for us, and we really had to act on it,\u201d he said, according to a transcript of the programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mashile said the televised live draws were intended to address transparency concerns, while also forming part of Sizekhaya\u2019s efforts to modernise the National Lottery and bridge<strong> traditional and digital ways<\/strong> of playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tickets, PowerBall and transparency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>transition<\/strong> to the new operator also prompted questions about tickets purchased during Ithuba\u2019s tenure. Mashile explained that the handover involved documents and other details that had to be processed before winners from the previous operator\u2019s period could be paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said tickets played during the Ithuba tenure can now be verified at <strong>participating retailers<\/strong>. Players can also check tickets digitally by scanning the barcode, while those who need assistance can contact Sizekhaya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue was raised by a 702 listener who said they had been unable to verify an older ticket at retailers during the transition. Mashile directed players with such tickets to Sizekhaya\u2019s contact centre and said the operator was ready to assist with <strong>verification<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PowerBall price was another issue raised by listeners, with one caller describing the increase as unaffordable. Mashile explained that Sizekhaya wanted to create a clearer distinction between PowerBall and Lotto, with PowerBall designed around bigger and more <strong>frequent jackpots<\/strong>. He said PowerBall had been set at R10 (US$0.61), while Lotto remained at R5 (US$0.30). \u201cWe said, let\u2019s clearly separate so that we can define the two games as two separate brands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question of whether National Lottery draws are fair was also raised, with the presenter noting that some South Africans believe the lottery is rigged. Mashile invited members of the public to attend the live draw proceedings in person, where they can observe how the <strong>balls and machines<\/strong> are selected and how the draw is conducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mashile said Sizekhaya\u2019s approach is built around <strong>integrity, transparency and innovation<\/strong>. \u201cWe are there for the people. We are doing this for the people. We are Sizekhaya because we are here to help the people of South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interview also covered prize payments and winner privacy. Mashile said jackpot winners are notified by their bank before being directed to Sizekhaya to complete the<strong> payment process<\/strong>. He also said winners are not required to pose for photographs, with their safety and discretion taking priority.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"see-also-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label\">See also:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-article\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"related-article__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/photo-1517085908802-f56a43681c18-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-article__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label-strong\">See also:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/sun-international-time-square-name-ruling\">Sun International wins ruling ordering Times Square Hotel name change<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The operator has responded to public questions about live draws, older tickets, PowerBall pricing and jackpot payments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2809,"featured_media":34389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Sizekhaya Holdings, the new South African National Lottery operator, has publicly addressed stakeholder concerns regarding draw integrity, the verification of older Ithuba-era tickets, and PowerBall pricing strategy. The operator emphasized transparency through live draws and outlined processes for ticket validation and jackpot payments, aiming to rebuild public trust post-transition.","focusai_entities":"Sizekhaya Holdings, Ithuba, Kgothatso Mashile, Thabo Mashao, Radio 702","focusai_location":"South Africa","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (0.95), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.85), product_ux (0.7), marketing_crm (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (0.75), investor_analyst (0.9), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Operational Handover Impact?","query":"What specific governance frameworks and operational protocols did Sizekhaya implement to ensure a seamless and transparent transition from Ithuba, particularly concerning outstanding player liabilities and data migration?"},{"label":"Regulatory Oversight Efficacy?","query":"How will the South African regulatory body assess the effectiveness of Sizekhaya's transparency initiatives and public engagement strategies in restoring and maintaining player confidence, and what metrics will be used?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60023,60011],"tags":[74],"class_list":["post-34370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal-news","category-south-africa","tag-lottery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2809"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34370"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34453,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34370\/revisions\/34453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}