'I didn’t tell anyone, not even my colleagues,' says the R163 million PowerBall jackpot winner. R14 million is up for grabs tonight.
Tuesday night’s PowerBall and PowerBall Plus draws have a total guaranteed jackpot of R14 million.
The draw plays just after 9pm on 28 October.
PowerBall and PowerBall Plus estimated jackpots:
- PowerBall: R10 million
- PowerBall Plus: R4 million
The winner that has everyone talking
The winner of the highest PowerBall jackpot of the year has claimed his R163,552,190.60. The man from the Western Cape expressed how he is a Quick Pick regular.
“I usually play using Quick Pick,” he shared, “so I bought one Quick Pick ticket as I always do, and then another one where I chose numbers that mean something special to me. The morning after the draw, I received a notification saying I had won R10. Later that morning, on my way to work, I got a call from the bank informing me that I had won a substantial amount on PowerBall. Because of that R10 message, I didn’t take the call seriously at first. When I finally logged into my app at work, there it was – the message that I had won big and needed to contact Ithuba to begin the claiming process.”
The family man expressed how this massive win will change not only his life but also his family: “I will use my winnings to ease life for my family and relatives because we come from humble beginnings. As for my wife, I’ll buy her the best coffee machine on the market. I know she’d prefer a live-in barista, but the coffee machine will have to do!”
Hush multimillionaire
With people always struggling to stay on the low after winning big, this winner played it very cool. “I didn’t tell anyone, not even my colleagues. One of them even bought me lunch the next day — little did they know I was R163 million richer! I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling. I’ll still accept their lunches, but now I’ll also be buying lunch for everyone more often.”
How to play PowerBall?
To play PowerBall, a player chooses five numbers between 1 and 50 followed by a PowerBall number between 1 and 20.
The system also provides a Quick Pick selection method that randomly chooses all the numbers on your behalf.
PowerBall tickets are available on selected banking apps; terms and conditions apply.
Tickets are available for purchase until 8.30pm on draw days (Tuesday and Friday). Tickets can also be bought on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 11.30pm.
What happens after winning?
Winners receive an SMS from their respective banks with a reference number and further instructions on the documents they should bring when visiting lottery operator Ithuba.
When a player wins less than R250 000, their winnings are deposited directly into their bank account if they used a banking app to play.
Players who win more than R250 000 are referred to Ithuba for a payout.
Free financial and trauma counselling is given to all winners who win more than R50 000, tax-free.
Players must be 18 years or older to participate.
