South African Powerball – go for quick pick or your own selection of numbers
Gauteng has recorded the latest winner of the Powerball jackpot. How was it done?
It took a while, but the person who won the R14 million jackpot in mid-July 2022’s SA Powerball draw has finally come forward to claim the prize.
The winner, who has opted to remain anonymous, spent a modest 45 bucks and chose what turned out be a selection of winning numbers.
The winning ticket was purchased in Soweto, as Gauteng celebrated another South African Powerball winner.
Interestingly, the selection of digits was done with the quick pick function. Many people don’t necessarily choose this option, as they prefer to base their numbers on anniversaries, birthdays and other milestones in life. There are, of course, no guarantees – but these metrics have worked for some in the past.
For a brief example, somebody who was born in April might use ‘4’ in their selection to represent the month in the year. Others could split the year they were born in into two digits such as ’19’ and ’44’.
There are also those who don’t stray from playing the same numbers again and again – week in and week out – for many years and eventually win.
A local example of this happened in August 2020, when a man from Gauteng pocketed R38 million in the Lotto. Thank goodness he didn’t change his mind at the last minute.
“I have been playing the same numbers for the past four years, not only for Lotto but for Powerball. I wanted to play the quick pick selection because I thought I have been playing the same numbers for years,” he said at the time.
“So, I thought maybe it’s time I changed my playing strategy. I asked the cashier for a quick pick selection, but before I gave her the money, my gut told me that today might be the day I strike it lucky and opted to play the same numbers manually.”
Further abroad, in the United States of America, a good few years back, a New York resident landed a whopping $343 million in the US Powerball. South Africans looking to do the maths on that mega amount will soon realise the rand value of the dollar sum adds up to several billions. He used the same numbers for the better part of three decades and ultimately came good.
“A family member gave me the numbers over 25 years ago and I faithfully play them,” he said on the back of 2018’s win.
“I still want to be me; I can’t let money change me. But I want to do the right thing and take care of it for the next generation in my family. Yes, I will continue playing my numbers until this train runs out.”
Whether one plays the same numbers, which have been handpicked according to advice or luck, or goes for the automatic selection, there is no wrong or right for either approach. But it’s intriguing to catch up on some of the stories of success based on both options, regardless. Both have proven successful plenty of times in the past and can be as fruitful in the future, too.
