How to know if you won, and how to claim

No, not for a paper ticket. The National Lottery does not know who bought a ticket at a shop, and your bank is not told. It is up to you to check.

If you played online or in the official app, check your account there: wins on those tickets are linked to you.

1. Enter your numbers in our number checker. Save them in My numbers and they are checked against every new draw.
2. Compare them with the official results, on our results pages or the National Lottery's own site.
3. Ask any National Lottery shop to scan the ticket. The terminal shows whether it won and how much.

Always confirm a win with the official operator before you count on it.

1. Sign the back of the ticket in pen, with your name and ID number. An unsigned ticket can be claimed by whoever holds it.
2. Keep it safe and flat. A torn or washed ticket may not scan.
3. Claim within 365 days of the draw. After that, the prize money goes to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and cannot be paid out.
4. Go to the right place. Small prizes are paid at National Lottery shops; bigger prizes go through payment centres or regional offices, with your ID. Check the current limits on the official National Lottery site before you travel.

Sizekhaya took over the National Lottery from Ithuba on 1 June 2026. Tickets bought before the change can still be claimed within their 365 days, but Ithuba online accounts did not move across: online players need an account on the new platform.

• An SMS, WhatsApp, email or call saying you won a draw you never entered.
• Anyone asking for a fee, tax or "release payment" before you can be paid. The real lottery never charges you to collect a prize.
• Requests for your banking PIN, passwords or one-time codes.

Not for ordinary players: National Lottery prizes are paid in full. Lottery winnings and tax in South Africa.