Did You Know – Lotto Changes & Odds

From 21 Sep 2025, Lotto expanded from 6/52 to 6/58. This makes jackpots harder but bigger, and shifts more prize money to small wins.

Old vs New at a Glance

Feature	Old 6/52	New 6/58	Change
Jackpot odds	1 in 20,358,520	1 in 40,475,358	❌ Worse
Any prize odds	1 in 38.2	1 in 9.61	✅ Better
Payout % of sales	45%	48%	✅ Higher return
Jackpot growth	Smaller	Bigger	✅ Larger jackpots
3 Numbers / 2 + Bonusball	Fixed R50 / R20	Variable, shared	❌ Less predictable

What does "1 in 9.61" mean?

Any prize odds means the chance of winning something, even a very small prize.

• Old Lotto (6/52): On average, only 1 ticket in 38 won a prize.
• New Lotto (6/58): Now about 1 ticket in 10 wins something.

Example for players

Imagine 10 friends each buy 1 Lotto ticket:

• In the old system (6/52) → chances were high that none of you would win.
• In the new system (6/58) → about 1 of the 10 will usually win something (often a small prize).

This happens because:

• Small tiers like 3 Numbers and 2 + Bonusball now share more of the prize pool.
• That means many more people get wins — but usually small (ticket-value or less).
• The jackpot and higher tiers are harder to hit, which funds these extra small wins.

Source: National Lottery announcement, Sept 2025

Match	Odds	Probability
6 Correct Numbers	1 in 40,475,358	0.0000025%
5 Correct Numbers plus Bonusball	1 in 6,745,893	0.0000148%
5 Correct Numbers	1 in 132,272	0.000756%
4 Correct Numbers plus Bonusball	1 in 52,909	0.001890%
4 Correct Numbers	1 in 2,116	0.047251%
3 Correct Numbers plus Bonusball	1 in 1,587	0.063001%
3 Correct Numbers	1 in 97	1.029021%
2 Correct Numbers plus Bonusball	1 in 130	0.771766%

Powerball is 5/50 plus Powerball (1–20). The jackpot requires matching all 5 main numbers plus Powerball. "Any prize odds" combine all tiers (from "Only the Powerball" up to jackpot), so they're much better than jackpot odds — but most of those wins are small.

• Jackpot odds are very long — that's what creates big rollovers.
• Lower tiers (like "Only the Powerball", "1 Correct Number plus Powerball") win more often but pay small amounts.
• Think of Powerball as: many small wins, rare big wins.

Match	Odds	Probability
5 Correct Numbers plus Powerball	1 in 42,375,200	0.0000024%
5 Correct Numbers	1 in 2,230,274	0.0000448%
4 Correct Numbers plus Powerball	1 in 188,334	0.000531%
4 Correct Numbers	1 in 9,912	0.010083%
3 Correct Numbers plus Powerball	1 in 4,280	0.023374%
3 Correct Numbers	1 in 225	0.444444%
2 Correct Numbers plus Powerball	1 in 299	0.334531%
1 Correct Number plus Powerball	1 in 57	1.754386%
Only the Powerball	1 in 35	2.857143%

Daily Lotto is 5/36. There's no Powerball/Bonusball. Because there are fewer numbers and daily draws, the top tier is hit more often than Lotto/Powerball — prizes roll less and tend to be smaller, but "any prize" is much more achievable.

• Jackpot odds are far better than Lotto/Powerball, but the pot is smaller.
• Lower tiers (3 or 2 matches) happen frequently — many small wins.
• If you prefer frequent small wins over big rollovers, Daily Lotto is closer to that profile.

Match	Odds	Probability
5 Correct Numbers	1 in 376,992	0.000265%
4 Correct Numbers	1 in 2,432	0.041115%
3 Correct Numbers	1 in 81	1.233448%
2 Correct Numbers	1 in 8	11.923330%