Lotto winners: catch them if you can

After desperately seeking R87.6 million and R12 million Lotto Powerball jackpot winners, it appears that Ithuba National Lottery is continuously on the hunt for their Lotto winners.

So why are these mystery winners playing so hard to get?  Ithuba public relations manager, Zukiswa Nomnganga said, “We believe that in most cases, the winners are not aware that they have won or at times are still in shock, or they think about how they are going to invest this money and will eventually come forward to claim.”

If winners don’t come forward 

Whatever the reasoning for the delay in prize collection might be, there’s no rush as winners have a year to decide whether or not they would like to come forward and claim their reward.  Nomnganga informed us that all players have 365 days to claim their winnings from the day of the draw. She said, “After the 365 days has expired, and in terms of the license, all unclaimed funds must be paid to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.”

Until then Ithuba holdings rely on the media to track down these winners. They make use of their website as a channel in communicating winning tickets that have yet to be claimed, they also work with their retailers (especially those that have sold the winning tickets) and place winning banners in the store where the tickets were bought. 

Nomnganga added, “When announcing the winner, we include all the details of the winning ticket: where it was bought, the region, the amount of the bet and whether it was a quick pick or their own selection. We partly rely on this form of communication to reach our players.”

Tips

For those who have a tendency of losing their ticket, there are some useful options to accommodate you:

The Lotto online

If you bank with Nedbank or FNB (First National Bank), you can play the Lotto online. There is no need to worry about the safekeeping of your ticket, as everything is managed online. Players can buy Lotto, Lotto Plus, and Powerball tickets online. You can view and replay past tickets as well as previous draw results. 

Making use of the above services prevents the misplacement of your ticket and informs players of their winnings but for those who want to stick to the old fashion route, Nomnganga concluded, “We advise our players to always check their tickets during or after the draw to see whether they have won. We encourage the players to keep their tickets safe, and to fill in their details and sign the back of their tickets as proof of ownership.”

Draw results are available on their website , social media pages, lottery retailers and by calling their Player-Helpline on 0800 484 822.  

For more information about Nedbank Lotto online, click here.

For more information about FNB Lotto online, click here.