How to Claim Prizes | SA PowerBall (2024)

If you win a prize on PowerBall or PowerBall Plus, you must claim your money within 365 days of the draw taking place. The method for claiming depends on how much you have won and also whether you played online or in-store. Find out more about how to claim Powerball winnings.

Tickets Purchased In-Store

If you bought a ticket in-store, make sure you keep it safe and check the results to see if you are a winner once the draw has taken place. If you do win a prize, you will need to present your ticket to be validated before the money is paid out.

The following table shows where you will need to go to redeem your prize, along with the payment method and the time it takes for the payment to be completed:

Prize Value Where To Claim? Method of Payment Payment Time
Up to R2,000 Licensed Retailers Cash Immediate
R2,000 to R49,999 Authorised Payment Centres Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or cheque EFT up to 72 hours; cheque up to 10 business days
R50,000 and above National Lottery Regional Offices Electronic Funds Transfer Up to 72 hours

All participating retailers are obliged to pay out prizes up to R50. Retailers can, at their own discretion, also pay out prizes of up to R5,000 in cash. If you win more than R2,000 but less than R50,000, you will need to complete a claim form and provide proof of identity when claiming from an authorised payment centre.

You will also need to fill out a claim form and provide valid ID if you win R50,000 or more, but you will only be able to redeem your prize at one of Ithuba’s regional offices. There are eight of these, and the addresses are shown below.

Location Address Telephone No:
Eastern Cape 164 Cape Road
Mill Park
Port Elizabeth
+27 41 397 4900
Free State Shop 38
139 Cnr East Burger & Charlotte Maxeke Streets
Bloemfontein Plaza
+27 51 410 1060
Kwazulu-Natal First Floor
85 Richefond Circle
Umhlanga Ridgeside
+27 31 536 6960
Gauteng 14A Charles Crescent
Eastgate Ext. 4
Sandton
+27 11 346 6000
Limpopo 14 Schoeman Street
Polokwane
+27 15 294 9480
Mpumalanga 99 Jacaranda Street
West Acres
Nelspruit
+27 13 741 6500
North West 53 Von Wielligh St
Rustenburg
2999
+27 14 597 8900
Western Cape 200 Main Road
Claremont
Cape Town
+27 21 672 6760

You can also claim prizes through the mail. You need to write your name, identity number and signature on the back of the original winning ticket, and mail it to the Ithuba office at 14A Charles Crescent, Eastgate Ext. 4, Sandton.

Prizes below R50,000 will be paid by EFT. If you win R50,000 or above, you will still need to visit one of the regional offices in person to be paid out. You are advised to retain a photocopy of the winning ticket if you claim a prize through the mail.

Lost, Stolen or Damaged Tickets

A ticket is a bearer instrument and you may not be able to claim if yours has been lost or stolen. You should sign your ticket straight after purchasing it to prevent anyone else from being able to claim a prize with it. If you report a ticket as stolen, Ithuba will launch an investigation to determine if there is sufficient evidence to support your claim and validate that you are the rightful owner.

Tickets must not have been mutilated or tampered with at all, but you can still try to make a claim if your entry has been damaged. An investigation will be carried out and you will be paid as long as the serial number is intact and the information you provide matches up with computer records.

Claiming Online Prizes

If you play online, there is no physical ticket to keep safe as your numbers are securely stored in your online account. You will be notified automatically if you win.

Prize winnings below R50,000 will be transferred directly into your online account. For prizes of R50,000 and above, you will need to visit one of Ithuba’s regional offices.

The Powerball claims process is very easy when you play online as you can follow the instructions from the service you used. It works in a similar way if you are claiming through a banking app or website.

Winnings of up to R50,000 will be paid straight into your bank account within seven days. If you win more, you will need to submit a Powerball claim form. You will be notified via an SMS first and then contacted by phone, before having to visit one of the National Lottery’s regional offices.

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Going Public

Winners of large prizes will be given the option to go public or stay anonymous. If you wish for your identity to remain private, a record of your name will be kept for payment purposes but all of your details will remain confidential. If you choose to go public, you must sign a consent form and then Ithuba will arrange a number of media events, including a winner’s press conference and television appearances.

Unclaimed Prizes

You must claim your prize within 365 days of the PowerBall draw taking place or your ticket will expire and you will not receive your winnings. At that point, 50 percent of the money will be transferred to the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, which donates to a range of good causes in areas such as sports and recreation, arts, culture, and national heritage. The remaining 50 percent is retained by Ithuba to fund future games and special promotions such as guaranteed PowerBall jackpots. More information about Unclaimed Prizes can be found on the PowerBall Rules page.

How to Claim Prizes | SA PowerBall (2024)

FAQs

How to claim money from Powerball? ›

Players can generally claim a prize up to $600 at any licensed lottery retailer in the jurisdiction where they bought the ticket. Prizes over $600 can be claimed at some lottery offices, depending on the amount, and also at lottery headquarters.

How do lottery winners receive their money? ›

The lottery provides winners with the option to receive their winnings either as a single lump sum or through an annuity, which disburses payments over a specified period. Opting for the lump sum entails immediate access to a discounted amount of the total prize after taxes.

How long does it take to get your money if you win Powerball? ›

Your first annuity payment, or the single cash option payment, should arrive within six to eight weeks. There are generally no California state taxes for Lottery prizes, but we are required to withhold federal taxes.

Is there a strategy for Powerball? ›

Evenly distribute the numbers among odds and evens

Some Powerball veterans say that because there are an equal number of odd and even numbers for each possible pick in a Powerball string, it follows that the winning combination will tend to comprise an equal number of odd and even numbers.

How do you get paid from Powerball? ›

Jackpot winners may choose to receive their prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump-sum payment. All lower-tier prizes are set cash amounts.

What happens if you get all 5 numbers but not the Powerball? ›

Matching three main numbers and the Powerball or four main numbers, that's a $100 payout. To land a $50,000 prize, you'll have to match four main numbers and the Powerball. If you match five main numbers but not the Powerball, your ticket is worth $1 million.

How do lottery winners give money to family? ›

However, appointing another individual will protect your privacy. You will then name beneficiaries to the trust, which may be your family members or just yourself. Lottery winners often set up individual trusts for each family member. A lottery winner can also set up charitable or other types of trusts.

What is the first thing you should do if you win the lottery? ›

Before you do so, there are things you should do:
  1. Safeguard the ticket.
  2. Be choosy about who you tell about your win.
  3. Engage a Lawyer and Financial Advisor.
  4. Decide on taking the lump-sum or annuity option.
  5. Plan on income taxes in two parts.
  6. Engage in tax-focused estate planning.
Jan 31, 2024

Are lottery winners giving away money? ›

It's a scam. Say you're scrolling through your social media feed and you see a post saying, “I'm the winner of $600 million from the Powerball lottery. I'm giving away $50,000 to the first one thousand people to message me.” Would you answer?

How to stay safe after winning the lottery? ›

To stay safe as a lottery winner, first, remain anonymous if your jurisdiction allows. Next, secure your winning ticket in a safe place and consider taking photos or copies as evidence. Seek professional advice from a financial advisor, lawyer, and accountant to plan your financial future wisely.

How much will I pay in taxes if I win a million dollars? ›

How much do I pay in taxes if I win 1,000,000? If your gross prize for lump sum payout is $1,000,000, you need to pay $334,072 in total tax ($240,000 federal withholding, plus the remaining $94,072 for single filing status in 2021).

What happens if you win the Powerball number only? ›

How Powerball Prizes Work. If you only get the Powerball number, you win $4. Matching one number plus the Powerball also wins you $4, while matching 2 numbers plus the Powerball gets you $7.

Is there a trick to winning the Powerball? ›

Experts suggest that you should add up the five numbers you pick and try to stay within a target range. The preferred range is between 140 and 240 after your five number are added together. More than half of the winning number combinations fall in that range.

Who won the lottery 14 times? ›

In the 1990s, Romanian-Australian economist Stefan Mandel and his small team entered the lottery and won. Over and over and over again. The feat, of course, wasn't achieved through having a really lucky set of numbers.

Is there a pattern to win Powerball? ›

There is no wrong way to choose Powerball numbers. There's also no magic formula to pick the winning numbers.

What should I do if I win the Powerball? ›

Practicalities of Claiming the Jackpot
  1. Safeguard the ticket. Sign the back of the ticket immediately and then store it somewhere secure. ...
  2. Be choosy about who you tell about your win. ...
  3. Engage a Lawyer and Financial Advisor. ...
  4. Decide on taking the lump-sum or annuity option. ...
  5. Plan on income taxes in two parts.
Jan 31, 2024

What happens if a Powerball jackpot goes unclaimed? ›

Should either jackpot go unclaimed, the funds will be reallocated back to the states that participated in the games, in the amount they contributed. In California, those returned funds would go to the state's public schools. In Florida, 80% of the funds would also go toward benefitting education in the state.

How to give money to family after winning the lottery? ›

Consult with a Tax Professional: Before you start doling out cash, get in touch with someone who can guide you through the tax implications. Set Up Trusts: For larger gifts, consider setting up trusts. It's like giving your money a blueprint for how you want it to be used and can provide some tax benefits.

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