South African National Lottery halts physical sales

The South African National Lottery Operator, Ithuba, has confirmed that individuals looking to participate in the lottery will only be able to do so online as a result of the continued spread of COVID-19

The confirmation of sole online play follows on from Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel deeming lottery to be an unessential service at the weekend, thus not allowing physical lottery tickets to continue being sold at supermarkets. 

The Trade and Industry Minister followed up by stating that he would be instructing the operator to issue a statement to provide clarity on the matter, with Ithuba since confirming that it has instructed all retailers to stop selling lottery tickets. 

The operator, which has repeatedly said it is in support of the government regulations, stated it would comply with Patel’s decision. It stated: “As such, Ithuba has informed all participating retailers to cease the sale of all National Lottery tickets and validation of winning tickets.” 

Despite discontinuing physical sales for the time being, Ithuba has continued to urge players to play National Lottery games online on either the National Lottery website or via a mobile app which is downloadable on all smartphones through both the National lottery website and the App Store. 

Moreover, players will also be able to play the National Lottery through online banking, with Ithuba specifying FNB, Absa, Standard Bank and Nedbank as accessible options for players during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ithuba concluded: “We are in full support of the government’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus and we will take all steps necessary to safeguard the well-being of our players.”