In the last week, Lottoland SA was responsible for the biggest win in the bookmaker history of South Africa.
A young man from Gauteng, known only as ‘Johannes’, used Lottoland SA to place a quick pick bet with a stake value of only R30, and walked away with a R26.7 million win in the Powerball draw.
Lottoland SA has guided Johannes every step of the way and has not only made the process easy for him, but also very personal. It is this supporting and personal approach that really sets Lottoland SA apart from other bookmakers.
A day after receiving the unbelievable news by telephone, the Lottoland SA team flew Johannes and his mother from Johannesburg to the head office of Lottoland SA in Cape Town. It was at this point that reality finally kicked in and he could come to terms with the fact that it was 100% true, and that he really won this enormous amount of money.
Maryke Haywood, Marketing Head of Lottoland SA said: ‘When I phoned Johannes he was stunned and when I told him the amount he has won, he was in total disbelief! I suggested that he takes it all in and said that I would call him again the next day. When I phoned him the next morning, he still was not convinced, but then as we sent him his flight tickets and hotel booking confirmation, I could hear that reality was starting to sink in.’
On arrival in Cape Town, where he was put up in a five star hotel, the Lottoland SA team validated his required documents. Then, within three days of receiving the life-changing phone call from Lottoland SA, an amount of R26 797 077.50 was paid into his nominated South African bank account.
Additional support services provided by Lottoland SA to the winner included coaching sessions with a psychologist to help him process the event and provide him with tools to cope with this major change in his life. Lottoland SA also facilitated guidance from reputable, registered financial advisors to help Johannes invest his winnings wisely.
It was his mother who told Johannes about Lottoland, when she heard a radio interview with Maryke Haywood about Lottoland SA. He says he placed a few bets on Lottoland SA over the past year, but it was this last bet of only R30, which gave him the big win of R26,7 million. He says in his own words: ‘I could not believe it when I got the call from Lottoland and it really felt like a miracle had just happened.
The day I got the news was the best day of my life and the experience I have had during this process, was simply amazing. I have had so much support and guidance from the Lottoland team and they have literally changed my life. I’m very grateful to Lottoland and I’m going to use this opportunity to make my dreams come true. I’m going to live the good life!’
Many South Africans use the Lottoland SA platform daily to place their fixed-odds bets on international lotteries that include those that have had some of the largest lottery payouts in history, also known as the ‘Big 3’: the US Powerball, MegaMillions and the EuroMillions.
This latest Lottoland SA win is not only the biggest, but it’s also the fourth recent win for Lottoland SA. A few months ago, a South African won R1.4 million in the Spanish Christmas lottery El Gordo on Lottoland SA and last month, another two won R1 million in the Keno 24/7 draw and R214,552.36 on the Mini Polish Lotto respectively. That’s a lot of wins, thanks to Lottoland SA!
‘Lottoland is the best!’, says Johannes. ‘I recommend that you try because winning big does happen to ordinary people, just like me!’
Lottoland is a licensed bookmaker with the Western Cape Gambling and racing board, that gives South Africans the opportunity to place fixed-odds bets on international lotteries, which means that winnings are not limited to millions, but can run into billions of Rands.
Lottoland is recognized around the globe and operates in 55 countries. The advantage of online fixed-odds betting is that you don’t need to be overseas to place a bet on these international lotteries. You don’t have to queue to buy a ticket, nor worry about losing your ticket, as the entire process is digital and you will be contacted automatically by Lottoland SA with your results.
More than 15 million people around the world are regular customers of Lottoland. Their international head office is based in Gibraltar, and Lottoland is the first and only gaming company in the world to have its own insurance company, to give players the peace of mind to know that the payouts of their winnings are 100% guaranteed. Winnings are converted into South African Rands and paid out locally into the player’s nominated South African bank account, to provide a welcome boost to the South African economy.
Maryke Haywood of Lottoland SA concludes: ‘I’m so happy for Johannes and his family and I can’t wait for the next win, perhaps on one of our big payouts like the US Powerball where we will then write another record payout in South Africa.’
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS
• Fixed odds betting is when you place a bet on lottoland.co.za on the outcome of the numbers that you think will be drawn in a specific local or international draw.
• You can therefore indirectly take part in any of these ‘big win’ international draws, without even being in that country.
• If you guess correctly, Lottoland will match the main prizes and pay the same amount to you as the official winning lottery draw pay out.
• Lottoland payouts are guaranteed as the company is registered and regulated by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board.
• Winnings are paid out into your nominated bank account in South Africa.
HOW TO BET ON LOTTOLAND SOUTH AFRICA
• Visit lottoland.co.za
• Register with / Email / Name / SA ID Number / Mobile / Address
• Once you have successfully registered, choose a product to bet on
• There are 6 options to pay for your bet: Visa / Master Card / Snap Scan / Zapper / 1Voucher / SID EFT
• You can also do a direct deposit, but this will take 24 hours to reflect in our account and will thus only show in your Lottoland account 24 hours after you made the direct deposit.
• How do I claim my winnings? When logged in, click on My Account and then on Payout. Click on Add account details ZA.
• Your funds will then be transferred into your account. (Usually within 24 – 72 hours).