Ithuba has announced 20 people have won the R114m PowerBall jackpot and one person won the R5.8m PowerBall PLUS jackpot in Tuesday’s draws.

Having 20 jackpot winners in one is, according to Ithuba, a “historical occasion” as it has never happened before.

“While there have been multiple jackpot winners from the same draw before, including the R110m Lotto jackpot shared by four people in January 2018, never has there been 21 jackpot winners in one night,” the company said.

The sequence of the winning numbers was 5,6,7,8,9 and 10 for the bonus number, something Ithuba said was a common sequence in lotteries worldwide.

“History and experience have taught us it is common for multiple players to select the same winning numbers,” said Busisiwe Msizi, head of corporate relations at the lotteries operator.

“A week ago, we celebrated two players who won the R19m PowerBall PLUS jackpot in the November 24 draw.

“What we were not imagining was 20 people could win the same jackpot. This came as a pleasant surprise to us, and our wildest dream came true. It has always been Ithuba’s goal to offer life-changing jackpots to as many people as possible - especially now, following the tough year we’ve had.”

One winner in the PowerBall draw played via an Absa App.

Other winners were in:

• Gauteng – eight winners;
• Northern Cape – one winner;
• Free State – one winner;
• KwaZulu-Natal – three winners;
• Eastern Cape – two winners;
• Western Cape – one winner;
• Limpopo - one winner; and
• Mpumalanga - two winners.

The PowerBall PLUS winner played via the FNB App.

“We encourage players from these areas to check their tickets and to come collect their winnings. There is no doubt this will positively impact the lives of the winners and their loved ones,” said Msizi.

“We take this opportunity to congratulate everyone, not only for winning the jackpots, but also for being a part of National Lottery history.”

TimesLIVE