Another weekend, and two South Africans quietly became Lotto multi-millionaires and there’s a very real chance they don’t even know it yet.
Which raises the obvious question: was it you?
Because if your ticket is still sitting in your wallet, car, or that random drawer where receipts go to die, you might be unintentionally ghosting your own millions.
Lotto results for 18 April 2026
One person bagged R9.9 million in the Lotto Plus 1 draw, and another will be walking away with R22.3 million from the Lotto Plus 2 draw.
The numbers are out. The anxiety is free.
Here’s what came up in that draw:
- Lotto: 23, 25, 31, 48, 52, 53 (Bonus: 08)
- Lotto Plus 1: 01, 04, 08, 40, 41, 57 (Bonus: 19)
- Lotto Plus 2: 1, 38, 43, 56, 57, 58 (Bonus: 53)
If you’re even slightly close, don’t do that thing where you assume you didn’t win. Check properly. Then check again.
The winner hasn’t shown up yet
At the time of writing, the jackpot is still unclaimed.
Which means somewhere out there is a person who is either:
- blissfully unaware
- procrastinating checking their ticket
- or about to have the most chaotic Monday of their life
Historically, this happens more than you’d think. People forget, misplace tickets, or just don’t check in time. Some winners have literally walked around for days, even weeks, before realising they’re sitting on life-changing money.
Powerball jackpot coming up….
You have another chance at a big jackpot.
The Powerball Plus draw on 21 April is estimated at a whopping R71 million. The main PowerBall jackpot is listed at an estimated R42 Million.
You can buy tickets in stores, on nationallottery.co.za or via cellphone banking apps.
Let’s not forget the winning ticket of R108,434,601.60 in the 20 March draw, and the couple from Gauteng who won R178.9 million jackpot on 20 January 2026.
Channel that energy when you buy this week’s tickets.
Other unclaimed jackpots
There are also two inclaimed Daily Lotto jackpots waiting for their winners. R550,000 was won on 19 July 2025. The ticket was purchased in Pretoria, and this winning ticket expires on 19 July 2026.
Then there’s R550,012 from a draw held on 2 October 2025. The ticket was purchased in East London, and will expire on 2 October 2026.
More recently, the Daily Lotto draws produced these winning tickets:
- R475,980 on 17 April
- 133,481 on 19 April (2 winners)
And Daily Lotto Plus:
- R151,878 on 17 April,
- R40,481 on 18 April (3 winners)
- R83,345 on 19 April
What actually happens if you win?
If you played through your bank app, you’ll usually get an SMS nudging you that your life just changed. If it’s a smaller amount (less than R250K), the money lands directly in your account.
But once you cross into “this could ruin my life if I don’t think straight” territory, things get more formal.
Big winners are directed to Ithuba to claim their prize, and yes, they throw in financial and trauma counselling. Because suddenly having millions is, apparently, a lot.
Also worth noting, your winnings are tax-free. One of the few times SARS isn’t waiting in the shadows.
