Nobody hit the R35 million Lotto jackpot on Wednesday, 16 July, but that’s not stopping scammers from trying to convince you otherwise.
According to the National Lottery, you should be very suspicious of any email or SMS claiming you’ve won something, especially if it mentions an amount.
Why? Because that’s not how it works. The only legit way to win is to actually buy a ticket. And then hold onto it.
Lotto results: No big winner here
The jackpot is still up for grabs, with another rollover in play.
That means even though no one matched all six numbers for the main Lotto draw, plenty of South Africans still walked away with something.
Here’s how the payouts broke down for July 16:
Main draw results:
- 26 people matched 5 numbers and won R8,721.70.
- 74 players matched 4 + Bonus and got R2,432.10.
- Over 35,000 people matched 3 numbers, winning R50 each.
Lotto Plus 1 results:
- 45 people matched 5 numbers and scored R5,052.80.
- 83 matched 4 + Bonus for R1,359.60.
- 36,890 players got R25 for matching 3 numbers.
Lotto Plus 2 results:
- 27 lucky players matched 5 numbers and won R8,030.00.
- 79 matched 4 + Bonus for R1,362.10.
- 28,014 walked away with R25 each for 3 numbers.
Don’t fall for the jackpot scam
The National Lottery has issued a fresh fraud alert, warning South Africans to ignore dodgy texts or emails about supposed winnings.
The only way to win with the National Lottery is to buy and be in possession of a winning ticket. The National Lottery will never send you an email or SMS stating the value of your winnings. Beware of such messages as they are generally a scam! pic.twitter.com/s1JwIkvuAS
— #PhandaPushaPlay (@sa_lottery) July 17, 2025
The National Lottery will never send you an email or SMS stating the value of your winnings or asking for your details.
These types of messages are scams.
If you’re not holding a real ticket, you didn’t win.
Simple as that.
