Saturday, January 25, 2025

Last Night’s PowerBall Lottery Draw Was Rather Unusual [Video]

South Africans were watching the PowerBall closely, due to the whopping R119 million jackpot. The winning numbers certainly stirred up some emotion.

Before we go any further, I would like to point out that I understand the likelihood of consecutive numbers being drawn is the same as any random sequence.

Still, that doesn’t change the fact that when last night’s PowerBall draw was completed, South Africans were left with raised eyebrows.

R119 million up for grabs, as the main jackpot prize, and 2020 delivered another oddity.

Here’s the Citizen:

For the first time in South African Lotto history, a set of consecutive winning numbers came up, including the PowerBall. They were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 – and the Powerball, 10.

The five numbers, all consecutive, is strange enough, but then the PowerBall is the cherry on top.

I buy my lottery tickets via the FNB app, which generates my numbers using a casino-style spin, and if those numbers above had popped up, I would have spun that wheel once more.

Here’s the draw as it played out:

Nobody has picked those numbers, right?

Wrong:

For 20 South Africans, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 means almost six million reasons why your 2020 just got better while the rest up us have 30 more days to endure: The massive jackpot, once divvied up, means each winner walks away with R5 688 468.21.

I’d be stoked to win in excess of R5 million, but I would be bleak that I had to share that mammoth jackpot with so many.

Given that gross corruption charges have been levelled against the National Lotteries Commission (GroundUp has been on the case for years), it’s no wonder that South Africans are a touch cynical.

Some of the comments on the YouTube video above:

Under the official tweet announcing the numbers, there were plenty of confused, bemused, and angry replies.

Then there are the quote tweets:

You get the picture.

For some balance, there’s this:

No, the people don’t want to hear your reasonable, logical thinking!

Congrats to the 20 winners.

To the rest of us, we go again.

[source:citizen]