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LottoStar celebrates the jackpot wins on our thrilling games in the Winners category of our exclusive blog.

Blog: News updates on recent winners 

Is it safe to assume that most people have an idea of how they would live their lives after winning a major lottery jackpot and that these ideas are centred mostly on the kinds of houses they would own or the restaurants they would eat at? However, have you ever thought about whether major lottery winners keep their day jobs or not?

The opinions vary amongst winners but to provide more insight on this topic, this is what some lottery winners decided to do after winning a massive jackpot…

A Johannesburg man continued to work his 9 to 5 job as normal after winning a R6 million jackpot in 2019. The lucky man had no plans of quitting his job and only told his immediate family about his major winnings. He decided that he would not be changing his lifestyle after being asked what he would be doing with his winnings, the man said that he would be paying off his debts, ensuring his children received the best education as well as donating some of his winning to a homeless shelter in his community. This lucky winner did not believe in quitting his day job as he enjoyed what he did for a living.

No more Domestic Work for one lucky winner

After winning R70 Million on the Power Ball Plus, a domestic worker quit her day job of 30 years. This was an easy decision for the lucky winner as she had always dreamt of living in a 5-bedroom home in a beautiful suburb. In addition to moving into her dream home, the lucky lady could fulfil her promise to pay for her daughter’s university fees so that she could become the first one in their family to obtain a degree.

A R232 Million Jackpot winner keeps his day job

South Africa’s biggest lottery jackpot winner decided to keep his 9 to 5 job after winning a massive R232 million. The 50-year-old man from Cape Town, who is a general worker, had no plans of quitting his day job. After receiving counselling on his big win, the major winner decided to live a normal life and put most of his winnings towards his children’s education. He only intended to splurge on building a family home for him and his family.

Would you quit your day job if you won big on a major lottery?

Try your luck on any one of LottoStar’s major lotteries and you could win a payout up to R2 billion and never have to work another day in your life.

TO WORK OR NOT TO WORK AFTER WINNING BIG ON A MAJOR LOTTERY?

In part 1 of the LottoStar and Jacaranda FM’s Good Morning Angels ‘share the love’ initiative, LottoStar contributed R400,000 to those in need.

LottoStar and GMA will contribute another R500,000 to many more people in need from the 21st September to the 7th October. Remember to nominate a friend, family member or anyone who is in need of financial support so that we can provide some light and love in their lives.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with a widowed grandmother in the form of R20 000.

Lerato wrote to Good Morning Angels from Botshabelo in the Free State. Lerato’s neighbour, Maria, is the sole bread winner for her family of eight. Her husband passed away two years ago soon after her son, who suffered a brain tumour sadly passed away too. Maria now relies on her government pension to look after her six grandchildren, her daughter and herself. Lerato has sought out various ways of assisting Maria with food parcels for her family, as well as an RDP home but unfortunately, she has not received any response yet. Maria is living in dire circumstances and her biggest concern now is that she cannot afford her grandchildren’s school clothes and stationery.

LottoStar contributed R20 000 to Maria and her family for food, school clothes, stationery and other essentials.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R20,000 with a single mother awaiting a kidney transplant.

Larissa Kruger receives dialysis three times a week as a state patient while she waits for a lifesaving kidney transplant. Her long wait for a kidney transplant led to her losing her job and income in October last year. She is the sole breadwinner to her daughters as her husband sadly passed away. Larissa could not keep up with the house payments and moved into a house in Delmas where she could stay until it is sold. Her children are in school in Centurion and may have to stay with friends during the week for her daughters to attend school.

LottoStar contributed R20,000 to Larissa and her daughter to help them through this difficult time.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R35,000 with a community hero who is fighting for her own life.

Lauren de Swardt, from Mbombela is well-known, loved and respected by many in her community. As a paramedic, she has dedicated her life to helping those in ultimate distress, need and life-threatening situations. It was during one of these situations in 2017, Lauren was attending to a six-year-old girl when she got injured on the job. Despite her own pain, Lauren made sure her little patient was safe and taken care of before she went for a check-up.

Lauren had cracked her ribs but the tests revealed more, she was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of lung cancer. Doctors found that the cancer is so rare that there was no known treatment protocol and the medical aid did not cover the prescribed treatment.

The community came together to assist Lauren and over the past three years, her cancer has gone into remission and sadly returned. Lauren’s cancer has worsened and she has not been able to work for quite some time. Despite fighting her cancer, Lauren is back at work as a paramedic, however, she needs R35 000 for six months of her new treatment, which is not covered by medical aid.

LottoStar have contributed R35,000 towards Lauren’s cancer treatment.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R10,000 with a tenacious 5-year old, Amy Olivier.

Amy Olivier and her twin-brother André were born five years ago. Sadly, Amy was born with water on her brain and Spina Bifida which is a condition that affects her muscle growth. She has been through several operations in her life but her mother, Shirley-Anne, was told that Amy would never be able to walk. However, Amy has just turned 5-years-old and has started walking all by herself. She falls often as her hips are weak and her feet are pointed inwards but she is scheduled to have an operation to fix this on the 29th September. Unfortunately, Amy’s parents are struggling to scrape together the R6,000 co-payment which is needed for the operation.

LottoStar contributed R10,000 towards Amy’s hip operation. We hope to see little Amy up and running in no time.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R10,000 with a chef who is about to lose everything

Jurie Bekker’s passion is cooking and he has been a chef all his life. Unfortunately, Jurie’s eyesight started deteriorating and only got worse which led him to losing his job which he loved so much. Jurie has been unable to find other work in his field since and has resorted to selling scrap metal and other items he could find to keep a roof over his family’s head. He has now sold most of their possessions of value to keep paying rent and sadly, the situation has only gotten worse due to the lockdown.

LottoStar has contributed R10,000 to Jurie to assist him and his family through this difficult time.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R20,000 with a single mother of six who is battling skin cancer.

Shoneez Allow has faced many obstacles in her life thus far, she did not matriculate as she had to leave school after Grade 10 to care for her mother who had a stroke. She is a mother to six children and has raised and taken care of all her children on her own. During lockdown, Shoneez was sadly diagnosed with a type of skin cancer, she returned to work in July but was unfortunately retrenched later that month.

Shoneez received a small severance package which she put towards paying her rent and buying living essentials for her family. Two of her children are still in school and she has 4-year-old child who she looks after full-time. Shoneez fears the worst as their situation has become more difficult and she does not know how she will afford her rent in the coming months. Her father and sister assist where they can by providing Shoneez and her family with food but they too have limited resources.

LottoStar have contributed R20,000 to Shoneez to assist her with buying living essentials for her family and paying for her cancer treatment.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R15,000 with a single dad who is struggling to support his family.

Günter is a car salesman and a proud dad to his two daughters, Caitlyn and Lourens. As a car salesman, Günter earns a commission-based income, however, during the lockdown, he could not work and couldn’t earn an income. Günter returned to work last month but throughout the lockdown he could not look for alternative employment as he had to stay home with his children.

Like many parents, Günter lives and works for his children, however, the lockdown brought about so many financial challenges for him that he could no longer afford to pay his daughters’ school fees.

LottoStar has contributed R15,000 to Günter so that he can pay for his daughters’ school fees and other living essentials.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with Sindiswa in the form of R20,000

Life has been extremely difficult for Sindiswa, a young mother to two daughters. Two years ago, Sindiswa and her daughters ended up living in a shelter after losing everything they had. Their situation has worsened and Sindiswa has been scraping by and trying to make ends meet for her and her two daughters, ever since.

A few months ago, the unimaginable happened, Sindiswa’s four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Covid-19 and after struggling to breathe, she sadly passed away.

Heartbroken and desperate Sindiswa soldiered on and is doing all she can to provide for her six-year-old daughter. She went from door-to-door to asking for food and work, however, people in her community did not want to be in contact with her, as they feared that she too had Covid-19.

While seeking employment Sindiswa met a kind man who offered her a job, she was extremely grateful. She now earns R600 a month, but she is still living in dire circumstances.

LottoStar has contributed R20,000 to Sindiswa to help her get back on her feet and help her provide for her six-year old daughter.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with the Pliek family in the form of R20,000

The Piek-family have had to endure tremendous obstacles and heartbreak in one week. It began with the sudden birth of Jamie-Lee and Quinton Piek’s third son. Baby Aiden was born on Monday, 21 September, Jamie-Lee did not have any contractions but suddenly knew that it was time to give birth to her baby.

Jamie’s husband, Quinton and mother-in-law, Elmarie, helped Jamie-Lee to the car for an emergency trip to the maternity ward. Three minutes into their trip to the hospital, baby Aiden was born. Jamie-Lee delivered him in the backseat of their car with the help of Quinton and Elmarie.

While Jamie and her baby were healthy and doing well in hospital, the Piek’s eldest son, 6-year-old Dylan was admitted in another hospital with suspected meningitis. Dylan was admitted on 16 September with a fever, this was extremely difficult for the family as they could not visit him due to Jamie-Lee’s pregnancy and Covid-19 restrictions.

Sadly, Dylan passed-away on Thursday 24 September, just three days after his baby brother’s birth. The family is devastated, Jamie-Lee and Quinton will be saying goodbye to their beautiful Dylan today at his funeral with brother Jayden (2) and baby Aiden as well as granny Elmarie by their side.

LottoStar and GMA contributed R20,000 to the Piek family to assist them with paying for Dylan’s funeral and with the outstanding medical bills for his treatment.

LottoStar share the love in the form of R25,000 with 2-year old, Ethan Erlank.

Noelene van Blerk, a teacher from Vanderbijlpark, came across a sad video of a little boy crying on social media. The little boy in the video was 2-year- old Ethan Erlank. He was born with a club foot – a condition in which a new-born’s foot or feet appear to be rotated internally at the ankle.

Ethan’s mother, Marinda, says that when Ethan started walking, the hospital treated his foot with a soft cast and splint. He can now walk but unfortunately the treatment did not straighten Ethan’s foot which makes walking very painful for him. Ethan was later treated with a hard cast which was replaced every four weeks, however, he developed a rash underneath the cast. This turned into an infection, which prevented Ethan from receiving further cast treatment.

Due to the lockdown, Ethan could not go back to the hospital for months which caused him a lot of pain and discomfort. This was when Noelene saw the video of little Ethan, his pain broke her heart.

Noelene generously arranged for Ethan to go to a private doctor for the first time – the doctor advised that he could assist Ethan with his foot which would relieve the pain. Despite special rates and plans, the operation would cost R30 000,00 which Marinda and her husband cannot afford – especially now that her husband has had to take a salary cut.

Noelene has set up a fund for Ethan with a lawyer and they’ve managed to raise R7000,00 thus far. However, it is still not enough to cover costs of the operation and the medical treatment Ethan will need.

LottoStar have contributed R25,000 towards Ethan’s urgent operation and medical care.

LottoStar shares the love in the form of R40,000 with Thato.

Ten-year old Thato was born with cerebral palsy and has required special care ever since. Nkele, Thato’s mother is a single parent and has cared for Thato on her own ever since. She has been able to give her son the care he has needed with the help of her mother. Nkele, is the only breadwinner in her home, at the same time she is studying a B.Com HR Management degree, to improve her job opportunities.

Mariette Jansen, Nkele’s manager, describes her as an amazing woman and mother. “Nkele is an awesome person and great mother, caring and loving. In everything she does, Thato comes first.”

Thato has grown out of his wheelchair and Nkele is saving up to buy a new wheelchair.

This would cost her R30,000 which is not covered by their medical aid.

In the meantime, Thato sits in a make-shift chair but he is too heavy and has fallen out of the chair on numerous occasions. The last time Thato fell out of his wheelchair, he lost a permanent tooth and as his bones are very brittle due to the cerebral palsy, he is at risk of breaking more bones. Nkele fears the worst if Thato does not get a new wheelchair.

LottoStar has contributed a total of R40,000 to Nkele, so that she can buy a new wheelchair for Thato as well as for basic living essentials.

LottoStar shares the love in the form of R200,000 with Operation Helping Hands.

South African State hospitals are under great strain and the Covid-19 pandemic has put immense pressure on the public medical facilities to provide basic care. Due to the increased pressure on state hospitals, the waiting lists for surgeries have grown even longer. For many South Africans, there is no alternative but to wait until they can receive their much-needed surgery.

A group of private doctors and medical professionals have been working tirelessly to assist some of these patients through Operation Healing Hands (OHH). OHH focusses on providing life improvement and pain relief of state patients such as joint replacements and interventions that will prevent life threatening or impairing conditions like cancer, loss of eyesight and hearing loss.

Although the OHH doctors provide their time, skills, treatment and expertise for free – theatre time at private facilities and consumables during procedures are very costly. Some of the patients that OHH are helping include children, who need their tonsils removed, others need grommets or cancer surgery. The doctors and the patients are ready, however, they are in dire need of financial assistance to help cover the hospital costs.

38-year old, Cornel Breedt is one of the patiencts that OHH will be providing surgery to! Cornel has been struggling with gradual hearing loss for the past 15 years. She has been a state patient for many years as her mother did not have medical aid and subsequently passed away. Cornel has seen many doctors and specialists over the past 15 years, she received a donated hearing aid, however, this did not help. The only solution for Cornel’s rapidly deteriorating hearing loss is an operation to fix the bones in her middle ears. The operation will cost R70 000 and she cannot afford medical aid to cover the surgery she needs. The OHH doctors can provide Cornel with the operation, however, they need financial assistance in order to cover the hospital costs.

LottoStar has generously contributed R200,000 to the doctors of Operation Helping Hands so that they can provide Cornel with her much needed operation as well as many more patients who need medical assistance.

Good Morning Angels: With Love | Part 2

One lucky person has claimed the Euro Millions £57 million jackpot (R1,1 billion in South Africa) at the 11the hour. The draw took place on the 17th of March and was won by a single ticket holder in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The prize was due to expire at 23:59 on Sunday but a successful claim was validated over the weekend. Players are given 180 days to make claims on prizes but if nobody hands over the lucky ticket then the cash will be handed to a good cause.

The winner’s identity is still unknown, however, he/she will now make the list of some of the wealthiest people alongside celebrities such as Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, Manchester United's Paul Pogba and One Direction's Zayn Malik. The winning numbers were 5, 7, 8, 16, 20 with Lucky Stars 2 and 12.

You could be the next major winner too. Place your bets on LottoStar’s Euro Millions and you could win a payout of up to R225 Million every Tuesday and Friday!

A man from Brisbane, Australia, won $1 Million (R11,9 million in South Africa) after playing the same lottery numbers for 20 years! The lucky winner realised that he had won the Gold Lotto draw late Monday evening.

“My wife and I saw that we had won at about nine o’clock last night and we didn’t get much sleep after that”, he told officials on Tuesday morning.

“I have been playing those exact numbers for about 20 years. I can’t believe they’ve finally come up. It’s incredible. Honestly, I never thought this would happen, you hope, and you pray, but you never think you will actually win the lottery”.

The lucky winner plans on investing his winnings in his and his wife’s retirement. They are also planning a holiday abroad once the Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. “I have always wanted to go to the Easter Islands. It has been a dream of mine for some time, so hopefully when we’re allowed to travel again, I can make that happen. It will be amazing.” Said the new millionaire.

The winning numbers which the lucky winner had been playing for 20 years are 31, 16, 23, 43, 1 and 24. The supplementary numbers were 18 and 36.

Keep trying your lucky numbers on any of LottoStar’s major lotteries and you could win payouts of up to R2 Billion.

Euro Millions winner claims R1,1 billion jackpot just in time

What would you do if you found out that you have just won $20,000 (R240,863.03 in South Africa) a year for the next 20 years of your life? Well just ask one lucky lady from Proserpine, Queensland, Australia, who won division one in the Set for Life lottery – Set for Life gives you the chance to win the division one prize of $20,000 a month for 20 years – that’s $20K on replay. Each ticket you purchase gives you an entry into seven consecutive daily draws! Meaning you have the chance to win $20K on replay seven times.

The lucky winner was at work when she received a phone call informing her that she had just won $20,000 a year for the next 20 year of her life which means that she will receive a total of $4,8 million (R57 Million) in the next two decades. As one can only imagine, the major winner was in absolute disbelief upon receiving the good news. “Oh my god! Oh my god!” she laughed. “I am shocked! I don’t know what to say. “I am completely speechless.” “I can’t believe this has happened to me. I never in a million years thought I would win division one”, said the lucky winner.

The overjoyed winner had a few ideas about how she would be spending her winnings. "The first thing I am going to do is get myself a new car”, she explained.

“I will share some with my family too, and I want to donate some money to a number of charities.

“I will keep working, but I might cut back a bit. I might do some volunteering instead!

“I just don’t even know what I will do with the rest of the prize.

“I won’t be worried about looking out for things on sale now though!

“We’ve always been battlers, so this changes everything for my family”.

The lucky winner purchased the winning 5-game QuickPick at a local store in Proserpine.

The winning numbers in the Set for Life draw 1850 were 19, 35, 7, 5, 23, 44 and 34, with the bonus numbers 17 and 41.

Across the country, the Queensland winner held the only entry that won the division one prize in Set for Life draw 1850 on Saturday 29 August 2020. She is now the 66th Set for Life division one winner nationally since the game began and the 12th Set for Life division one winner for the year.

You could be ‘set’ for the rest of your life too!

Place your bets on LottoStar’s Set for Life and you could win a payout of up to R650 Million.

Set for 20 Years – A Lottery Payout That Lasts

Could you imagine winning a major lottery twice in your life? Well, the unimaginable is possible and there’s a couple who know all about it. Raymond and Gaye Lillington from Dingwall, Nova Scotia in Canada, won the Canadian Lotto 6/49 jackpot for the second time in the space of seven years.

In 2013, the couple won a $3,2 Million Lotto 6/49 jackpot (R53, 7 Million in South Africa) on a ticket they purchased at a local food market and now seven years later, the Lillington’s have won $17,4 million in the Lotto 6/49 draw (R292 Million in South Africa) after purchasing a ticket from the same store.

The Lillington’s could not believe their luck. “I still played and people said, ‘you’ll never win again,’ and I said, ‘of course I will”, said Raymond Lillington. “But that was a joke! I never imagined this could actually happen”.

“That was pretty exciting. This is even more so but that was life-changing for us,” said Gaye Lillington. “It was amazing, still amazing.”

The couple’s first win went towards their retirement and allowed them to purchase a new home and new vehicles. They also used their winnings to fulfil most of their travelling dreams. The couple who have now collected a $17,405,158 cheque, (R292,562,549.37) plan on sharing much of their winnings with family and loved ones, this includes their five children and six grandchildren.

In addition, the Lillington’s intend on supporting some local organizations and do some more international travelling when it is safe to do so.

The Lillington’s family could not believe that they had won the lottery for the second time around.

“Our kids are even more mesmerized than we are. They just can’t believe it”, Raymond said. “My oldest texted me a million times today. He can’t eat, he can’t sleep, the kids just can’t believe it’s real.”

The couple are not the only big winners according to the Atlantic Lottery rules that stipulate that when a winning ticket is sold at a retail, the retail venue receives one per cent of the winning amount.

Therefore, the owner of the food market received $174,000 which is a saving grace as the rural business had been struggling due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 major lotteries and who knows - You could strike it lucky once or even twice!

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LUCK STRIKES AGAIN!

South Africa has experienced extreme hardship during the last six months of the Nationwide lockdown due to the COVID 19 Pandemic. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread across South Africa, the closing of businesses and the loss of jobs means that many more South Africans are unable to provide for themselves and their families.

Whilst it gets more difficult each day for ordinary citizens to sustain their households, South Africa is in desperate need of little light and love. Therefore, LottoStar and Jacaranda FM’s Good Morning Angels have teamed up to shine some light in these dark days. In a two-part initiative (from the 19th August to the 4th September and the 21st September to the 7th October), LottoStar will be providing financial assistance through the Good Morning Angels segment to various families and causes during this difficult time. We will be sharing the love in the form of daily contributions of up to R800,000, over a 5-week period to South African citizens in need.

Good Morning Angels (GMA) is a Jacaranda FM breakfast feature, that allows people or listeners to nominate those in need in their communities, by connecting them to the right sponsors or funders to assist. It airs every Wednesday on “This is Breakfast with Martin Bester” between 6-9 am. Jacaranda relies on sponsors and funders to assist those in need, however, this initiative will take place daily.

LottoStar and Jacaranda FM’s Good Morning Angels have collaborated in many causes and have helped changed many lives. Now, more than ever, we know that we have to step up and help as many South Africans as we can. Together we hope that we can ease some of the burdens that so many people face as the effects of Covid-19 Pandemic worsen.

Join in and share the love with LottoStar and Good Morning Angels by nominating a friend/family or cause in need of financial aid during this difficult time. You can 

 someone in need and help us spread light and love throughout South Africa.

 every morning to listen to each story/contribution.

LottoStar and GMA came together to share the love with a mother and her son in the form of R10,000. Natasha who fled from an abusive relationship with her son, Willem, a few weeks ago could not afford to send her son back to school. LottoStar has contributed R10,000 to help Willem realise his dream of going back to school and learning how to play soccer. R5,000 will go towards Willem’s new school uniform and the other R5,000 will be used to enrol him in the Euro Soccer Schools Academy and will also cover the costs of his soccer kit.

LottoStar shared the love with Esmerelda in the form of R35,000. Esmeralda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. After aggressive chemo and a mastectomy, Esmeralda was in remission. However, late last year, the cancer was back – this time in her brain and right lung. The brain cancer affects her balance and eyesight, she does not have medical aid and receives treatment from a state hospital but because she is employed, she has to make co-payments, which have amounted to R27,000. Esmeralda cannot afford to pay off this large amount of debt, therefore, LottoStar has contributed R35,000 so that Esmeralda can pay off her medical debt.

LottoStar and GMA shard the love with Veli and his family in the form of R 15,000. Veli Mbali is a father of two. His children are all he has left after losing his wife and mother to a devastating car accident last year. Veli lost the use of both his legs as a result of the accident and has been wheelchair-bound ever since. He has not been able to work since the accident and relies on the church and hand-outs to provide for his children. However, this has not been possible because of the lockdown. Veli is heartbroken as he cannot provide for his children. LottoStar has contributed R15,000 to Veli and his family for food and essentials. We hope that this contribution will provide some much-needed light for Veli and his family.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with an elderly couple in the form of R15,000. 77-year old Bessie and 81-year old George Hattingh are residents in the Huis Vergenoeg retirement village in Pretoria. They enjoy their independence in their little home and still drive themselves to the shops and doctors as they need to. They have recently had some bad luck with some of their old major appliances, packing up all at the same time. Their fridge and stove are both beyond repair and their washing machine is old which makes it extremely difficult for Bessie to do the laundry. The elderly couple contemplated selling their car which they have had for 30 years, however, this would leave them stranded if they needed to go to the shops or the doctor. LottoStar has stepped in and assisted Bessie and George with R15,000 so that they can buy a new fridge stove and washing machine.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with a single mother of seven in the form of R20,000. Thando is a 34-year-old single mother of seven children, aged between almost 2 and 18. Thando had a partner but sadly he passed away. She found love again and was expecting triplets with her new partner. At the time, her boyfriend had a job and medical aid and Thando had saved up some money to have the babies in a private hospital. However, her surprise was not complete. When the doctor began delivering her babies, they found out that there were two more babies, making it a total of four girls and a boy!

Thando was very emotional when her babies were born as she did not know how she would care for them. Shortly after the quintuplets were born, her boyfriend lost his job and left. She made up her mind to raise her babies on her own and has been working hard as a receptionist at a gym in Germiston, living in a four-room house with her mom, three siblings and seven children to make ends meet. Unfortunately, Covid-19 struck and due to the national lockdown, she could not work for five months. Although Thando returns to work this week, she is struggling to make ends meet and provide for her family. LottoStar has contributed R20,000 in AngelRands for food, clothing and essentials for her seven children, parents and siblings. We hope that this contribution will provide some light and relief in Thando and her family’s lives.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with a ‘woman on a mission to save her community in the form of R50,000.

Joanie Fredricks, from Tafelsig in Mitchell’s Plain, has been working in her impoverished community feeding the hungry for many years. The devastation brought upon the already needy and marginalised communities in the country by the national lockdown has left many in her community in dire circumstances.

Joanie has issued many letters and messages to the president, asking him to fulfil the COVID-19 assistance promises to help those in need. Joanie simply wants to know: “What about the people?” Marc Löttering, the well-loved comedian and entertainer, came across Joanie’s Facebook posts, messages and pleas for assistance and pitched in to help spread the word. He also wrote a song, performed by Craig Lucas and made a video, highlighting the plight of the poor.

LottoStar contributed R50,000 to Joanie so that she can provide a meal for as many people in need as possible.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with a mother and her son in the form of R25,000. Susan le Grange, from Nelspruit, has been looking for a stable job for more than two years. When she turned 60-years old, her employer asked her to retire, therefore, she had to live off her pension. Susan and her 32-year old son, JP, are both unemployed and have both been doing odd-jobs to make a living. Susan has sent her CV to several places without any response and JP has not been able to find any stable employment as well. They have lived in a rented flat for many years and due to the lockdown, they have fallen behind on their rent of R3 830 a month. Susan says she paid towards rent as much as she could, however, they are R19 500 behind and have now been asked to vacate the flat by the end of the month.

LottoStar contributed R20,000 to Susan so that she can pay off her rental debts and extra R5,000 to help her and JP find a new home to stay.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R20,000 with a little girl who dreams of walking one day.

Chrisna Lubbe, is a hardworking, proud and single mother to her daughter, Christie, who was born prematurely and was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Therefore, Christie has never been able to walk but she has been fighting on since birth. As a single mother, Chrisna works long hours, does extra baking and anything else to pay for Christie’s medical needs and physiotherapy. Chrisna and Christie believe that she will be able to walk someday. However, this dream is becoming very difficult to fund as Chrisna’s medical aid has been depleted. Chrisna has co-payment bills piling up to the point that she would have to give up the physiotherapy that Christie needs.

LottoStar contributed R 20,000 to Chrisna so that she can pay some of Christie’s medical and physiotherapy bills.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with Jessica Jonker in the form of R20,000.

Jessica Jonker has been providing shelter for her aunt and uncle for almost three years now. Both her uncle and aunt lost their jobs in 2016 and have been residing in a caravan in Jessica’s backyard. However, the caravan is not sealed and gets very cold at night. Jessica’s uncle, Douglas, works as a car guard and with the little he earns, he can’t afford any other living arrangements.

Jessica has been trying to build a small living area for them but she does not have the funds to do so. From the several quotes she had already obtained, the one on call would cost her a total of R20,000. She tried to raise funds online but was only able to raise R518,46 in two months.

Jessica’s last resort was LottoStar and GMA, therefore, we were honoured to share the love with her in the form of R20,000 to assist in providing comfortable and warm shelter for her aunt and uncle.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with a determined mother in the form of R15,000. Gugu Zikalala is a single mother to her seven-year-old daughter, Asemahle. While completing her 3-year degree in Education, Gugu found a job to earn an income. She was determined to create a better future for herself and her daughter, however, two months ago, Gugu received a letter of retrenchment due to the lockdown. Gugu has applied for UIF but she had not received any money and she has been baking and doing what she can to earn an income and provide for her and Asemahle. Her daughter has gone back to school, however, she does not have a lunchbox and has grown out of her white sports shoes needed for school. Gugu cannot afford the basic living essentials for her and her daughter and she can no longer afford baking supplies to help create an income.

LottoStar contributed R15,000 to assist Gugu with buying food and new white sports shoes for Asemahle!

LottoStar and GMA share the love with Yola and her family in the form of R30,000.

Yola has experienced immense loss throughout her adult life. 30 years ago, her daughter died of brain cancer at the age of seven. Yola now has three daughters – a 32-year-old, who has a seven-year-old daughter of her own, a 26-year-old daughter, who had meningitis when she was younger which sadly stunted her brain development and a 21-year-old daughter, Nikki, who has cerebral palsy. Yola and her daughters and granddaughter all live together in the same home.

In February this year, Yola’s husband left for a job in the Congo and that is when she was confronted with a traumatic revelation. Her seven-year-old granddaughter had told Yola that her grandfather had been molesting her since she was six. When Yola’s 26-year-old daughter found out what had been happening to her daughter, she broke down and revealed that the same had happened to her, for the past 21 years. Yola is devastated that the man she loved could have done this. To make matters worse, Yola found out that her 21-year-old daughter, Nikki was also traumatised by this as she had witnessed what Yola’s husband had been doing. It has been an extremely difficult time for Yola and her family and when the national lockdown came into place, Nikki had to go for another operation. Despite all the trauma and difficulties, the family have faced, Yola is determined to get through this difficult time and carry on.

LottoStar has contributed R30,000 to Yola so that she can buy a new tumble dryer for Nikki’s clothes and bedding and put some of it towards their rent and new art materials.

LottoStar & GMA share the love in the form R50,000 with a family fighting to save their loved one’s life.

Michael is 19-years old and currently a student at the University of Cape Town. Just before the national lockdown was implemented in March, Michael went home to his stay with his family at their home in Randpark, at this stage, he was a healthy, happy young adult with a bright future ahead of him. During the lockdown, Michael discovered that he had a painful lump on his neck which his doctor removed and sent off for testing. Unfortunately for Michael and his family, the result was devastating. Doctors found that Michael had a very rare, aggressive form of cancer called a NUT Carcinoma. To make matters worse, doctors advised that Michael’s life expectancy was only six to seven months.

Since then, Michael has been for chemo and numerous treatments available in South Africa, these treatments were paid for by his medical aid. However, given the time limit in which Michael was given to live, his family decided to investigate alternative treatments abroad. Unfortunately, these treatments would not be covered by his medical aid. His sister, Marchelle, created a donation page, “Fighting for Mike”, in efforts to raise R500,000 which would possibly allow her brother every opportunity to find a treatment. Thus far, Marchelle has managed to raise R375,000 through their donation page, however, the family still require another R125,000 to have a shot at saving Michael’s life.

LottoStar has contributed R50,000 to Cilliers-family to assist them in their fight to save Michael.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with the Rossouw family in the form of R25,000.

The Rossouw family have experienced immense hardship during the national lockdown. Sarah Rossouw worked for Caxton Magazines and as a group class instructor at a gym for an extra income. When lockdown began, Sarah could no longer rely on her extra income as the gyms were closed. In April, Sarah’s husband, Austin was sadly retrenched from his job. Sarah continued to work long hours at home amid the financial stress that mounted. To make matters worse, Sarah suffered a mild stroke due to the immense pressure she was under and had to be hospitalised. Sadly, the bad news did not end there, in June, Caxton Magazines closed 11 of their 12 titles and Sarah was retrenched. In August, Austin was in hospital for tests when Sarah and their two daughters, Taegen (13) and Alyssa (7) were held up in their home during a robbery. The robbers took everything of value the family-owned as well as their sense of security in their home. The family were fortunate that they were not physically harmed and have since moved in with relatives. However, with the schools re-opening, Sarah realised that they could not afford their daughters’ school fees.

LottoStar sends some light and love to the Rossouw family with a contribution of R25,000 so that they can pay for their daughters’ school fees and buy basic living essentials.

LottoStar and GMA share the love with Cobus and his family in the form of R25,000.

In the early hours of the morning of August the 20th, Cobus Verwey and his family’s home was destroyed in a fire. Cobus, his wife, in-laws, grandfather and grandmother all lived in this home. Cobus and his wife, Christine, were awoken in the early hours of the morning by a loud bang and terrifying screams. A fire had broken out in the part of their home where their parents were sleeping. Cobus, Christine and their father ran to where their grandparents were, at this time, the smoke was thick and everywhere. Christine got caught in the smoke which caused her to lose consciousness, fortunately, she was later revived. The family all managed to get out but sadly, their grandmother passed away from smoke inhalation. Their entire home was destroyed and the process of getting paid out by their insurance has been lengthy. The family are currently living in a shelter and have received donations of clothing, some essential appliances and furniture from the community. Despite the donations from their community, the family is in dire circumstances - Cobus lost his job in January and Christine cannot work due to ill health. Cobus is struggling to find a new job and he and his family cannot afford basic living and essentials.

LottoStar contributed R25,000 to help Cobus and his family rebuild their lives after the devastating fire and the loss of his grandmother.

LottoStar and GMA share the love in the form of R25,000 with Lood and his family. 58-year old Lood de Jager survived an attack by armed robbers when he arrived home from the bank after withdrawing his entire salary in cash. The robbers parked behind him in the driveway and one of the men knocked on the window and demanded his car keys, which Lood handed over without a fight. They asked for the money too, which he handed over, at this moment, Lood's granddaughter and daughter, who live with him came to open the gate for him. Their dogs ran out to defend Lood and their 4-year old Doberman, Nikki, was shot by the robbers. Two more shots were fired by the robbers and one of the bullets went straight through his daughter’s trouser leg and into the wall. Eventually, the robbers made off with the cash and Lood’s phone.

Since the incident, their community members have come to the family’s aid. Nikki, their brave dog is recuperating at home after being treated for a bullet wound in her back by the local vet at no charge. Another community member has created a fundraising page with a target of R35,000, to help recoup Lood’s salary and assist with other expenses. They have already raised R11,000 through the fund. Lood’s wife passed away a year ago after a long battle with cancer, therefore, this money will not only help Lood with his family’s expenses, but it will go towards paying off medical bills from his wife’s cancer treatment.

LottoStar has contributed R25,000 to make up the fundraising target for Lood and his family.

LOTTOSTAR, GMA SHARE R800,000 WITH LOVE

As the world struggles through the COVID-19 pandemic, sadly, many have had to face the harsh reality of losing their jobs. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for one lucky man in Perth, Australia - A young dad who had just lost his job as a security guard due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, won $5,8 million in the Oz Lotto Draw (R73 Million in South Africa).

The man who is in his late twenties, was doing grocery shopping for him and his three-year-old daughter when he decided to buy an Oz Lotto ticket. He had forgotten that he had purchased a lottery ticket but a few days later, after watching the news which stated that there was a ‘mystery winner’. The young father checked his ticket at the retail store where he had purchased it and the retailer directed him to the Lotterywest HQ where they informed him that he had just become $5,8 million richer.

He was in absolute disbelief when he found out that he had just won the Oz Lotto windfall. “I just want to go home and hug my daughter”, he said. “I always say that life could be a dream and this certainly feels like one. I never thought it could be me”.

He shared the good news with his brother first. “I really look up to him and he’s been struggling to find the finances to buy a house but I’m going to buy him a whole house now,” he said. In addition, the 20-year-old man wants to use the prize money to go back to school and help his family. “I’m also going to go back to school and finish my commerce degree and learn how to manage my money. My mum will be getting a new car and I’ll buy myself a house and also set up my kids”.

You too could change your life in a blink of an eye!

Place your bets on LottoStar’s Oz Lotto today and you could win a payout of R83 Million.

People photo created by drobotdean - www.freepik.com

A SILVER LINING FOR ONE LUCKY OZ LOTTO WINNER

On the 11th January, the $50,000 (R878,395 in South Africa), Powerball lottery was won in Greenbay, Wiskonsin, USA. However, it was later announced that the owner of the winning ticket had not come forward to claim the $50 000 prize money before the 180-day prize deadline.

But just in the nick of time, Nancy Cooper, who lives in Tamarac, Florida, USA, 

 and claim letter to the Madison lottery office on the 6th of July, three days before the 180-day deadline. Due to a delay at the post office Nancy’s mail had only arrived at the Lottery office days after the 180-day deadline. However, the Lottery office found that Cooper was still eligible to claim her prize because her mail had been posted before the deadline, therefore they were able to process Nancy’s claim for her to get her winnings. The odds of winning a $50,000 Powerball prize are 1 in 913,130, officials said. While it is unusual for major lottery prizes to go unclaimed, it has happened on several occasions.

Here is a list of some of the biggest unclaimed lottery prizes in history:

€64 Million EuroMillions (R1,3 Billion)

An incredible grand prize of €127 million in the EuroMillions draws was won by two winning tickets in June 2012. The winnings would be shared between the two winners. Fortunately, the owner of one of the winning tickets came forth to claim their €64 Million prize before the deadline. Unfortunately, the owner of the other winning ticket which was purchased in England had not come forth to claim their half of the jackpot prize and missed out on one massive payout. This is EuroMillions’ highest unclaimed jackpot in history. However, all is not doom and gloom as the unclaimed winnings were contributed towards the National Lottery Good Causes which gives the unclaimed money to various charities around the U.K.

One lucky winner could have walked away with a $68 million Mega Millions lottery payout in 2002 but the winning ticket was not brought forward before the expiration date. However, in 2003 a man by the name of Fritzner Bechette, came forward claiming that he was the lucky winner of the $68 million. He said that he had been trying to claim his winnings since the day after the results were announced and filed a lawsuit in the Queens Supreme Court against the New York State Lottery. Fritzner claimed that he had misplaced his winning ticket, therefore, could not come forward to claim his winning jackpot prize. After a lengthy investigation, lottery officials found that there was no ticket matching Fritzner’s description in the New York State Lottery’s archive.

In 2011, the US Powerball paid out a massive $77 million and was won by one lucky winner in Georgia. Unfortunately, the unlucky winner had not come forth to claim their prize before the 180-day deadline and lost out on $77 million. This is the highest unclaimed jackpot since Georgia’s lottery was established in 1993.

$1,5 Billion Mega Millions (R26,3 Billion)

The draw for the second biggest jackpot in US history was held in October of 2018, in the USA. The winning ticket for the Mega Millions jackpot prize of $1,5 billion was bought in South Carolina but the winner had not come forth for 5 months to claim their prize. Unlike many unlucky winners, the winner of this large windfall came forth just in time to claim his prize. The winner chose to remain anonymous and after receiving a one-time cash payment of $877 million (R15,4 Billion) he sought out financial and legal advice from famous lottery lawyer, Jason Kurland.

Don’t miss out on your chance to be the next major winner! Place your bets on LottoStar’s major lotteries and stand a chance to win payouts of over R1,9 Billion.

MAJOR US POWERBALL WINNER CLAIMS HER PRIZE JUST IN TIME

Ever heard a bizarre lottery story or know of someone who has won the lottery in the most unorthodox way? Finding a winning lottery ticket on the side of the road, getting fired from a job only to win the lottery the next day or offering a lottery ticket as a tip to a waiter which turns out to be the winning ticket – These things don’t just happen in movies but in real life too!

Here is a countdown of the most bizarre lottery wins:

Keeping your winning lottery ticket close to your chest

An 18-year-old British woman who worked as a waitress won the £7 million (R141 million in South Africa) EuroMillions Lottery in 2008. The young winner was in such shock and excitement when she found out that she had won – her dog bit her bottom. In all the commotion, the nervous new millionaire decided to keep her winning ticket in her bra for safekeeping. This may sound bizarre, but a poll found that 30% of women who win the lottery keep their winning ticket in their under garments.

A fortune cookie may be more truthful than you think

Powerball normally expects two to four winners per draw, however, in 2010, 110 tickets matched the second-highest Powerball prize. A lucky fortune cookie with the winning Powerball numbers had been sold in Chinese restaurants across the US. All 110 people who had played the ‘winning fortune cookie numbers’ won between $100,000 to $500,000 (R1,7 Million to R8,6 Million) on the Powerball draw. So next time, think twice about skipping on that fortune cookie.

Many would be surprised to know that the movie It Could Happen to You, which was released in 1994 is based on true events. A New York City Policeman had a meal at his favourite restaurant which he had been going to for the past eight years. Instead of tipping the waitress serving him (who he knew very well as she worked at the restaurant for 24 years) he offered her a deal to split whatever winnings the lottery ticket he had might win them. To cut a long story short, she accepted the deal and the policeman ended up winning $6 million (R103,5 Million) on the lottery the next day, he kept his word and the pair split the prize money.

In the late 90s, an Australian truck driver (Bill Morgan) suffered a fatal heart attack after he was involved in a horrific car accident. He was clinically dead for 14 minutes but remarkably woke up from a medical induced coma after 12 days perfectly healthy. Not long after his miraculous recovery, Bill decided to buy a scratch ticket from a lottery stall and won a car to the value of $17,000 (R293,512) After hearing about Bill’s win, a local news agency asked him to re-enact his win for a news feature, he scratched off another lottery ticket and unbelievably the ticket had won him $170,000 (R2,9 Million)!

Have you dreamt off some lucky numbers lately or read a fortune that says “you are going to win the lottery”? – don’t ignore it! Place your bets on LottoStar’s Africa Millions Draw and you could win a payout of over R1,9 billion.

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