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:

Lotto is a scam https://t.co/QVE8MFdiN4

— #TshamaKaya🇿🇦 (@Xikhekhani) December 1, 2020

Only the #hawks can help us now…😂😂😂 https://t.co/YFReQDJq9t

— Chief retweetist (@CRetweetist) December 1, 2020

Fuck off,stop scamming bro https://t.co/rjshvNnXsz

— S’bu 👑 (@SbuMUFC) December 1, 2020

Where can we report this SCAM? https://t.co/Es3bQtMNWM

— Lulu Ơ̴̴͡.̮Ơ̴̴̴͡ (@wendyyah) December 1, 2020

You get the picture.

For some balance, there’s this:

If you’re going to scam the lottery, it’s probably best to pick numbers that aren’t 5,6,7,8,9,10

Only thing worse than being a criminal is being a stupid criminal

— Koshiek Karan (@iamkoshiek) December 1, 2020

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]