Mtyamde was checking seven Lotto and Powerball tickets he had bought between June and July when he noticed that they all had identical lines - apart from the bonus numbers on the Powerball entries.
The tickets had been purchased from five different outlets in Nahoon and Cambridge East and West on different dates and Mtyamde was left stunned, saying that after playing Lotto for 15 years ‘this is the first time something like this is happening’.
Ithuba spokesperson Anda Ngani has since attempted to play down the scale of the problem, telling the Sowetan Live: “Ithuba would like to reassure all players who experienced this particular system error that this small technicality which has been duly corrected would not have in any way jeopardised any player’s chances of winning.”
Ngani added that the findings from Ithuba’s probe would be passed to the National Lottery Commission, who would then decide whether to make the report public. The response has failed to satisfy Mtyamde, who has now stopped using Quick Pick. He said: “I am very curious to find out what happened. It is disconcerting at the same time because I will not see the money on those seven tickets again.”