- The ARB found that Ithuba’s Lotto campaign misled consumers by implying that more numbers improved odds.
- The ruling states that the ads conflated additional balls with four times the chance to win something.
- Ithuba must immediately amend or withdraw any advertising linking more numbers to better odds.
When Ithuba Holdings launched a national Lotto campaign promising players “more balls to choose from” and “over four times the chance to win something,” millions of South Africans took the message at face value.
The television advert highlighted the increase in Lotto balls from 52 to 58 with the text “More balls to choose. Now from 1 to 59,” while the voiceover promised “Every ticket brings more joy, more smiles, more winning moments across the country. This is Lotto. With so much more. Play now. It could be you.”
On social media, the message repeated that “More numbers to choose from up to 58. That’s better overall odds.” The Advertising Regulatory Board found that these claims created a false impression about how winning actually works, misleading consumers who assumed that adding numbers improved their chances.
Advertising exploited consumer trust
The ARB emphasised that advertising must be clear and honest, particularly when the audience spans diverse literacy and socio-economic levels. The Directorate found that the adverts risked “exploiting their lack of experience, knowledge or credulity,” noting that not all consumers would be equipped to question the mathematical validity of the claims.
While Ithuba pointed to the introduction of the new Match 2 prize tier, which allows players to win smaller prizes more frequently and improves the overall odds of winning any prize, the adverts themselves never mentioned this tier. Instead, the campaign focused on the increase in numbers, creating the impression that this alone improved winning chances.
Conflation of claims misled players
The ARB concluded that the advertisements misleadingly conflated two distinct points. “The overwhelming communication is that the addition of the extra balls has improved the odds,” the Directorate noted. The ruling further explained that “more mathematically literate consumers will immediately realise that the extra numbers cannot lead to better odds,” but emphasised that advertisers cannot assume all consumers will possess that level of literacy.
By merging the claims of more numbers and improved odds without explaining the role of the Match 2 tier, the adverts misled the public. The Directorate stated that “the conflation of the more numbers claim with the better odds claim implies that the two things are connected.”
The ARB highlighted that most players aspire to the jackpot, and that the actual odds of winning the top prize had not improved. In fact, the odds worsened because adding more numbers increases the total possible combinations.
It explained that “the implication is that the addition of more numbers has improved the odds of winning the lottery rather than winning a new lower-tier prize.” Even though Ithuba provided statistics showing that Match 2 winners increased from an average of 67 667 to 275 872 per draw, the advertisements did not reference these prizes. The ARB noted that “there is no mention of or reference to these new prizes in the advertisement,” leaving consumers unable to understand what “four times the chance to win something” actually meant.
Corrective action required
The ARB ordered that Ithuba amend or remove all advertising that implies or states that more numbers improve the odds of winning. “The advertiser is instructed to amend or remove any advertising that implies or states that the inclusion of more numbers results in better odds of winning the lotto,” the Directorate stated.
This requirement applies to all forms of media, including television, social media, digital platforms, and print.
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