Do you think your dream could be your ticket to wealth? Then keep on dreaming and play Fafi Fortune, which was launched this week by Lotto operator Ithuba.
This week, Ithuba Holdings – fresh from being reconfirmed as the country’s lottery operator – launched the popular Chinese game, known as Mo-China in the townships, where the numbers used are decided upon by interpreting dreams the player has had.
Other new games include 4 Siya Wina, Popa Feela and Morabaraba.
Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza said the company was moving away from instant-win scratch cards to more sophisticated play cards, which will not require extra security measures at retail outlets because the cards do not hold any cash value.
Mabuza said the new games, which offer instant winnings of between R5 and R100 000, were designed with South African heritage in mind.
Ithuba is also working hard to sell its products on its online platform, which will allow players to purchase lottery tickets using their phones and personal computers.
Nedbank and First National Bank have been charging their customers to use their platforms to buy lottery tickets. But unlike the banks’ platforms, Ithuba’s online platform will not include any transaction fees.
Mabuza said Ithuba was unfazed by the court battle with its predecessor Gidani, which had asked the court to declare the decision to award the operating licence invalid. She said the company had moved its focus from the court battle to a slew of new “instant” betting games to shore up revenue for charities and nongovernmental organisations.
Speaking from Ithuba’s offices in Sandton, Mabuza dismissed perceptions that the company was granted the licence because of “political connections”.
“We are rolling out the lottery and are forging ahead with our plans. We were granted the licence because of our compelling proposition, not because of political connections. We presented one of the biggest bids,” said Mabuza, adding that being a lottery operator is not for the fainthearted.
Since it began managing the national lottery five months ago, Ithuba has paid out more than R600 million, a performance Mabuza said was better than the previous operators Gidani and Uthingo in their first three months of operation.
Since then, Ithuba has made 18 millionaires, 35 jackpot winners and 11 million other winners. It is also working on introducing increased jackpots, which will see more prize money.
“Just watch this space, that’s all I can say,” Mabuza said, intimating that some of the jackpots would regularly be in the tens of millions.
“Perception and reality are two different things. When there’s change, there’s a lot of anxiety, but we’ve paid out R600 million.”
While a lot of customers have complained that the jackpots are low, Ithuba says this is because many players are “hitting” the jackpots before they can roll over and increase.
Ithuba spokesperson Zukiswa Nomnganga said: “People are complaining that the jackpots are not going up and it’s because they’re getting hit. So if you look at our rollovers, they get hit and you’ll be sitting on R5 million and you have to start again. A lot of people are winning, but the perception is that jackpots are not going up.”