National Lottery Licence: The Court Ruling and What It Means for Players
On 2 November 2026, the National Lotteries Commission says, the High Court in Pretoria set aside the award of the National Lottery licence to Sizekhaya Holdings on procedural grounds but suspended its order for 12 months, so the National Lottery will "continue to operate without interruption".
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What the court decided, according to the NLC
In a media statement dated 4 November 2026, the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) wrote that it "notes the judgement of the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, delivered on 2 November 2026, concerning the award of the Fourth National Lottery and Sports Pools Licence."
According to the NLC, the court "set aside the decision to award the licence to Sizekhaya Holdings RF (Pty) Ltd and declared the licence agreement invalid on procedural grounds, referring the matter back to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition for reconsideration". The NLC adds that the court "has not impugned substantive considerations taken by the Minister in coming to his decision."
The court also "suspended its order of invalidity for 12 months to allow the Minister to reconsider the matter." We have not read the judgment itself; what it says here is how the NLC reports it.
What happens next
The NLC says it is considering the judgment and that the minister "will announce his decision on the judgement and its effect in due course". Under section 10 of the Lotteries Act, 1997, one of the NLC's functions is to advise the minister on the issuing of the National Lottery licence, and the statement says the minister has already begun consulting the NLC.
Sizekhaya became the National Lottery's fourth operator on 1 June 2026, as our lottery section describes. For now the order is suspended for 12 months, so the current arrangement stays in place.
What it means for you as a player
In the NLC's words: "The National Lottery will thus continue to operate without interruption. Players, retailers and beneficiaries can continue to participate in and benefit from the National Lottery as normal." Tickets and draws go on as before for now.
Our guide on how lotto draws are decided explains why no prediction changes the chance of a ticket, whoever holds the licence.
Lotteries are for adults 18 and over. If playing has stopped being fun, the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation helpline 0800 006 008 is free; our responsible gambling page lists more ways to get help.
Sources
- National Lotteries Commission, media statement, 4 November 2026. “High court judgement does not interrupt National Lottery operations”, a PDF on nlcsa.org.za (wp-content/uploads/2026/11), listed on nlcsa.org.za/media-releases/, read on 7 November 2026: the date and court of the judgment, what it set aside, the 12-month suspension, section 10 of the Lotteries Act and the quotes.
- National Lotteries Commission, media statement, 1 June 2026. “NLC Welcomes Sizekhaya as the Fourth National Lottery and Sports Pools Operator”, a PDF on nlcsa.org.za: Sizekhaya as the fourth operator.