An unusual drawing from South Africa's national PowerBall has lead to an investigation into allegations the lottery may have been a scam after 20 people guessed the winning numbers.
An unusual number of winning tickets from South Africa's national PowerBall has lead to an investigation into whether the lottery may have been rigged after 20 people guessed the winning numbers, according to a report. The drawing on Tuesday revealed a consecutive sequence of numbers: five, six, seven, eight, and nine, with the winning PowerBall reading: 10 –– a sequence that is often picked by hopeful participants, BBC reported.
"Congratulations to tonight's 20 winners of the PowerBall draw," lottery operator Ithuba tweeted according to BBC, adding: "These numbers may be unexpected, but we see many players opt to play these sequences."
The chances of winning the lottery are one in 42,375,200, according to the outlet.
South Africa's National Lottery Commission said that each winner was awarded $5.7 rand, or $370,000 each, according to the outlet. An additional 79 ticketholders won 6,283 rand for guessing the sequence but missing the PowerBall number.
Skeptics of the drawing have called for an inquiry Tuesday into the winning tickets, calling it a "scam," according to the outlet.
The organizers said that multiple winners are often rare, but given the particular sequence of numbers, it might be an honest draw.
An NLC spokesperson told the outlet that the organization would review the lottery winning and report its findings.
RELATED STORIES
