The National Lotteries Commission has paused all Sportstake draws after a court battle over its lottery licence.
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Why are the Sportstake draws paused?
This pause comes at a time of big changes in the national lottery system.
The current operator, Ithuba Holdings, holds the licence to run the lottery, including Sportstake. But their licence ended on Saturday, 31 May 2025.
Ithuba, according to GroundUp, had planned for its sister company, Ithuba Lottery, to take over temporarily while a new operator, Sizekhaya Holdings, gets ready to run the lottery long-term.
However, a recent decision by the Gauteng High Court disrupted these plans. The court ruled that any temporary licence can only last five months, not the 12 months the NLC had asked for.
Ithuba Lottery said it can’t run the lottery for only five months because it would lose too much money, so it might not continue operating after Sunday, 1 June 2025.
This legal problem is why Sportstake draws are now on hold.
With the licence uncertainty and a possible stop in lottery operations after Saturday, ticket sales and draws have been paused. This means players cannot buy Sportstake tickets or take part in games for now.
Court case and what it means
The NLC tried to get the court to change its decision and allow a 12-month temporary licence. But Judge Omphemetse Mooki denied the request.
He said the NLC failed to show solid proof that Ithuba Lottery would lose money without the full 12 months. He also noted that Ithuba did not submit any formal documents explaining its side.
Judge Mooki criticised the NLC for trying to go around a previous court order and said the organisation had not given enough evidence that the new licence holder, Sizekhaya Holdings, really needed more than five months to prepare.
What now for Sportstake and the lottery?
If Ithuba Lottery does not sign the five-month licence agreement, lottery ticket sales – including Sportstake – may stop completely after June 1.
Even though the NLC says it has R4.3 billion in reserves to continue funding charity work, it is still unclear when the games will return.
An NLC source said the board is holding emergency meetings to decide the next steps. Meanwhile, players are being advised to stay updated through official channels.
