The South African government recently officially announced that Sizekhaya Holdings has successfully obtained the country's fourth national lottery and sports betting license after a months-long bidding process. This decision was announced by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, and took effect following a ruling by the Pretoria High Court.
The new license will take effect on June 1, 2026, at which time the temporary license of the current operator, Ithuba Lottery, will expire. According to official documents, the license will be valid for eight years, with the total bidding amount reaching 180 billion rand (approximately 10.2 billion US dollars), highlighting the strategic position of this business in the national economy.
Sizekhaya Holdings is a consortium formed by the Goldrush Group in partnership with entrepreneurs Sandile Zungu and Moses Tembe. To strengthen operational capabilities, the group has entered into a cooperation agreement with the global lottery technology company Genlot. Genlot, which currently holds about 19% of the global lottery market share and is deeply involved in the operation of lotteries in China, will provide system support, equipment deployment, and staff training for the South African project.
It is worth noting that Goldrush has also recently entered into a cooperation agreement with Greentube to introduce a series of gaming content on its Mynt platform to the South African market, further expanding its layout in the gambling and digital entertainment fields.
However, the awarding of the license was not without controversy. One of the bidders, Wina Njalo, accused Minister Tau of favoring the current operator, Ithuba, during the selection process, believing that this bias led to multiple delays in the announcement of the results. According to the National Lottery Act, Ithuba can only receive a temporary extension of up to two years and is not eligible to bid again.
Additionally, the regulatory body, the National Lottery Commission (NLC), has also come under scrutiny, with some public opinion questioning whether the potential relationships between Sizekhaya Holdings and the political world might affect the fairness of the selection. Opposition party leader Mmusi Maimane of Bosa stated, "The entire process must be open and transparent to maintain public trust in the lottery system."
This license award marks a new phase for the South African National Lottery. With technological upgrades and the addition of a new operational team, the market structure may undergo significant restructuring. However, between huge interests and public trust, the independence and transparency of regulation will be key to success or failure over the next eight years.
