Categories
News

Pragmatic Play

Pragmatic Play

Moving forward we will have even more choice as Pragmatic Play live casino games are added to the portfolio of many betting sites. But is Pragmatic Play and its first release Mega Wheel a real alternative?

Company background

Pragmatic Play is a leading game content provider, operating worldwide. The multi-product game portfolio contains everything online players like. From Bingo to slots to live casino content this games developer aims to offer premium entertainment

Pragmatic Play is around for over 10 years. The company started of as Topgame back in 2007 before rebranding to Prgamatic Play in 2015. The company is headquartered in Malta but has many local offices around the globe. This allows them to customise their products for local preferences. It works with many big betting sites including GVC, the owner of Sportingbet, and Lottoland amongst others. Pragmatic Play has won many awards over the years. The most recent one IGA 2020 award for best iGaming Software Supplier.

Games range

The games portfolio of Pragmatic Play is very varied.

Online slots: Its slots range covers over 200 slot machines. Some of the most popular titles by Pragmatic Play are Gates of Olympus, Wolf Gold, the Megaways titles Great Rhino Megaways or Starz Megaways and Mustang Gold. Gold Rush, Monkey Madness and Vegas Nights are also amongst the favourites of SA slots players. Currently Pragmatic Play Slots are available at 4 great SA betting sites: Supabets, Hollywoodbets, Playabets as well as Scorebet.

Live Casino: up until recently the live games selection only covered classic casino games such as Live Blackjack and Live Roulette. Punters can place standard bets as well as variety of special bets. Additionally, Baccarat and Speed Baccarat are also available.

But in October 2020 Pragmatic Play launched its first game show live games title Mega Wheel which is inspired by the ever-popular money wheel concept. The super-sized wheel contains 54 segments with number 1,2,5,8,10,15,20,30 and 40. Various betting options are available. For more details have a look at our Mega Wheel Game review. Mega Wheel is the first of many more live casino game show titles to follow.

In addition, there is agood online bingo offering.

Time will tell if Pragmatic Play can rival market-leader Evolution in the area of live casino entertainment. The company is currently finalising contracts with various betting sites in South Africa and has just gone live in February 2021 on Yes Play.

Why play Pragmatic Games

This games developer is aiming to provide premium entertainment for its players. Here are just a few reasons why you should try the games:

  • Great features and betting options with big win opportunities
  • Superior studio and streaming technology; due to many cameras you can see the game from various angles and never miss a wheel spin or dealer action. The chat funcionality allos to to interact with the presenters which allows for a personalised experience.
  • Highly professional dealers
  • Fully mobile-optimised: all games are responsive. Therefore, you can expect a seamless and enjoyable gambling experience across all devices, from desktop to laptop and all mobile devices. It does not matter if you want to play on an Android, Windows or Apple device, the games fit and play across all of them.

South African players are always looking for new and varied games content. Therefore the arrival of Pragmatic Play on the best betting sites in SA will bring us great additional games for our betting entertainment.

Currently you can only play Pragmatic Play Live Games at Yes Play as well as Scorebet. We are sure to see these games soon across other bookmakers as well.

100% Bonusup to R3000
SA based bookmaker with a great range of lucky numbers, games and sports.
  • Variety of bonuses and promotions
  • Lucky Numbers, Betgames, Live Games
  • iOS and Android app
R20 Sign up Bonus+ R50 FICA Bonus + R2000 Deposit Bonus
Established SA bookmaker with a good sports betting and games offering.
  • 3 welcome bonuses
  • Slots, Live Games & Betgames
  • Great betting on mobile
R50 + 100 free spins + deposit bonuses up to R5000
100% African-owned and run bookmaker with a wide and varied offering
  • Wide range of bonuses and promotions
  • Slots, Instant & Live Games
  • Lots of special features
Free R50 bet+ 50 free spins+ 100% deposit bonus
South Africa’s one stop betting destination with over 1 million sports betting opportunities; best Premier League Odds
  • Good bonuses with fair wagering requirements
  • Slots, Aviator and Live Casino Games
  • 24/7 support
90 Free spins+ 100% Bonus
This casino and betting site is part of the renowned Goldrush Group and brings you awesome slots and live games fun.
  • Aviator and Blast crash games
  • Slots, Live Games & Betgames
  • Varied Lucky Numbers offering

Whether you like to play live casino games or slots, Pragmatic Play is one of the leading developers.

The Pragmatic Play’s slots range is currently at four bookies, including Supabets as well as Hollywoodbets:

R25 Free Bonus +50 Free Spins
Leading South African bookmaker who offers the best in sports betting and casino games entertainment - a must for every punter!
  • Great, competitive odds
  • Generous, regular promotions
  • Live In-Play, BetGames, Lucky Numbers
R50 + 100 free spins + deposit bonuses up to R5000
100% African-owned and run bookmaker with a wide and varied offering
  • Wide range of bonuses and promotions
  • Slots, Instant & Live Games
  • Lots of special features
Free R50 bet+ 50 free spins+ 100% deposit bonus
South Africa’s one stop betting destination with over 1 million sports betting opportunities; best Premier League Odds
  • Good bonuses with fair wagering requirements
  • Slots, Aviator and Live Casino Games
  • 24/7 support
R20 Sign up Bonus+ R50 FICA Bonus + R2000 Deposit Bonus
Established SA bookmaker with a good sports betting and games offering.
  • 3 welcome bonuses
  • Slots, Live Games & Betgames
  • Great betting on mobile

Joshua Vs Pulev: a long time coming

The O2 Arena in London will see heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua square off with Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev on 12 December 2020. This fight has been a long time coming and been delayed for various reasons since 2017. Mandatory challenges and eventually an injured Pulev just 12 days before the fight meant the challenge was axed. It has been over a year since Joshua won back WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz on 7 December 2019. Pulev has had a longer break from the ring, his last fight and win was on 9 November 2019 against Rydell Booker. 

Most of Joshua’s fights have been in the UK except his bouts with Riuz, the 1st fight took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City and the second challenge took place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Joshua vs Pulev was originally scheduled at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, but it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.It is expected that a 1000 spectators will be in the O2 which is not close to the 20 000 capacity. As Joshua has stated in the last few days, this will be a much more intimate experience for these spectators which is pretty exciting. In other words there are plenty of fans out there that are very jealous to say the least! 

Anthony Joshua career biography:

Record: 23-1, 21 KOs

Nationality: British

Height: 6’6

Reach: 82”

Age: 31

With the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles on the line, with AJ in the role of champion, he will be doing everything in his power to keep Pulev at bay. Both fighters have stated what a privilege it is to be competing and they are looking forward to the action. This will be the first fight for Joshua on home soil since September 2018.

Kubrat Pulev career biography: 

Record: 28-1, 14 KOs

Nationality: Bulgarian 

Height: 6’4

Reach: 80”

Age: 39

Pulev, also known as “The Cobra” has held the European heavyweight title twice between 2012 and 2016 he is currently ranked as the world’s ninth best active heavyweight by the Transnational Boxing Ranking Board. He has had some significant wins namely Dereck Chisora, Hughie Fury and Alexander Dimitrenko. 

Who to bet on

With Pulev having a 50% Knockout rate and Joshua a 91% knockout rate, Joshua is a considerable favourite(-1250) over Pulev (+600) according to odds from most sportsbooks. At the current moment oddsmakers do not expect the fight to last very long however as we have seen before never underestimate the underdog. Pulev is presently an eight fight champion in his run up match with Joshua, with 3 KOs in that streak. Joshua is a slimmer version of himself and this goes to show he is ready for a lengthy fight. 

Arum from the Fury camp firmly believes that Pulev will cause upset and beat Joshua with a knockout. If this happens Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will meet again in 2021 for surely Joshua will invoke the rematch clause. 

Pulev is strong and sturdy with a powerful right hand and an excellent jab. While Joshua is tall and lean with tons of patience, excellent technical boxing ability and a killer instinct. 

Eddie Hearn has warned rivals that Anthony Joshua is stronger and wiser and not to mistake his previous shock defeat as a weakness. Joshua is feeling the pressure and there are nerves in the entire camp which is good. This shows you that they have a real fight on their hands. 

Who will emerge victorious in Joshua vs Pulev we all wonder? May the best boxing champ take the win. Making this a fight worth watching for the spectators and fans who will be tuning in for the action. 

These boxing matches can be bet on on various South African betting sites including MG Sports Betting and Betway. Alternatively have a look at our best betting sites for a complete overview of recommended bookies.

Lotto Instant Win (LiW) – lotto style instant win live games

In addition, we see many game development companies bringing lotto-style instant games to the South African gambling market. The latest addition are the titles by Lotto Instant Win (LiW). We therefore had a deeper dive into the company and the lucky numbers games offered.

About LiW

PinProjekt, the company behind Lotto Instant Win, was founded in Zagreb, Croatia. The company aims to revolutionise the lottery betting industry by offering more draws for more fun. Since starting out over 1. millions official draws played and every day another 2000 draws are taking place. There are currently over 20 distinct games available that play across 5 different studios. Each studio is equipped with a special lotto drum and the machine determines which games can be played in each studio.

Key facts about the Lotto Instant Win Games:

  • The games are continuously streamed live in real time from 5 different studios with real presenters
  • Each studio has a dedicated drum machine and therefore hosts specific games
  • The games play 24/7
  • A new game starts every 7-10 minutes
  • 2000 draws take place every day
  • The outcome of each draw is instantly available after the draw has finished. Therefore, you immediately know if you have won.

Where to play Lotto Instant Wins

The games are currently only available at Hollywood Bets and Gbets but we expect other betting sites to integrate them soon. Hollywood Bets offers new players a R25 free sign up bonus on registration which can be used on the latest lotto instant win games. Gbets R30 free sign up offer does not include LiW. For more details about Hollywood Bets or Gbets and their betting offering read our detailed reviews.

R25 Free Bonus +50 Free Spins
Leading South African bookmaker who offers the best in sports betting and casino games entertainment - a must for every punter!
  • Great, competitive odds
  • Generous, regular promotions
  • Live In-Play, BetGames, Lucky Numbers
R25 Sign UpSports Bonus Bet
Gbets is part of the Goldrush Group, one of the largest and most trusted gaming companies in South Africa.
  • 100% Bonus up to R1000
  • Live In Multi Play View
  • Slots and Live Casino Games

LiW Games

The Lotto Instant Win games are very unique games that offer you fast, fun and exciting entertainment. The games portfolio contains currently 17 titles which are played from different studios.

Studio 1

Studio 1 has a 48 ball drum with balls numbered from 1-48 and therefore the following games are played:

  • Win 5/48
  • Win 7/48
  • Lucky Six 35/48
  • Special Extra Win Jackpot games

Each draw covers all the above 4 games and you can bet on all of them
The game starts with 5 numbers being drawn. If you participate in ‘Win 5/48’ then this part of the draw is relevant for you. You need to choose between 1-5 balls and afterwards bet on how many of your selected ones are drawn. Additionally, you can also bet on colour of the first ball and sum of all 5 balls.

Next another 30 balls are pulled out of the drum. This activates the games ‘Lucky Six 35/48’. To participate you select between 6-15 balls. If at least six of your predicted numbers are drawn you win.

After the initial 35 balls another 7 balls are drawn. This activates the game ‘Win 7/48’. To enter you select between 1 and 15 numbers and then decide how many of your selected numbers are drawn (1-6).

Finally, once only 6 balls are left in the drum the Extra Win Game plays. If you were unlucky and have not had a single match in the Lucky Six game, then you will win the jackpot. In case of more than one lucky looser the jackpot is split equally between the players.

There are several additional quick-fire bets available such as colour of the first ball or sum of the initial five balls in Win 5/48 or over/under bets.

Studio 2

Studio 2 has a 20 ball drum with balls numbered from 1-20 and hosts 2 games:

  • Win 5/20
  • Win 10/48

The game starts with 5 balls being drawn. Choose between 1 and 5 numbers and decide how many you are predicting correctly. Then place your bet. Secondly, 10 more balls are drawn. This activates Win 10/48. To take part you select up to 8 numbers and bet on how many of these will be pulled from the drum.

Additional bets can be placed on sum of balls or if the first ball features a number higher or lower than 10.5.

Studio 3

A 37 ball drum containing balls with numbers from 0 to 36 is used in Studio 3 to play the game Win 1/37. The game is a bit similar to roulette but you can bet on more colours. There are 7 ball colours in total: 6 balls in each grey, light blue, dark blue, black, red and yellow and 1 pink. In addition to betting on ball colour you can bet on overs/unders and various other options.

Studio 4

Studio 4 has a 80 ball drum with balls numbered from 1 to 80.
Therefore a comprehensive range of games is offered:

  • 6 Win games: Win 5/80, Win 10/80, Win 20/80, Win 30/80, Win 40/80 and Win 50/80
  • 3 Keno games: Keno 5/80, Keno 10/80 and Keno 20/80

In all Win games you choose between 1 and 15 numbers and bet on the outcome of these being drawn. The Keno games are played alongside in addition. In Keno 5/80 you select up to 5 balls, in Keno 10/80 and 20/80 up to 10 balls. Your win depends on how many numbers you can match.

Studio 5

One drum machine is not enough? Then try the instant win game in studio 5 which has a 49-ball drum and a 10-ball drum. Both drums spin synchronised and offer you exciting betting options. Studio 5 games are curently not yet live in SA.

Lotto Instant Win Games – Final Words

Instant Win Games are per se not new to us. But the LiW Games have taken them to a new level. With a continuous live streams and instant results these fast paced games are highy engaging. In most studios a variety of games can be played alongside of each other with various betting options. The games play very frequently with 2000 draws a day. That really are a lot of opportunitis to win each day! All games never take long so these are exactly the right ones if you are short on time.

Let’s end with a little fun fact: LiW took 5 years to develop its unique technology and the current range of games. All drums are custom build and operate completely automated. At no point do the live presenters interact with the balls of the game itself. Therefore, the lovely ladies are just a nice add-on for our eyes. You might have recognised this during the initial time of lock down during the COVID pandemic when the Lotto Instant Win games played without any live presenters.

The LiW games have won already awards for the best live streamed gaming product and we are sure they will add more to their list soon.

Try them on Hollywoodbets who offers LiW as part of their betting portfolio. For a full overview about the Hollywoodbets games range read our detailed guide.

Powerball December: Six in a row make 21 jackpot winners

Congratulations if you are! You are now R5 million richer and made history in this unusual Powerball lotto draw.

PowerBall draw 1 December 2020

So, let us have a look at what happened in the last Powerball draw and while it makes news across the world.

As every week the Powerball lotto draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays. The draw last Tuesday, 1 December 2020, will go into the lotto history books for a variety of reasons:

  1. The winning numbers are 6 consecutive ones: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and Powerball 10
  2. 21 players picked the right numbers which has never happened before

The draw started at 20h58. The 6 winning numbers were pulled out in the following order: 8, 5, 9, 7, 6 and Powerball 10. If you order these winning numbers in numerical order you will see the sequence of 6 numbers in a row: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

The overall Powerball jackpot was set at R120 million (Powerball jackpot R114 million; Powerball Plus R6 million). The jackpot had not been won for quite some time and therefore had rolled over to a massive amount.

21 jackpot winners

Division 1 saw 20 winners who were able to match 5 correct numbers + PowerBall. Each player therefore wins over R5 million (R5,688,468.21 to be precise). Another 79 players had picked the right numbers but not the Powerball. When looking at these Powerball results it is unbelievable how many people actually play with consecutive single digit numbers!

Calls for fraud and the lottery being a scam have arisen since. Would the SA National Lottery really damage its reputation? It is unexpected for six numbers in a row to be drawn. And it is also not one of our recommendations on how to win the lottery. Nevertheless, 2020 has been quite a strange year. In addition, we need to understand that all numbers in the drum have the same probability to be drawn and while number sequences are unexpected, they are not unusual. Plus, many players seem to go against lotto strategies and actually choose number sequences when picking their lucky numbers. For Tuesday’s PowerBall winners this strategy paid off nicely.

The 20 lucky PowerBall jackpot winners are joined by another winner who won the R5.8 million Powerball Plus jackpot in the same night. There have never been 21 jackpot winners in one night before. Therefore, the Powerball and Powerball Plus draws on 1 December 2020 will make its way into the history books.

The winners are spread across the country. It is reported that 8 winners are from Gauteng, 3 from KZN, 2 from both Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga as well as 1 winner each from Northern Cape, Limpopo and the Free State.

About the SA Powerball

The SA Powerball is offered by the South African National Lottery. To participate you pick 5 numbers between 1 and 50 and an extra number, the Powerball, from 1- 20. So overall you select 6 lucky numbers.

A single Powerball ticket costs R5.00 which you can upgrade into a PowerBall Plus ticket for an additional R2.50. Draws take place every week on Tuesdays and Fridays. They are televised live on Mzansi Magic (channel 161) and NewzRoom Afrika (channel 405) at 20h58.

The Powerball lotto draws made many winners over the years. In 2019 the biggest Powerball jackpot in history of the National Lottery was won. One player walked away with R232 million and added its name to list of biggest lotto winners in South Africa.

How to claim your win

The Lotto Commission has announced that it will look into this unusual draw. This is to ensure that neither fraud nor system failure caused the unexpected Powerball result. We expect that everything worked as expected and hence the players will soon receive their wins. What a nice pre-Christmas present for 21 South African lotto players!

To claim their win, the winners should secure their ticket/receipt and start to fill the official Prize Claim Form. Winnings must be claimed in the jurisdiction of ticket purchase and be collected in person from one of Ithuba’s regional offices. After all necessary checks are done winnings over R50,000 are paid via bank transfer. We assume that all winners play for fun and therefore the lotto winnings are tax-free in South Africa. Nevertheless, the win amount has to be declared to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) as non-taxable income.

What a week it has been for online lotto betting fans! If you want to participate in Ithuba’s National lotteries you either visit your local retailer or play online via the official website. In addition, you can always try lotto betting online via one of our trusted and reviewed bookmakers. Have a look at our best betting sites in SA for lotto betting. Perhaps you can soon add your name to the list of lotto winners.

The SA Powerball is not the only Powerball lotto draw in the world. The most famous one is possibly the US Powerball which recently paid out a record breaking jackpot.