Quick Picks
A lottery Quick Pick, or Kwikpik, is a fast, popular and easy way to play your favourite lottery games. When you play a Quick Pick, you do not pick numbers for yourself and instead you receive a random set. Find out more about how they work, the advantages of playing this way and even how you can generate your own random numbers.
How to Play a Quick Pick
Playing a Quick Pick is a simple process, whether you are online or in-store. If you play online or via a banking app, you just have to select the Quick Pick option rather than choose your own numbers. Follow the rest of the steps as normal - specify how many draws you want to play and add the 'Plus' option if you are playing Lotto or PowerBall.
If you visit a store, you can mark the Quick Pick box on your betslip or simply ask the retail clerk for a ticket. Tell them which game you are playing, how many lines you want and the number of draws you wish to enter. The teller will calculate the cost and process your ticket for you when you pay.
When you fill out a betslip – either online or in-store, you can choose to select your own numbers on some of the boards and play Quick Picks on others. It does not have to be all or nothing.
How do Quick Picks Work?
When you select a Quick Pick, a set of numbers is randomly generated on your behalf. This is created by a computerised random number generator within the lottery terminal. The processing system within a terminal is highly technical and all of the entries it produces are stored on the National Lottery's central computer system.
You will only get to see your Quick Pick numbers after the ticket has been generated, so you cannot change your selections once they have been given to you. You should treat your Quick Pick ticket like any other - keep it safe and sign the back of it if you played in-store, as it's your only proof that you played.
Generate Your Own Random Numbers
After a retailer prints out a Quick Pick ticket, it's too late to change your numbers. If you'd prefer to your numbers generated at random that you can view before proceeding with your purchase, you can use one of the number generators provided by ZA.National-Lottery.com below.
You can generate as many lines of numbers as you like until you find a set that you are ready to enter into the next draw.
Quick Picks vs Your Own Numbers
The odds of winning a lottery prize are exactly the same regardless of whether you opt for a Quick Pick or choose your own numbers. It is entirely your decision and there are a few factors you may want to consider when you mull over how to play.
Quick Picks are far faster as you don’t have to pick numbers or even fill out a betslip – you can just ask the clerk for a ticket. However, you don’t have the same control over what numbers you play as you do when you choose your own. It can also be easier to check whether you have won if you have used your own numbers, as there may be personally significant and therefore more memorable.
One advantage of a Quick Pick is that you are less likely to have to share your prize if you win the jackpot, as the same random line probably won’t have been used by many other players. Many participants pick familiar patterns or sequences and if these numbers actually appear, all the winners have to split the total payout. When the winning numbers for PowerBall were 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, with a PowerBall of 10 in December 2020, there were a record 20 jackpot winners. While any combination of numbers can be generated with a Quick Pick, they are always produced at random.
