UK 49’s Expands to Four Daily Draws: What South African Players Need to Know About Brunchtime and Drivetime

Bandile Khumalo Lotto Expert

Last Updated: 18/03/26

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Bandile Khumalo is originally from Durban, but he's made Cape Town his home. Bandile loves anything to do with soccer, and he's particularly passionate about betting and lucky numbers - in fact, he's something of a gambling aficionado. He enjoys spending time with his family most of all, though. They're the most important thing in his life.

If you’ve been following the UK 49’s lottery, you’ll have noticed a significant change in early 2026. The game now offers four draws per day instead of the traditional two. Sports Information Services (SIS), the company that produces the 49’s draws, officially launched the Brunchtime and Drivetime draws to a global audience in January 2026, doubling the number of daily betting opportunities available to players in South Africa and beyond.

Here’s a straightforward breakdown of what’s changed, how the new draws work, and what the updated schedule looks like in South African time.

Background: How Did We Get Here?

For years, the UK 49’s operated with two daily draws: Lunchtime and Teatime. These became hugely popular with South African punters, who could bet on the outcomes through local bookmakers like Betway, Hollywoodbets, and others.

Before the global rollout, the Brunchtime draw was actually tested exclusively on the Betway platform in South Africa – where it was known as the “Betway Lunchtime Draw.” That trial proved successful, with SIS reporting notable growth in player engagement. On the back of those results, SIS rebranded the draw as UK 49’s Brunchtime and launched it alongside the new Drivetime draw to all partners worldwide in January 2026.

What’s Actually New?

The short answer: two additional draws per day. The game mechanics remain exactly the same across all four draws. Six main numbers and one Booster Ball are drawn from a pool of 1 to 49. You still pick between one and five numbers, choose your stake, and decide whether to include the Booster Ball. The odds structure and payout system haven’t changed either – it’s the same fixed-odds format that 49’s players are already familiar with.

All four draws are broadcast live from studios in the UK and produced end-to-end by SIS.

The Updated Daily Draw Schedule

The table below shows all four daily draws with their UK and South African times. Note that SA times shift by one hour depending on whether the UK is observing GMT (winter) or BST (summer), since South Africa does not observe daylight saving.

Tip: Your bookmaker will display a countdown and cut-off time for each draw. Make sure your bets are placed before the cut-off – if you miss Brunchtime, your entry will typically roll into the next available Lunchtime draw.

What This Means for South African Players

For punters in South Africa, the practical impact is more windows to place bets throughout the day. Instead of two draws clustered in the afternoon and evening (SA time), there are now four draws spread from early afternoon through to the evening. The Brunchtime draw in particular fills what was previously a gap in the schedule – results are available from around 1:49 PM SAST (during UK winter), which gives players an earlier opportunity in the day.

The Drivetime draw at 6:49 PM SAST slots in neatly before Teatime, so there’s now roughly an hour between draws in the late afternoon and early evening.

All major South African bookmakers that already offered UK 49’s Lunchtime and Teatime betting have added the new draws to their platforms. The process for placing bets is identical – the only difference is that you now have four draw times to choose from (or you can enter all four).

Quick Recap: How to Play UK 49’s

For anyone who’s new to the game or needs a refresher, here’s how UK 49’s works. You choose between one and five numbers from a pool of 1 to 49. You then decide on your bet amount (minimums and maximums are set by your bookmaker). You can opt for a six-number draw (main balls only) or a seven-number draw (which includes the Booster Ball). Including the Booster Ball improves your chances of matching but lowers the payout odds. There is no fixed ticket price and no jackpot pool – payouts are based on fixed odds set by the bookmaker.

The longest odds are typically around 150,000 to 1 on a Pick 5 bet, though exact odds vary by bookmaker.

Key Takeaways

Four draws daily: Brunchtime (11:49 AM UK), Lunchtime (12:49 PM UK), Drivetime (4:49 PM UK), and Teatime (5:49 PM UK).

Same game, same rules: The mechanics, odds structure, and betting process are unchanged across all four draws.

SA-tested first: The Brunchtime draw was originally trialled in South Africa through Betway before going global.

Draws run 7 days a week: With the exception of certain UK public holidays such as Christmas Day.

Available on your existing bookmaker: If you already bet on UK 49’s Lunchtime or Teatime, the new draws should be available on the same platform.

The addition of Brunchtime and Drivetime is a straightforward expansion of a game that South African players already know well. More draws means more flexibility in when you play – the fundamentals of the game remain the same. Check your preferred bookmaker for the updated schedule and remember to convert the draw times to your local time zone.