SportStake 13 Explained: How the Pool Works
Reviewed for responsible-gambling compliance by Priya Naidoo.
SportStake 13 is a football pool game run by Ithuba, the South African National Lottery operator. Instead of betting on odds, you predict the results of 13 selected matches, marking each as a home win, a draw or an away win.
This guide explains how SportStake 13 works, how to fill in a board, what the prize tiers reward, and how it differs from the bookmaker-run Soccer 13 pool that many South African punters confuse it with.
How does SportStake 13 work?
SportStake 13 is a fixed-fee pools game, not a fixed-odds bet. Ithuba selects 13 football fixtures for a round, and your job is to predict the outcome of each one using three symbols: 1 for a home win, X for a draw, and 2 for an away win. You mark one prediction per match across all 13, and that completed board is your entry. Because you pay a set fee per board rather than staking against odds, everyone who enters pays into a shared prize pool, and the money is divided among the winning tiers. You do not need all 13 correct to win something, which is a key point many first-time players miss. The more matches you call right, the higher the tier you reach. Fixtures, cut-off times and the fee per board are published by Ithuba for each round, so always check the current round details before you enter.
How to play SportStake 13 step by step
- Get a SportStake 13 board from a licensed Ithuba retailer or an authorised online or banking-app channel.
- Review the 13 selected fixtures for the current round before you predict.
- For each match, mark 1 for a home win, X for a draw, or 2 for an away win.
- To cover more outcomes, you can mark two or three predictions on some matches, which increases the fee.
- Pay the fee per board, keep your ticket or digital confirmation, and check results after the round closes.
SportStake 13 prize tiers
| Correct predictions | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 13 out of 13 | Wins or shares the top prize pool |
| 12 out of 13 | Wins a high second-tier prize |
| 11 out of 13 | Wins a mid-tier prize |
| 10 out of 13 | Wins the lowest cash tier |
| 9 or fewer | No prize |
How is SportStake 13 different from Soccer 13?
The two games look similar but come from different providers, and mixing them up is common. SportStake 13 is run by Ithuba as part of the National Lottery family of games, and it is a pooled game with a set fee per board. Soccer 13 is a fixed-fee pools bet offered by bookmakers such as those in the betting industry, where you also predict 13 match results as 1, X or 2. The core idea, calling the outcome of 13 fixtures, is the same, but the operator, the fixtures chosen, the fee structure and where the prize money comes from can differ. Because SportStake 13 sits under the national lottery, it is regulated as a lottery game, while a bookmaker pool is regulated as a betting product. Always read the rules of the specific game you are entering, since the tier thresholds and payouts are set separately by each operator.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need all 13 results correct to win?+
No. SportStake 13 pays across several tiers, so you can still win by getting 10, 11 or 12 of the 13 predictions right, with the prize growing as you call more correctly. Getting all 13 correct wins or shares the top pool. This tiered structure is why partial success still rewards you, but nine or fewer correct predictions in a round wins nothing.
What do the 1, X and 2 symbols mean?+
They are the three possible outcomes of a football match. A 1 means you predict the home team to win, an X means you predict a draw, and a 2 means you predict the away team to win. You mark one of these for each of the 13 selected fixtures. On some matches you can mark two or three options to cover more outcomes, which raises the fee for that board.
Who runs SportStake 13?+
SportStake 13 is operated by Ithuba, which holds the South African National Lottery licence and also runs Lotto, Powerball and the Daily Lotto. That makes it a pooled national lottery game regulated as a lottery product, with the prize money coming from board fees and shared among winners in each tier. You must be eighteen or older to play, and you claim prizes with your ticket or confirmation.
Is SportStake 13 the same as Soccer 13?+
No, though they are easy to confuse. Both ask you to predict 13 match results as 1, X or 2, but SportStake 13 is an Ithuba national lottery game, while Soccer 13 is a fixed-fee pool offered by bookmakers. The operators, chosen fixtures, fees and prize rules differ, so always read the rules of the specific game you are entering before you play.