Cape Town - Women’s Month is off to an exciting start for a single mother of three boys who became an instant millionaire after bagging a R10 million jackpot with Sun International's online gaming platform, Sunbet.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, is from Cape Town and is a full-time carer to her severely autistic son who also has other medical issues and needs lifelong care as he is non-verbal.
She said betting online was her way of escapism and she set a small budget aside to play her favourite game, Skyward.
“Since winning it has been an emotional roller-coaster, obviously ecstatic and very humbling but now that it is sinking in, it comes with a huge amount of responsibility on how to manage this kind of win.”
“It is quite difficult having a special needs child because I can't go out and have entertainment so I use Sunbet as relaxation. I used to enjoy going to the casino when I was able to, so gambling has always been a bit of a hobby of mine.”
On July 25, she had R100 left of her budget and was about to log off when she saw the numbers on her screen rapidly increase into what she describes as “crazy numbers”.
She said it reality kicked in the next morning when she got a call from Sunbet customer relationship manager Jaco Viljoen congratulating her on her R10m win.
“This win is going to help me secure my children’s future, especially my autistic son, so when I am not there, someone will be able to carry on doing what I am doing. It takes a huge weight off my shoulders and makes life so much easier.
“He is not a burden to me and I love him to bits but there is a huge responsibility to caring for a special needs child. Now I can find comfort knowing that he will receive quality care.”
She said she had been forced to give up her job but received maintenance from her children’s father.
“I have several degrees and used to have a very good career, but then my youngest son was born with severe autism. Although there are facilities that could care for him, these are very expensive and are not covered by medical aid.
“The only affordable option I had was to give up my full-time job to care for him. Fortunately I have an income to support myself and my family, but I am always worried about how to secure my son’s future. My win won’t change my life, but it will change his.”
Viljoen said the win was Sunbet’s biggest online gaming jackpot to date.
“I was surprised that the winner did not call me to talk about her win. When I called her, she was actually shocked. It took her a while to believe what I was telling her. I know what this win means to her and how much it will help her, so I couldn’t be happier.
“It is really a exciting feeling because people like the winner use our service for an escape and when they do have wins they can use to better their lives,” he said.
The winner’s advice for other gamblers was to look for a reliable South African gambling platform who has a online or personal support which is accessible and to be responsible.
“I tested all of the online casinos initially, but Sunbet is my favourite because the staff are so friendly. I receive lots of spam from the other platforms, and their service is impersonal and their sites are complicated to operate,” she said.