Live Lotto Draw

SABC2 (*192) 21:00 Reality

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of Live Lotto Draw (2000current)? Presenter Zizo Beda says that “there’s a lot more work than viewers realise” taking place for those five minutes of screentime, “but it’s worth it,” adds the 28-year-old – and that’s why over 7 million people tune in every Wednesday night in the hopes of striking it lucky with the lotto!

You’re literally playing with people’s money – how do you handle the pressure? There are systems in place to make sure that everything runs smoothly [Laughs]. My principal job is to make sure that the numbers correspond. There is some pressure because people have invested their dreams based on the outcome of these numbers. What does a day on set look like? I arrive at 17:30, start technical checks and I go through the scripts. We make sure that the microphone works and that the teleprompter is in order. Then there’s the stylist and make-up people who make us look glam for the show. By 20:00 we’ve done a walk-through with the floor managers to make sure we have a smooth show. Everybody has to be alert and pull their weight, so a lot of effort goes into those five minutes. It gets a little more exciting when there is a guest in the studio, which can be anyone successful from the community or even a manager from a winning store. And have you ever bought a lotto ticket? No, not yet [Laughs]. Why did you hop onboard with the show? It is a positive show and a lot of people have invested in it. One of the major aspects that pulled me to joining the team is that is that money from the ticket sales is put back into communities and helps those in need.