What is Fafi? How the game works, the risks and the law in SA
Fafi is an unlicensed street lottery where players bet on a number from 1 to 36 and an operator reveals the winning number at set times each day. Other names include fahfee, mochaina and mo-china, and the choice changes from area to area.
Bets cost a few rand, so many regulars see it as a cheap daily treat. Those coins add up fast, though, and the law treats both organisers and players as offenders.
How Fafi works
Fafi is easy to learn, and that simplicity explains much of its pull. Ask a regular how to play Fafi, and they'll walk you through the same four steps.
Pick a number. Choose any number from 1 to 36, often based on a dream or something you saw that day.
Place your bet. Hand your money and your number to a runner, who collects bets for the operator and keeps them in a bag. Bets usually cost R2 to R5.
Wait for the draw. The operator drives to the collection point, called a bank, and announces the winning number. Draws happen about twice a day on weekdays, and some areas add an evening draw.
Collect if you win. Winners get R28 for every R1 they bet.
Big payouts come with a few catches. Anyone who shares another player's bag, instead of having their own, gets only half the win.
The Fafi game has no machine and no independent check, because the operator chooses the winning number. Many players believe operators look in the bags first and avoid numbers with heavy bets. Some games also block the last few winning numbers, so the real choice drops from 36 to about 30.
Where the name Fafi comes from
Historians trace the Fafi meaning to faa wui, a numbers game that was popular in southern China in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Chinese migrants brought a version of it to South Africa, and a newspaper report from 1909 already described it as a pastime of domestic workers in Kimberley.
By the 1930s, operators drove regular routes through Johannesburg and other towns, and the game spread well past its first players. Along the way, players gave it new names.
Commissioner Street in the 1900s, Source: bussinesstech.co.za
Fahfee and Fafi follow the original sound, while mochaina and mo-china grew out of township slang for the operator who drives in with the result. The Limpopo Gambling Board still uses mochaina when it names the game among illegal activities in the province.
How Fafi numbers and dreams work
In Fafi, every number from 1 to 36 has its own picture, and many numbers stand for a part of the body as well. Players learn this code from family and friends, then use it to turn Fafi dreams and everyday moments into a number to bet on.
Here's how it works in practice. Number 9 means a light and links to the head and eyes. When someone dreamt about their eyes, players bet on 9, and it won. Another player saw a packed dance floor, read it as "many people," and bet on 26.
Regulars track past winners in notebooks and compare readings at the bank. The Fafi numbers' meaning makes the game feel personal, yet a person chooses each result, so no dream can predict it. Fake predictor apps sell the same false hope of a hidden pattern.
Who plays Fafi and why
Fafi players are mostly middle-aged and older working-class Black women, and the game has its strongest following in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. About 2.4% of adults played in the National Gambling Board's 2009 survey, the latest national figure we could find.
Small bets add up to big money. The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) estimated that South Africans spend about R725 million a year on Fafi, even though the average bet is around R2.
Money is only part of the draw. In Gauteng township workshops, regulars described Fafi as cheap, social and "for the poor", and winners often share part of a payout with friends who lost. Several compared it to a stokvel.
Long-term players weigh small, steady losses against the social side and the hope of an occasional windfall. Those trade-offs help explain why the game has lasted more than a century.
Is Fafi legal in South Africa?
Fafi is illegal. Section 57 of the Lotteries Act makes it an offence to take part in, organise, promote or benefit from any lottery the law hasn't authorised, and Fafi has never held a licence. On conviction, the Act allows a fine, a prison term or both.
The offence covers players as well as operators and runners, so even a R5 bet breaks the law. In practice, provincial boards aim their raids at the organisers of illegal gambling in South Africa, and Limpopo's board works with the police to make arrests.
Regulators have considered a different approach. A 2018 feasibility study for the NLC recommended a licence system for Fafi under the Lotteries Act and asked operators to pay into the National Lottery's good-causes fund. We found no sign that the law has changed since, and Fafi remains illegal for now.
To report illegal gambling linked to a street lottery, contact the NLC's compliance team on 012 432 1300 or at [email protected]. Provincial gambling boards accept tips on illegal operations as well.
What Fafi really costs players
Fafi gambling looks cheap one bet at a time, but several costs hide behind each small stake.
Cost
What it means for players
House edge
The game keeps 17.8% to 22.2% of all money staked, and the exact share shifts with how many numbers the game blocks
Operator-picked results
The person who takes the bets also chooses the winner, with no outside check
No recourse
If a runner or operator doesn't pay, no regulator or ombudsman can step in
No age checks
Runners don't ask for ID before they accept a bet
Take a player who bets R5 on two draws every weekday. Over a year, that adds up to R2,600 in stakes, and the house edge alone keeps about R460 to R580 of it on average. Any extra bets to chase a big win push the loss even higher.
Licensed operators must offer responsible gambling tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion. Fafi offers none of them, which leaves the player's own discipline as the only brake.
When Fafi stops being a small habit
Fafi rarely starts as a problem. One R2 bet on the way back from the shops feels like part of the day, much like a chat at the bank. The shift comes slowly, when one draw turns into three, and the household money starts to pay for them.
Street players show it in their own ways. They borrow from neighbours to place a bet, chase a lost round with extra draws, or keep their bags and notebooks out of sight. These habits belong with the broader warning signs of gambling harm.
Plenty of people who look up Fafi don't play at all and worry about a mother or gran who does. For her, the game often means friendship and routine, so respect goes further than a lecture. You can support a parent and still leave her in charge of her own money and choices.
For players who want to cut back, a fixed weekly amount in an envelope and one draw fewer each day make a realistic start. The National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) offers free, confidential counselling on 0800 006 008 or by WhatsApp on 076 675 0710, and the line answers 24 hours a day.
Fafi and the Lotto work in very different ways. Lotto draws happen by machine on a live broadcast under official supervision, and only players aged 18 or older can take part. Winners claim their prizes through official channels, so a big win never depends on one operator's honesty. Street Fafi offers none of these protections.
Only in name. In 2015, the National Lottery launched Fafi Fortune, an instant-win game themed on fafi and its dream numbers. It works through the licensed lottery system with set prizes, so it shares little with the street game beyond the idea. Street fafi stays outside the law.
Their danger goes well past the law. Runners walk between banks with cash, which makes them easy targets for theft, and they have no contract, insurance, or labour protection if something goes wrong. Since the work itself breaks the Lotteries Act, reporting a robbery to the police also means admitting to an offence.
Stokvels share out what members put in, while Fafi pays back less than it takes. Picture 10 members who each pay R100 a month into a savings stokvel, so each one receives the full R1,000 in turn. If the same 10 people stake R100 each on Fafi, the group gets back only about R780 to R820 on average.
Discussion, comments and your experiences
Share your opinion, ask a question or advise others. Editors reply as availability allows. For a quick response, use the chat.
What is Fafi? How the game works, the risks and the law in SA
Fafi is an unlicensed street lottery where players bet on a number from 1 to 36 and an operator reveals the winning number at set times each day. Other names include fahfee, mochaina and mo-china, and the choice changes from area to area.
Bets cost a few rand, so many regulars see it as a cheap daily treat. Those coins add up fast, though, and the law treats both organisers and players as offenders.
How Fafi works
Fafi is easy to learn, and that simplicity explains much of its pull. Ask a regular how to play Fafi, and they'll walk you through the same four steps.
Big payouts come with a few catches. Anyone who shares another player's bag, instead of having their own, gets only half the win.
The Fafi game has no machine and no independent check, because the operator chooses the winning number. Many players believe operators look in the bags first and avoid numbers with heavy bets. Some games also block the last few winning numbers, so the real choice drops from 36 to about 30.
Where the name Fafi comes from
Historians trace the Fafi meaning to faa wui, a numbers game that was popular in southern China in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Chinese migrants brought a version of it to South Africa, and a newspaper report from 1909 already described it as a pastime of domestic workers in Kimberley.
By the 1930s, operators drove regular routes through Johannesburg and other towns, and the game spread well past its first players. Along the way, players gave it new names.
Commissioner Street in the 1900s, Source: bussinesstech.co.za
Fahfee and Fafi follow the original sound, while mochaina and mo-china grew out of township slang for the operator who drives in with the result. The Limpopo Gambling Board still uses mochaina when it names the game among illegal activities in the province.
How Fafi numbers and dreams work
In Fafi, every number from 1 to 36 has its own picture, and many numbers stand for a part of the body as well. Players learn this code from family and friends, then use it to turn Fafi dreams and everyday moments into a number to bet on.
Here's how it works in practice. Number 9 means a light and links to the head and eyes. When someone dreamt about their eyes, players bet on 9, and it won. Another player saw a packed dance floor, read it as "many people," and bet on 26.
Regulars track past winners in notebooks and compare readings at the bank. The Fafi numbers' meaning makes the game feel personal, yet a person chooses each result, so no dream can predict it. Fake predictor apps sell the same false hope of a hidden pattern.
Who plays Fafi and why
Fafi players are mostly middle-aged and older working-class Black women, and the game has its strongest following in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. About 2.4% of adults played in the National Gambling Board's 2009 survey, the latest national figure we could find.
Small bets add up to big money. The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) estimated that South Africans spend about R725 million a year on Fafi, even though the average bet is around R2.
Money is only part of the draw. In Gauteng township workshops, regulars described Fafi as cheap, social and "for the poor", and winners often share part of a payout with friends who lost. Several compared it to a stokvel.
Long-term players weigh small, steady losses against the social side and the hope of an occasional windfall. Those trade-offs help explain why the game has lasted more than a century.
Is Fafi legal in South Africa?
Fafi is illegal. Section 57 of the Lotteries Act makes it an offence to take part in, organise, promote or benefit from any lottery the law hasn't authorised, and Fafi has never held a licence. On conviction, the Act allows a fine, a prison term or both.
The offence covers players as well as operators and runners, so even a R5 bet breaks the law. In practice, provincial boards aim their raids at the organisers of illegal gambling in South Africa, and Limpopo's board works with the police to make arrests.
Regulators have considered a different approach. A 2018 feasibility study for the NLC recommended a licence system for Fafi under the Lotteries Act and asked operators to pay into the National Lottery's good-causes fund. We found no sign that the law has changed since, and Fafi remains illegal for now.
To report illegal gambling linked to a street lottery, contact the NLC's compliance team on 012 432 1300 or at [email protected]. Provincial gambling boards accept tips on illegal operations as well.
What Fafi really costs players
Fafi gambling looks cheap one bet at a time, but several costs hide behind each small stake.
Cost
What it means for players
House edge
The game keeps 17.8% to 22.2% of all money staked, and the exact share shifts with how many numbers the game blocks
Operator-picked results
The person who takes the bets also chooses the winner, with no outside check
No recourse
If a runner or operator doesn't pay, no regulator or ombudsman can step in
No age checks
Runners don't ask for ID before they accept a bet
Take a player who bets R5 on two draws every weekday. Over a year, that adds up to R2,600 in stakes, and the house edge alone keeps about R460 to R580 of it on average. Any extra bets to chase a big win push the loss even higher.
Licensed operators must offer responsible gambling tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion. Fafi offers none of them, which leaves the player's own discipline as the only brake.
When Fafi stops being a small habit
Fafi rarely starts as a problem. One R2 bet on the way back from the shops feels like part of the day, much like a chat at the bank. The shift comes slowly, when one draw turns into three, and the household money starts to pay for them.
Street players show it in their own ways. They borrow from neighbours to place a bet, chase a lost round with extra draws, or keep their bags and notebooks out of sight. These habits belong with the broader warning signs of gambling harm.
Plenty of people who look up Fafi don't play at all and worry about a mother or gran who does. For her, the game often means friendship and routine, so respect goes further than a lecture. You can support a parent and still leave her in charge of her own money and choices.
For players who want to cut back, a fixed weekly amount in an envelope and one draw fewer each day make a realistic start. The National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) offers free, confidential counselling on 0800 006 008 or by WhatsApp on 076 675 0710, and the line answers 24 hours a day.
Sources
All online sources accessed 16 October 2026.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Discussion, comments and your experiences
Share your opinion, ask a question or advise others. Editors reply as availability allows. For a quick response, use the chat.
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