Fafi, more commonly known in the townships as Mo-china, is one of the most popular forms of gambling in South African townships, especially Gauteng. Fafi or Mo-china is a form of mobile lottery where punters bet on which number will be drawn by selecting a number between 1 and 36. Although township people bet small amounts, the potential for winning is great as each number is paid at odds of 28/1. Corner/spaza shop owners play the role of a bookie, also known as the runner, they usually take bets three times a day, morning, afternoon, and in the evening. Once all bets have been taken by the runner, the draw is done inside a luxury car with tinted windows that can be spotted cruising around the townships, the driver of the car is known as Mo-china.
The store owner or runner is employed to collect all bets and distribute the winnings. The runner collects bets on a board numbered from 1 to 36. To prevent any manipulation from the runner, Mo-china holds up the number drawn so the punters can see what is the winning number. Six numbers are usually blocked and no bets can be placed on these numbers, these are numbers which have been drawn in the previous three rounds.
Sites that you can bet Lucky Numbers on
Where does Fafi come from?
The exact origins of this lottery-style game is unknown, however, this game has many ties to the Chinese community in South Africa.
How do players choose their numbers?
Players don’t always choose numbers randomly, there’s usually a good reason why a punter will bet on a specific number, and that reason, most of the time, is a dream. Numbers 1-5 carry a specific meaning, as shown below:
1 – King, human blood, white man, left eye
2 – monkey, native, a spirit, chief, copper, money, jockey
3 – sea water, accident, frog, sailor, sex
4 – dead man, turkey, small fortune, bed
5 – tiger, fight, strong man
Amongst the black culture, and probably many other cultures around the world, dreams carry meaning and significance in the real world. Their interpretation and meaning is taken seriously, hence why punters wont dismiss dreams as just that, but rather take it communication from the other side.
How is the winning number drawn?
Many punters have confirmed that they do not know how the draw is done or how the winning number is selected. Many have speculated that Mo-china himself determines what the winning number is with full knowledge of what bets have been placed.
Many punters seem to not have a problem with this as they feel this is a fair way of determining the winning number.
Mo-china numbers and meaning
| NUMBER | SYMBOL | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | King | Human blood, white man, left eye |
| 2 | Monkey | Native, spirit chief, copper money, jockey |
| 3 | Sea Water | Accident, frog, sex, sailor |
| 4 | Dead Man | Turkey, small fortune, bed |
| 5 | Tiger | Fight, strong man |
| 6 | Ox Blood | Gentleman, milk |
| 7 | Lion | Thief, big stick, chickens |
| 8 | Pig | Drunken man, loafer, fat man, Chinese king |
| 9 | Moon | Baby, hole, owl, devil, anything round, pumpkin |
| 10 | Eggs | Train, boat, grave, anything oval |
| 11 | Carriage | Wood, tree, furniture, bicycle, flowers |
| 12 | Dead Woman | Ducks, small fire, Chinese Queen |
| 13 | Big Fish | Ghosts, spirits |
| 14 | Old Woman | Fox, detective, nurse, native woman |
| 15 | Bad Woman | Prostitute, canary, white house, small knife |
| 16 | Small House | Coffin, pigeon, letter, young woman, paper money |
| 17 | Diamond Woman | Queen, pearls, diamonds, star, worms, white woman |
| 18 | Silver Money | Servant girl, right eye, butterfly, hook, rain |
| 19 | Little Girl | Smoke, bread, big bird, left hand |
| 20 | Cat | Hankerchief, body, music, minister, naked woman |
| 21 | Old Man | Stranger, fisherman, knife, elephant, nose, teeth |
| 22 | Bats | Motor car, big ship, left foot, shoes |
| 23 | Horse | Doctor, head, hair, crown |
| 24 | Mouth | Wild cat, vixen, lioness, purse |
| 25 | Big House | Church, boxer, hospital |
| 26 | Bees | Big crown, bad man, big bush, geeral funeral, mad man |
| 27 | Dog | Policeman, newborn baby, medicines, sad news |
| 28 | Sardines | Small fish, thief, night, foot, sulemene, surprise, small baby |
| 29 | Small Water | Coffin, rain, tears, big knife, right hand |
| 30 | Fowl | Graveyard, Indian, threat, forest |
| 31 | Big Fire | Bishop, excitement, guinea fowl, fig, big spirit, woman, feathers |
| 32 | Gold Money | Dirty woman, snake |
| 33 | Little Boy | Spider |
| 34 | Meat | Human dung, anything dirty, sick woman, honey, cripple, tramp |
| 35 | Clothes | Sheep, big hole, big grave |
| 36 | Shrimp | Stick, admiral, gun, cigar |
How do I bet on Lucky Numbers?
Start betting online on Lucky Numbers in a few simple steps with Betway.
How to play:
- Choose a lottery
- Select a Bet Type
- Select your numbers
- Select your stake
- Click Bet Now
Your winnings get paid into your Betway account and you can withdraw whenever you want, there is no wagering requirement needed. You do not share any of your winnings with other punters because you do not bet in pools, all your winnings go straight to you.
What Bet Types can I bet on?
Lucky Numbers has various Bet Types you can bet on making the possibilities of winning endless.
Some of the popular Bet Types are:
1 Number
2 Numbers
3 Numbers
4 Numbers
Predict the bonus ball
Bonus Ball HI (26-49) or Low (1-24)
Over 15 years of experience in the sports and casino betting industry. I cover everything from casino games, crash games, slots and betting tips. Now Author for The Gambler.
