UK National Lottery: Everything You Need to Know

The UK National Lotto began on November 19, 1994. It is the oldest of all lotteries in the UK operated by the Camelot Group, which also operates the UK Thunderball and Millionaire Maker. The UK National Lottery Commission regulates all the activities of the Camelot Group in all its games. Only UK and Isle of Man citizens and tourists can purchase official entries and win in the lotteries. However, international players can still join in on the fun by using various online services.

Biggest UK National Lottery Jackpots

Here are the dates the UK Lotto reached the largest possible jackpots:

1995: Estimated £22.5 million
1996: Estimated £44 million
January 9, 2016: Estimated £66.1 million
Mid-2016: Estimated £32.5 million
April 6, 2016: £35,133,888

Biggest Jackpot Winners

The St. Leonards-on-Sea Lucky Duo: In 1995, two anonymous business partners spent £1, the price of entries back in those days, for each ticket into the UK Lotto. Their efforts and investment paid off enormously with an estimated prize of £22.5 million.

The Fortunate Trio: Three winners shared £44 million in 1996. The three chose to remain anonymous, but each took home £14 million, an enormous sum that definitely allowed them to retire regardless of their age at that time.

The Rollover Duo: Following 15 rollovers of the UK Lottery, two entries won £66 million on January 9, 2016. This is the biggest recorded amount the game has ever paid out to winners. One ticket holder chose to remain anonymous. A couple from the Scottish Borders, David and Carol Martin, claimed the other portion.

The Lucky Couple: A few weeks following the January 2016 victory of the Martins and the anonymous ticket holder, Gerry and Lisa Cannings from Deepening St. James in Cambridgeshire won an estimated £32.5 million.

The Single Millionaire: The UK National Lottery had its first solo winner on April 6, 2016. An anonymous ticket holder with the numbers 50, 57, 31, 17, 41, and 15 won the jackpot estimated to be at £35.1 million all to him or herself. This was the biggest single prize the game has ever paid to an individual winner.

Gameplay

To win a prize in the game, players must choose six numbers from 1 - 59. All six numbers must match to win a prize. If players match less than six numbers, they can win non-jackpot amounts. The game also features a bonus ball, which is picked in a separate roulette. If a player matches this bonus ball and five main game numbers, they win the second-highest winnings.

It costs £2 to play per line in the UK National Lotto. Players who wish to play both Wednesday and Saturday draws with only a single line per draw will pay for the prize of two entries equivalent to the two draw dates. For example, a player who wishes to play three lines for two weeks will pay £24 in total because they would play three lines multiplied by four draw dates. Some online ticketing and betting services offer discounts for subscribing for more than one week.

All entries become part of the Millionaire Raffle where 21 raffle numbers will be selected. The game's system pre-selects the raffle entry's numbers. Guaranteed prizes reach up to £1 million plus £20,000 worth of secondary winnings.

Sample UK National Lottery Breakdown

The game has no jackpot cap, meaning if there are no winners in any given week, the winning value is rolled over to the following week. Therefore, the sky's the limit when it comes to the UK Lottery's biggest possible jackpots.

The starting amount of the grand prize depends on ticket sales profits following the date the lottery had a winner.

Here is a sample breakdown of winnings:

Match 6 main numbers: Jackpot
Match 5 main numbers + Bonus: Estimated £50,000
Match 5 main numbers: Estimated £1,000
Match 4 main numbers: Estimated £100
Match 3 main numbers: £25
Match 2 main numbers: One free Lucky Dip ticket.
Millionaire Raffle: Guaranteed £1 million

Draw Schedule

The UK National Lotto draws every Wednesday and Saturday at 20:30 and 22:05 (GMT), respectively. All draws are broadcasted from the official Facebook page and YouTube channel of the UK National Lotto during these hours.

Closing Time

Players cannot buy any more game entries after 19:30 and 21:05 GMT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Chances of Winning the UK National Lottery

Players face the immense odds of 1 to almost 14 million before they can win a jackpot prize. Of course, more entries mean better chances of winning. Here is the detailed breakdown of the odds:

Match 6 main numbers: 1 in 13,983,816
Match 5 main numbers + Bonus: 1 in 2,330,636
Match 5 main numbers: 1 in 55,491
Match 4 main numbers: 1 in 1,032
Match 3 main numbers: 1 in 56
Match 2 main numbers: 1 in 6.8

How to Play UK Lotto Online

Traditionally, the only way for international players to participate in the UK National Lottery with a physical entry was to be a tourist in the country and remain for one week until the draws end. The lottery organization makes it clear that all entries must be bought from an official kiosk, and players must remain in the UK or Isle of Man before the draw dates.

However, thanks to the Internet, international players can bet on the results of the UK Lottery, but not join it with an actual ticket. Online betting is open to all players residing in countries that permit Internet-based gambling and lotteries. Instead of buying an official entry, players purchase a betting product based on the characteristics and mechanics of the UK Lottery. These companies pay non-jackpot prizes from its profits.

In case of a jackpot, the insurance protecting all players' entries into their version of the UK's prestigious game will pay the same value as the official lottery in prizes. Instead of the organization paying out, the service's insurer will pay the same amount of winnings.

One of the advantages of joining the UK Lotto through an Internet betting service is discounts. Players subscribing to multiple weeks of draws reduces the £2 ticket price to just £1.70 or £1.50. Another advantage is convenience; in case of a jackpot win, winners do not need to fly into the United Kingdom. The company will call them to arrange for a convenient way to receive their winnings. Most online services also give players their first ticket free and even boost their chances of winning by allowing them to play through a syndicate.