Although it was only established in 1994, the United Kingdom’s National Lottery is one of the biggest worldwide lotteries going. It has changed a lot since it was first drawn, with Camelot retaining their license throughout. The National Lottery commission regulates this lottery, with prizes paid out as lump sums.
50% of all the lottery money generated through ticket sales is available to be won, with another 28% devoted to causes by Parliament. 12% of revenue is paid to the UK Government as tax, whilst 5% goes to retailers for selling the tickets, 5% goes to Camelot (who operate the lottery), 4.5% covers operating costs, and 0.5% is profit. The National Lottery is therefore one of the most transparent lotteries in the world.
In 2002, this lotto game underwent significant changes to its format, developing an extra game. Both games form the current National Lottery, and most gamblers in the United Kingdom have a crack at it every week. In 2013, Camelot decided to increase the cost of a lottery ticket from £1 to £2. Significant restructuring of the prizes was also done, allowing more money to be won. A Millionaire’s Raffle was also introduced into the lottery, dropping the total percentage of cash prizes down to 42.47%, with 5.03% dedicated to this raffle pot.
How to play the UK Lotto
Players must pick a total of six numbers from 49 represented in the lottery. They can also opt to have their numbers selected at random if they wish, via the “Lucky Dip” ticket. Six numbers are drawn in total, as well as a bonus ball. The bonus ball only counts if players have five numbers already matched.
Prizes
The lowest paying combination in the National Lottery is 3 numbers. If a player matches 3 numbers, then they will win £25, at odds of 56/1. Only after the 3 ball winners are paid out, is the remainder of the lottery fund used to pay out higher winners.
Matching 4 numbers is estimated at odds of 1,031/1, and 23.8% of the funds is given to players who match four numbers. A 5 number ticket will see you win 4.5% of the remaining funds, with odds of 55,490/1. Should a player land 5 plus the bonus ball, they will win 5.3% of the pot, and they have odds of 2,330,635/1 of doing this. The top prize is worth 66.4% of the pot, and players must have all 6 numbers to do this. Your chances of success are 13,983,815 to 1.
Lotto Atlas recommends playing the National Lottery on The Lotter
The United Kingdom’s National Lottery game is one of several which you can play on The Lotter. If you’re interested in giving it a shot, Lotto Atlas recommends using this site to purchase your tickets. When you play with The Lotter, you won’t even need to reside in the country, in order to be able to play. Simply purchase your tickets (either by selecting numbers manually or by opting for lucky dips), and pay for them (with a small charge for handling), and then anything you win is yours to keep.
And finally…
The National Lottery always pays out in lump sums. On average, 31 million tickets are sold every week for the Saturday draw, with roughly half that sold for draws which take place on Wednesdays. To date, the biggest jackpot ever paid out in the National Lottery with a single ticket is just over £22.5 million. This was won in 1995 by two window glazing businessmen. However, the biggest ever jackpot win was £42,008,610 which was won in January 1996, by three winners. Each winner pocketed £14,002,870 a pop. If you fancy your chances of playing Britain’s foremost lottery game, then get your National Lottery tickets at The Lotter today.