Lotto Reaches 3000 Draws: Looking Back at the Games History

Updated: Thursday 19th September 2024

The UKs most popular lottery game, Lotto, is set to reach a major milestone on Saturday 21st September as it makes its 3,000th draw!

So, how did we get here? Lotto has had a long and memorable 30 year history. From major rule changes to huge jackpot wins, this game has seen it all. As we approach this upcoming landmark, let's take a look back at how the game has evolved and highlight some of its most quintessential moments:

Lotto Throughout History

There's no doubt that Lotto has changed a lot since the game first began in 1994. Here’s a timeline from that very first draw up until today:

19th November 1994 - The first Lotto game was held under the name ‘The National Lottery’. The jackpot of £5,874,778 was split between 7 lucky winners.
5th February 1997 - The introduction of the first Wednesday draw. Lotto draws continue to take place every Wednesday and Saturday.
18th May 2002 - The original title of ‘The National Lottery’ is officially rebranded to ‘Lotto’ - They celebrate by holding three special £4 million jackpot-only draws.
October 2015 - Lotto introduces a significant change as the pool of numbers increases from 49 to 59.
November 2018 - Jackpot Rolldown is introduced: If no one wins the jackpot after the fifth rollover then the top prize is split between all winners. This means thousands of players can win a boosted cash prize.
18th September 2024 - The 2999th draw takes place, making way for the games 3000th draw on Saturday…

Find out even more about the history of Lotto and other UK lotteries here.

Other Lotto Variations

Lotto was operated by Camelot Group from the games inception up until the 1st of February 2024, when it was taken over by Allwyn Entertainment. Throughout its time, Camelot introduced variations on Lotto to add different elements to the game:

Lotto Plus 5 was a game where players could pay an extra £1 onto their Lotto ticket which would enter their chosen numbers into five separate draws. Matching all five numbers would give you a jackpot of £250,000. This ran from 2011 to 2013 and was mainly discontinued due to the introduction of the Lotto raffle.

The short lived Lotto raffle meant that a raffle number was included with each Lotto ticket purchased. Each raffle winner received a fixed amount of £20,000 and 50 players had the chance to win. The Lotto raffle ran from October 2013 to 17 November 2018.

Key Lotto Statistics

There's a lot of information we can cover in 3,000 draws. Here are some of the most important statistics throughout the games history:

2016 was an unbelievable year for Lotto as it saw:
1. The highest individual jackpot winner: £35,133,888 on Wednesday 6th April 2016.
2. The most amount of winners in one draw: 4,631,956 winners on Saturday 9th January 2016.
3. The most amount of winners in a single year: 128,600,960 total winning tickets in 2016.
If you’re wondering what numbers have come up the most times then here are the most common numbers drawn: 11, 23, 27, 38, 39, 40, Bonus: 45.
The most popular ball set used was ball set 4, a total of 364 times.
Interested how many winners there have been per 1,000 draws? In almost 3,000 draws there have been 2,173,994,556 winning tickets. This means there have been approximately 724,664,852 winners per every 1,000 draws.

Looking Ahead to the Future

Now that Allwyn Entertainment is operating Lotto we have the potential to see some big changes in the coming years.

Most recently Allwyn have announced that they are reviewing the option to halve the price of a Lotto ticket from £2 down to £1. This could help drive Lotto sales, making the game more accessible for potential players across the UK.

Allwyn have stated they are holding off on any major changes until 2025, with UK Boss Andria Vidler stating players won't notice any “Big Bang changes” from day one. However, they have promised to “breathe fresh life” into Lotto since taking over.

They are also committed to increasing returns for National Lottery-funded projects which support communities across the UK. Vidler commented they want to do more with Lotto “for the benefit of future generations.”

Reflections

As Lotto reaches its 3,000th draw, it's important to see how the game has progressed throughout the years and to reflect on some of its key moments. Lotto has changed the lives of millions and will remain an iconic part of UK culture for a long time to come. Whether you're excited to take part in the upcoming draw or are just interested in Lotto's rich history, Saturday 21st September is set to be a truly iconic occasion.

Published: Thursday 19th September 2024

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