How Lotto Rolldown Payouts Will Change From 7th November

Updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2020

Lotto Must Be Won draws are set to change from Saturday 7th November, with Match 2 winners receiving a share of the jackpot if there is a rolldown. More details have been revealed about how all the prize categories will be affected once the update happens.

The National Lottery announced in August that the current prize structure would be altered for Must Be Won draws. At the moment, the jackpot is split between everyone who matches at least three numbers if there are no Match 6 winners. This is known as a rolldown.

Anyone matching two numbers still gets a free Lucky Dip like they do in a standard draw. However, from 7th November, Match 2 winners will receive £5 in addition to their free ticket every time there is a rolldown.

It has now been confirmed that when a rollover occurs, the fixed £5 prize will be paid out to Match 2 winners first. From the money that is left over, a percentage will be allocated to each of the other prize tiers. The fund for each tier will then be split between winners. All players will also continue to receive the same fixed prize that they would normally get paid.

The percentages distributed to each category will change, as shown in the table below.

Prize Category	Percentage of Jackpot prior to 7th November	Percentage of Jackpot from 7th November
Match 5 + Bonus	3%	3%
Match 5	6%	5%
Match 4	17%	7%
Match 3	74%	85%

The exact payouts for a rolldown will always vary from draw to draw because the amounts are based on the size of the jackpot and the number of winners in each category. However, with a significant chunk of the jackpot going to Match 2 winners and the allocated percentages changing, you may notice a difference once the updated structure is in place.

The following table illustrates how the payouts can be expected to change. It shows the prize that was actually given to each winner in a recent Must Be Won draw when the jackpot rolled down, and what they would have received under the rules that will be applied from 7th November.

Prize Category	Prize awarded on 18th July	Prize if new rules applied	Prize in a standard draw
Match 5 + Bonus	£1,172,495	£1,078,392	£1,000,000
Match 5	£13,249	£6,105	£1,750
Match 4	£508	£209	£140
Match 3	£96	£65	£30
Match 2	Free Lucky Dip	£5 + Free Lucky Dip	Free Lucky Dip

The jackpot for the Must Be Won draw on 18th July was worth more than £11.4 million. There were more than 1.2 million players in the Match 2 category on that night, so if they had all received £5 each from the jackpot, there would have been more than £5.2 million remaining to divide between the other categories.

The new structure is being introduced so that you can still receive a considerably larger prize for matching at least three numbers, while there is also the chance to win £5 plus a Lucky Dip just for matching two.

The idea is for rolldowns to benefit as many players as possible, and the odds of winning in the Match 2 tier are just 1 in 10.3. Go to the Must Be Won page to learn more about how these special events work.

Published: Wednesday 23rd September 2020

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