Lotto Changes Kick In From Wednesday

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The Lotto draw on Wednesday 21st November will be the first to take place under a new set of rules. The changes will ensure that the jackpot is won more regularly and will see bigger, fixed awards in other prize categories.

What Has Changed?

The main rules of the game are exactly the same; you still have to select six numbers from 1 to 59 and the cost per play is £2. However, a number of exciting changes have been made to the prize structure so that you will now win larger amounts if you match three, four, or five main numbers.

You don’t even have to win the jackpot anymore to become a millionaire, as matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball will see you rewarded with a £1 million windfall. The ‘Match 5’ and ‘Match 4’ prizes will be set at £1,750 and £140 respectively, far more than you could have previously expected. If you match three main numbers, you will now win £30 rather than £25.

You still receive a free Lucky Dip if you match two numbers, so the overall odds of winning are the same as before even though the prizes are bigger. Another tweak to the rules will guarantee that the jackpot will be won more frequently in future.

How Will The Jackpot Be Won More Regularly?

The previous jackpot cap of £22 million has been replaced by a rollover limit, so that the top prize can only go five draws in a row without being won. The jackpot must then be won in the next draw if there are five consecutive rollovers, and a ‘jackpot rolldown’ will occur if no ticket matches all six main numbers in that draw.

In a rolldown, the money from the jackpot will be shared out between all the other winners of cash prizes. Previously, the jackpot would just go to the players in the next winning tier, typically one or two ticket holders who matched five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball. Under the new rules, every prize winner will benefit and you could pick up around £100 just for matching three main numbers.

Visit the page on Lotto Changes to find out more about the new prize amounts, the changes to the jackpot and how different the game now looks from when it started in 1994.

Lotto Raffle Comes To An End

The Lotto Millionaire Raffle will no longer be played and the money that went to the raffle will now go towards paying for the bigger prizes available in the main game. The claim deadline of 180 days still applies, and the claim deadline for Saturday’s final raffle is 16th May 2019.

The Lotto jackpot on Saturday had to be won before the changes could come in. As it turned out, two players matched all six main numbers to split £5.2 million. The jackpot will now reset to £2 million for the next game as a new era begins for Lotto.