About Lotto
Lotto is the UK's National Lottery game, which started on 19th November 1994. Lotto draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday evening.
History
Lotto began on 19th November 1994, with draws initially held only on Saturdays. The first Wednesday draw was added on 5th February 1997, providing players with two chances to win each week. Initially, the number range was from 1 to 49. This changed on 10th October 2015, when the range expanded to 1 to 59, creating more combinations.
How to Play Lotto
- Pick 6 numbers from 1 to 59, or select a Lucky Dip for randomly chosen numbers.
- Decide how many lines you want to play on your play slip.
- Choose to play on Wednesdays, Saturdays, or both, and decide the number of weeks you'd like to participate.
You win the jackpot if all six of your chosen numbers match the drawn numbers. After the main six numbers are drawn, a Bonus Ball is drawn as a seventh number. Matching five numbers plus the Bonus Ball also awards a substantial prize. To win the minimum prize, you need to match at least two numbers.
Lotto draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday evening at around 8:00 pm. Prizes must be claimed within 180 days from the date of the draw.
Ticket Cost: £2 per play.
Odds of Winning and Prize Breakdown
In standard draws, most prizes are fixed amounts except for the jackpot, which varies each draw. If there are multiple jackpot winners, the prize is shared among them. When there are no jackpot winners, the prize rolls over to the next draw, up to a maximum of five rollovers. After this, a "Must Be Won" draw occurs, in which the jackpot is distributed across other prize tiers if no one matches all six numbers. This process is known as a "roll down", where all winning players receive an increased prize.
Below is the prize breakdown for all categories, along with the odds of winning:
| Match | Odds of Winning | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Match 6 | 1 in 45,057,474 | Jackpot |
| Match 5 + Bonus | 1 in 7,509,579 | £1,000,000 |
| Match 5 | 1 in 144,415 | £1,750 |
| Match 4 | 1 in 2,180 | £140 |
| Match 3 | 1 in 97 | £30 |
| Match 2 | 1 in 10.3 | Free Lucky Dip |
How to Improve My Chances of Winning the Lotto Jackpot
Looking to increase your chances of winning the Lotto jackpot? Here are a few tips:
Analyze Number Frequency
Check which Lotto numbers have been drawn most and least frequently on our
Lotto Number Frequency page.
Review Overdue Numbers
See which numbers are overdue for a win on our
Most Overdue Lotto Numbers page.
These numbers may have a higher chance of appearing in upcoming draws.
Try Unique Combinations
Playing combinations that haven’t been drawn before may improve your odds.
Use our Lotto Results Checker to see if your number combination has ever hit the jackpot.
