About Thunderball
Thunderball is the UK's National Lottery game offering a guaranteed jackpot of £500,000 per winner. This prize is not shared, regardless of the number of winning players. Thunderball draws are held four times a week - on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
History
Thunderball started on 12th June 1999, initially held only on Saturdays. The first Wednesday draw took place on 30th October 2002, and Friday draws were introduced on 14th May 2010. Tuesday draws began on 30th January 2018, making Thunderball a four-times-a-week game.
From the start of the game until 8th May 2010, the main ball range was from 1 to 34. Since 12th May 2010, the range has been expanded to 1 to 39.
How to Play Thunderball
- Pick 5 main numbers from 1-39 and 1 Thunderball from 1-14, or choose a Lucky Dip for randomly selected numbers.
- Choose your draw days and select the number of weeks you’d like to play.
- Decide how many lines you want to play on your play slip.
You hit the jackpot if all 5 main numbers and your selected Thunderball are drawn. To win the minimum prize, you need to match at least the Thunderball.
Thunderball draws take place every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evening at around 8:00 pm. You have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim any prize.
Ticket Cost: £1 per play.
Odds of Winning and Prize Breakdown
Thunderball offers fixed prizes, meaning the prize amount for each winning category is always the same, regardless of how many winners there are. This makes it unique because the jackpot is never split between multiple winners.
The jackpot is guaranteed at £500,000 per winner and is awarded to players who match all 5 main numbers plus the Thunderball. If multiple players win, each winner receives the full jackpot amount.
Below is the prize breakdown for all categories, along with the odds of winning:
| Match | Odds of Winning | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + 1 | 1 in 8,060,598 | £500,000 |
| 5 | 1 in 620,046 | £5,000 |
| 4 + 1 | 1 in 47,416 | £250 |
| 4 | 1 in 3,648 | £100 |
| 3 + 1 | 1 in 1,437 | £20 |
| 3 | 1 in 111 | £10 |
| 2 + 1 | 1 in 135 | £10 |
| 1 + 1 | 1 in 35 | £5 |
| 0 + 1 | 1 in 29 | £3 |
How to Improve My Chances of Winning the Thunderball Jackpot
Looking to increase your chances of winning the Thunderball jackpot? Here are a few tips:
Analyze Number Frequency
Check which Thunderball numbers have been drawn most and least frequently on our
Thunderball Number Frequency page.
Review Overdue Numbers
See which numbers are overdue for a win on our
Most Overdue Thunderball 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 Thunderball Results Checker to see if your number combination has ever hit the jackpot.
