The UK Lottery is the national lottery in the United Kingdom which is operated by Camelot Group. The lottery is very popular due to the fact that its prizes are paid as a lump sum (with the exception of Set for Life) and most importantly, they are tax-free. The UK government franchised the UK Lottery to Camelot Group in 1994, which is a private operator, and the very first draw took place on 19 November 1994. Playing the UK Lottery is not only for an opportunity to win, but it is also a way of helping the society because around 95% of total revenue is given back to winners and the society for good causes and over £41 billion has so far been raised for good causes. The UK Lottery is not a single lotto but it consists of a number of lotteries namely;
Lotto
Lotto Hotpicks
Thunderball
Set For Life
EuroMillions
EuroMillions HotPickYou will notice that EuroMillions is their flagship game due to the big prizes it offers, but generally all of the UK Lottery games are very good. There are also a wide range of instant win games available.
How do you play the UK Lottery?
The UK lottery consists of a number of games which are different in nature and these games have different rules and playstyles. This article will look at each game individually, clearly explaining what the game entails and how to play it.
EuroMillions
The EuroMillions is one of the biggest lotto games in Europe due to the fact that it offers its punters big life-changing jackpot prizes. The lottery has been in existence for 16 years after it was launched on 7 February 2004. When the lottery was launched, it was only available in the UK, France and Spain, and other lotteries from countries like Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portuguese and Switzerland later joined in October the same year. Punters have two chances of playing this lottery every week and there have been big jackpot winners over the course of the game’s history and so far, only three winners have walked away with the previous maximum jackpot of €190 million which has now been increased to $250 million. Once the EuroMillions jackpot has reached its maximum and no winner is drawn, the jackpot will remain at the maximum for the next drawing, but funds will be added to the prize in the next tier down where there are winners.
Set For Life Lotto
The name of the lottery says it all, the Set For Life is a one of a kind lottery which gives punters an opportunity to win a jackpot prize that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. We have heard several sad stories of how lotto jackpot winners who have lost it all, the Set For Life lotto made a brilliant effort of addressing that issue because instead of giving the punter a lump sum, he or she is given a cool £10,000 a month for 30 good years! which is a lifetime really. If you are good in maths you would realise that £10,000 a month for thirty years works out an amount of £3.6million. Set For Life was launched in 2019 and the game uses the 5/47 matrix.
UK Thunderball
£1 is all you need to change your fortunes in the UK Thunderball because for just £1, you get a chance to win £500,000. The game was launched in the year 1999 and it is a relatively simple lottery which offers three opportunities of winning weekly because it has three weekly draws with quite favorable odds. In its initial stages, the UK Thunderball had only one weekly draw but two more draws were gradually introduced in 2002 and 2010 due to the popularity of the game. The odds of winning were further increased in the year 2010 when the selection pool size was increased from 34 to 39 but the good thing is that the jackpot was also doubled from £250,000 to £500,000. The UK Thunderball offers a total of nine prize tiers which basically means you have more opportunities of winning but you need to keep it in mind that the prizes are fixed.
EuroMillions Hotpicks
The EuroMillions Hotpicks is a game which offers bigger prizes for just a few numbers. What makes this game interesting is the freedom it gives the punters because you can choose how you want to play the game as you will decide the numbers you want to play from 1 -5. The EuroMillions Hotpicks is drawn twice weekly every Tuesday and Friday and there is a top prize of £1 million which isn’t shared even if there are many winners. There are five prize categories with the minimum amount to be won on the EuroMillions Hotpicks being £10 and the maximum is the top prize being £1 million.
Lotto
Lotto is the UK Lotto game which has remained the same ever since it was launched in 1994 and it is arguably the most popular of all the UK Lottery games. Lotto uses the matrix 6/59 where you have to choose 6 numbers from a range of 1 – 59 in order to win. There are two weekly draws for this popular lotto on Wednesday and Saturday. Matching all the 6 balls wins you the jackpot but you will be excited to know that there are a total of six prize categories for the Lotto where the minimum amount to be won is £30. Interestingly, you can be a millionaire even if you do not hit the jackpot because correctly predicting 5 main numbers plus the bonus ball wins you a cool £1,000,000. The Lotto draws are conducted at 8pm every Wednesday and 7.45pm every Saturday.
Lotto Hotpicks
Lotto HotPicks is a popular game where you just have to match a few numbers and win big prizes. The game is affordable because the cost of a single play is £1 for a chance to win the top prize of £350,000. The Lotto Hotpicks has two weekly draws on Wednesday and Saturday at 7.45pm. The minimum prize to be won is £6 and there is a total of 5 prize divisions.
When are the draws conducted?
Drawing times for the UK Lottery games are different as they are separate games altogether. Below are the draw dates and times for all the draws;
Game Draw Days Draw Times*
EuroMillions Tuesday & Friday 8:45 PM
Set for Life Monday & Thursday 8:00 PM
UK Thunderball Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 8:00 PM
EuroMillions Hotpicks Tuesday & Friday 8:45 PM
Lotto Wednesday & Saturday 8:00 PM & 7:45 PM
Lotto Hotpicks Wednesday & Saturday 7:45 PM
Who can bet on the UK Lottery?
According to the official website, players must be 16 or over and physically located in the UK or Isle of Man, however people outside these regions can play the lottery through the use of international online lottery companies.
How to claim your prize if you win?
Claiming your prize with the UK Lottery is very easy, just remember that you will claim your winnings based on how you purchased your ticket and the value of the prize.
Online ticket claimsWinnings of up to £500 will be paid directly into your National Lottery account shortly after the draw takes place.
A win from the range of £501 up to £30,000 must be claimed within 180 days and the prize will be transferred into your bank account via the debit card associated with your online National Lottery account.
Winnings from the range of £30,001 up to £50,000 must be claimed by contacting the National Lottery Customer Care Team on 0845 278 8000. You must be in possession of your ticket or play number when you claim.
Winnings over £50,001 must be claimed by contacting the National Lottery Customer Care Team on 0845 278 8000 to arrange for your prize to be processed in person.
Retailer Ticket ClaimsWinnings up to £100 can be claimed at any authorised National Lottery retailer.
Winn£101 – £500 – A win of between £101 and £500 can be claimed from any authorised National Lottery retailer providing they have sufficient funds available. If your ticket has been validated but the store does not have sufficient funds, you will have to return to the store at a later date to collect your prize. Alternatively you can visit a National Lottery-affiliated Post Office to claim your prize. If your ticket has not been officially validated, you can visit another different National Lottery retailer and see if they have sufficient funds.
£501 – £50,000 – Prizes of this value can be claimed at a National Lottery affiliated Post Office.