Which National Lottery Game Has The Best Odds

This is perhaps one of the best kept lottery secrets – the Mini Lotto is a Polish lottery draw that has some of the best odds to offer its players. Poland does have its own main lottery draw but this was set up as a secondary competition to offer players another chance to win – much in the same way the National Lottery has its main draw. If you play the Powerball lottery, you'll need to match five numbers plus the Powerball to win the jackpot. The odds of scooping the grand prize are 1 in 292,201,338. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.87, so for smaller cash prizes the odds are a lot better. Which Casino Game Has The Best Odds Of Winning. The odds of picking all six numbers correctly in a National Lottery draw are 1 in 45,057,474. These are better odds than the EuroMillions jackpot, but not as good as the EuroMillions HotPicks main prize. The odds of winning the most basic prize (matching two numbers which gets you a free Lotto Lucky Dip) are 1. The odds don't really matter too much and we all know that it's money that in the long run could have been spent better. If you don't care too much about the big jackpot then do the Thunderball as that's only £1. 2007 Won Ipod 30GB Video Sold on ebay for £136.51. Total Winnings in 2007 = £136.51:T.

You win Lotto prizes by matching your selected numbers to the winning numbers – there’s millions of pounds of prize money at stake in every draw. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 45,057,474, and overall the chances of winning a prize are better than 1 in 10. Find out more about the odds of winning Lotto.

£9 Million
Which National Lottery Game Has The Best Odds

Prize Categories

To win a prize, you must match at least two of the six main numbers. The prizes increase in value as you match more numbers, culminating in the ‘Match 6’ jackpot award. The following table shows all the Lotto odds, prizes and how to win.

Prize CategoryOdds of WinningPrize Value
Match 61 in 45,057,474Jackpot
Match 5 + Bonus Ball1 in 7,509,579£1 million
Match 51 in 144,415£1,750
Match 41 in 2,180£140
Match 31 in 97£30
Match 21 in 10.3Free Lotto Lucky Dip
The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 9.3

The Lotto jackpot starts at £2 million on a Wednesday and £3.8 million on a Saturday. It is shared between all players who match six numbers in the same draw, or rolls over to the next draw if there are no winners. Take a look at the biggest Lotto winners of all time.

There are fixed prizes in all the tiers below the jackpot, ranging from a free Lucky Dip for matching two numbers to £1 million for matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball. The Bonus Ball is only relevant if you match five of the main balls.

Which National Lottery Has The Best Odds

The jackpot can only roll over for a maximum of five consecutive draws. A Must Be Won draw will then be held in the following draw, which guarantees that the jackpot money will be given away even if there are no Match 6 winners. If a rolldown occurs, lower prizes can be boosted significantly.

Which National Lottery Game Has The Best Odds Tonight

Prize Capping

Which National Lottery Game Has The Best Odds Of Winning

If the number of jackpot winners in a certain draw means that the individual prize amounts fall below £1 million, the jackpot will be topped up so that each player receives £1 million. The amount of money that can be added to the jackpot in this way is capped at £7 million, so in very rare cases, it may be that jackpot winners receive less than £1 million each.

All other cash awards - from Match 3 to Match 5 + Bonus - can also be capped in very rare circumstances when winners cannot be paid the standard prize. The total capped prize fund equates to 35.82 percent of ticket sales, plus £35 million. If prizes do have to be capped, all winners below the jackpot will receive at least £2 or a Lucky Dip.

Lottery

Reserve Prize Fund

National

Half of the money raised from ticket sales is put towards Lotto prizes. A small portion of that revenue – 8.78% - is kept in a reserve fund that can be used to bolster prize amounts when special promotions take place.

Improving Your Lotto Odds

Each line of Lotto numbers has an identical chance of winning. The only way to improve your odds is to get more entries. An affordable way to do this is to play in a syndicate so that you split the cost with others and boost your odds at the same time. Go to the Syndicates section for more information.

Taxes on Winnings

UK lottery prizes are not subject to tax, but there are exceptions. The interest that accrues on a prize, for example, may have to be taxed as part of your normal income tax if it is sufficiently large. If you wish to give anyone a share of your winnings, you should also be aware that they may have to pay Inheritance Tax if you die within seven years. If you play from overseas, you may be liable for withholdings in your own country. You should check with a financial expert if you have queries about tax as it is a complex issue that does depend on individual circumstances.