EVERYONE wants to know how to win the lottery.
Unfortunately, the lottery is a game of luck and there are no tips or tricks that will guarantee you will go home with a jackpot.
The odds indicate how likely it is that you will win a certain prize. The lower the number, the higher the odds.
For example, a 1 in 10 chance is better than a 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000 chance.
There are several major lotteries in the UK, including the National Lottery’s Lotto, Camelot’s EuroMillions and Thunderball.
Chances of winning the Lotto
The National Lottery Lotto is a game where you choose six numbers from 1 to 59. You can put up to seven rows of numbers on each ticket.
The game costs £2 per slip.
The chance of winning a prize in the Lotto is 1 in 9.3.
But the chances of winning the Lotto jackpot are considerably smaller.
To win the top prize, you need to match six balls. The odds of doing this and winning the jackpot are currently 1 in 45,057,474.
The second highest prize of £1,000,000 is for getting five matching main balls plus the bonus ball.
The odds of taking home the top prize of a million pounds are 1 in 7,509,579. That’s much higher than the jackpot, but still unlikely.
The odds of winning £1,750 with five main numbers without a bonus ball are 1 in 2,180, while you have a 1 in 97 chance of winning £140 with four main numbers.
The chance of winning £30 if you match 3 main numbers is much greater: 1 in 97.
And the chance of getting a free grab bag if you add two numbers together is about 1 in 10.
Odds of winning the EuroMillions
The EuroMillions tournament costs £2.50 and is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To play you must choose five numbers from 1-50 and two “Lucky Stars” from 1-12. Players with the most matching numbers win the top prizes.
The chance of winning the EuroMillions jackpot is even smaller than winning the Lotto jackpot.
This is because higher jackpots are usually offered, which means it attracts more attention.
Currently, the odds of getting five correct numbers and two lucky stars (the biggest win) are 1 in 139,838,160.
According to EuroMillions, the average jackpot prize is £57,923,499.
The odds of winning the second top prize if you match 5 balls and a lucky star are normally around £262,346. This is 1 in 6,991,908.
The odds of winning the third prize for matching five balls, with an average payout of £26,277, are 1 in 3,107,515.
For four matching balls with two lucky stars it is 1 in 621,503, and for four balls with one lucky star it is 1 in 31,076. These have an average price of £1,489 and £95 respectively.
Chances of winning the Thunderball
Thunderball is another National Lottery game where you pick five numbers and one “Thunderball”. It costs just £1 to play and you can enter up to four times a week.
The £500,000 jackpot for matching five balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 8,060,598.
The odds of winning the second highest prize of £5,000 by matching five balls are currently 1 in 620,046. The odds of winning £250 by matching four balls plus the Thunderball are 1 in 47,416.
You have the best chance of winning £3 if you match the Thunderball, with odds of 1 in 29.
