Which Lottery Has The Best Odds Of Winning Uk
EVERYONE would love to hit the lottery jackpot at least once in their lifetime. Sadly, it's not easy to win the big one!
Different lotteries come with different mechanics and designs. Similarly, lottery games differ in terms of prizes, jackpots, and most importantly, jackpot odds and lottery odds.
So, how do you improve your chances of winning the lottery?
If you're serious about improving your chances of winning on a lottery it's best if you learn the different options available at your disposal.
It pays to know the lottery games that have the highest probability of winning, a bit like you do when betting on football. For this reason, therefore, have a look at this guide of the best lottery games with the best odds of winning. As you know, knowing is half the battle…
The National Lottery
The UK National Lottery features several games, but the Lotto is most popular as it boasts the biggest prizes.
Camelot, the corporation behind the National Lottery, re-engineered the Lotto game in 2015, which has greatly impacted the odds of winning. Now, there are ten new numbers to the draw taking the total to 59.
Lotto Odds and Prizes. 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. You have a 1 in 45,057,474 chance of winning the Lotto jackpot. Check out the odds of winning any prize on Lotto or Lotto HotPicks.
As a result, the chances of winning the biggest prize is almost even greater.
The odds of matching six digits shot from approximately 14,000,000/1 to 45,000,000/1. Meanwhile, the odds of matching five digits have increased to 144,400/1 from 55,000/one.
Winning the lottery isn't easy – if it was we'd all be millionaires! But knowing the odds lets you bet smarter. So what, exactly, is the precise probability of winning the lottery?To find out let's look at the UK Lotto versus our top five most popular lotteries to bet on and see how each lottery stacks up. Which Lottery Has the Best Odds? Not all lotteries are created equally. Although winning a lottery is based entirely on luck, it's theoretically easier to win some lottery jackpots than others and that’s because the jackpot odds are not the same for every lottery.The chance of winning secondary prizes is also not the same in every lottery and that’s because each lottery has different.
At the same time Camelot made the changes they also included new prizes such as a Guaranteed Millionaire. So, while the odds of winning big prizes have diminished, the odds of winning any prize is currently 9.3/1.
EuroMillions
Camelot also owns and operates EuroMillions. EuroMillions operates throughout in Europe and usually has significantly bigger jackpots than the UK draw.
Because of this, the odds of winning the big prize is 116,500,000/1, making it even more difficult to win. Price of a ticket is also higher for the EuroMillions draw compared the the National Lottery.
On the other hand, the odds of winning the second biggest prize is better than winning the UK game. Additionally, players have one in 13 chances of winning any prize. Like the National Lottery you can play EuroMillions online or at many grocery shops, supermarkets and petrol stations in the UK.
Irish Lotto
The Irish Lotto features much better ratios of jackpot size to odds winning. The minimum jackpot amount is €1.4million. Meanwhile, the odds of winning are about 10,700,000/1, which is lower than many big lottery games. The odds of winning any prize is 72/1, which is not that great.
If you are after jackpots only, consider Ireland’s lottery game. You can also bet on the Irish Lottery at many bookmakers where you can try to predict which numbers will appear in the draw.
French Lotto
Coming at 6/1, the French Lotto brags the best odds of winning any prize, which is quite a decent rate for regular players. However, the prizes below the first two tiers are small sums.
Therefore, you shouldn’t be too excited by these odds. A minimum jackpot of €2million is included, which increases by a million every time no-one wins. The odds of winning stand at 19,000,000/1.
Mini Lotto
This less-famous Polish game has some great jackpot odds. It is the smaller version of Poland’s largest draw, but the jackpots are smaller around €50,000. The good thing about them though is that the odds of winning are higher than other lottery games at around 850,000/1.
A ticket can be bought for as little as 25p, thus it is also cheap to play. Draws happen six days a week, which in turn, increases your chances of winning.
Tips for Winning a Lottery
Now that this Masterclass lists all of the lottery odds, what are the ways that can help increase your chances of winning the lottery?
Play the Right Games
Often, people think winning the lottery involves playing only a single game, however, different lottery games have different odds of winning so, ensure that you read the odds prior to spending your money to make sure you maximize your winning chances.
Lottery games such as Mega-Millions and Powerball are national lotteries and as such, they have a wider entry pool. To play state lotteries, you must physically be in that state to purchase a ticket.
Get More Entries by Joining a Lottery Syndicate
The simplest way to increase your odds of winning a lottery is to purchase more tickets. This costs a lot of money though, and even if you buy many tickets, your odds of winning are still low.
Lottery pools or syndicates, on the other hand, allows you to improve your odds without spending as much cash. Look for an office lottery pool or create your own to maximize your chances of winning.
Take Steps to Secure Winning Lottery Tickets
If you happen to win the lottery, what you don’t want to do is to let the prize go away by mistake.
So, the first and most important thing you should do once you get your ticket is to sign it on the back. This will provide that it is yours if it is stolen or lost.
Also, you can hire an accountant or financial planner to help you manage your funds for the future.
Additionally, if you can live in an area where you are anonymous unlike some of these huge lottery winners, then do just that, unless you want to spend your life fighting off people asking you for money.
Don Best Odds
Good luck!
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.
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 Category | Odds of Winning | Prize Value |
|---|---|---|
| Match 6 | 1 in 45,057,474 | Jackpot |
| Match 5 + Bonus Ball | 1 in 7,509,579 | £1 million |
| 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 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.
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.
Prize Capping
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.
Reserve Prize Fund
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.
Which Lottery Has Best Odds Uk
Taxes on Winnings
Compare Odds
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.