National Lottery Information
You can find everything you need to know about National Lottery games on this page. Get the main facts about EuroMillions, key Lotto information, and all the crucial details about other games. Select a lottery from the options below to learn more, or scroll down to find lots more National Lottery information, covering a wide range of subjects.
Lotto
Lotto is the National Lottery's original game and is still popular after more than 25 years. There is a multimillion-pound jackpot up for grabs twice a week and sometimes special Must Be Won draws guarantee that the prize money will be given away.
- Pick six numbers from 59
- Draws on Wednesdays and Saturdays
- Jackpot is at least £2 million
- Must Be Won draws guarantee a jackpot win
EuroMillions
The EuroMillions jackpot is worth up to €250 million, making it the biggest prize that the National Lottery has to offer. The starting jackpot is €17 million (approx. £14 million) and it quickly grows with rollovers, with nine participating countries contributing to the pot.
- Draws held every Tuesday and Friday
- Select five numbers from 1-50 and two Lucky Stars from 1-12
- Jackpot regularly exceeds £100 million
- Every draw guarantees one millionaire in the UK
Thunderball
Thunderball draws take place four times a week, with a £500,000 jackpot that can be paid out to multiple winners in the same draw – you don’t have to share the prize money. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 13.
- Choose five numbers from 39 and one Thunderball from 14
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday draws
- Fixed jackpot of £500,000 per winner
- Cost of entry is £1 per line
Set For Life
Set For Life is the National Lottery’s only annuity game and offers a top prize that pays out £10,000 every month for 30 years. The second prize is also paid out in the form of an annuity – £10,000 every month for a year.
- Select five numbers from 1-47 and a Life Ball from 1-10
- Draws take place on Monday and Thursday
- Jackpot is monthly payments of £10,000 for 30 years
- Eight different ways to win prizes
Pick 3
Pick 3 is an online-only game which allows you to win up to 500x your original stake. It offers a lot of flexibility, as you can choose between several play types, each one offering a different prize. You can even decide how much money you want to bet.
Lotto HotPicks
Lotto HotPicks puts you in control of how many Lotto numbers you want to try and match. You can choose just one number or up to five. The key difference to Lotto is that to win a prize you have to match all the numbers you select.
- Choose up to five numbers from 1 to 59
- Results are based on the winning Lotto numbers
- Fixed prizes per game of up to £350,000
- It costs just £1 to play
EuroMillions HotPicks
EuroMillions HotPicks gives you the opportunity to choose which prize you want to play for, whether you want to try and match just one number for £10 or five for £1 million. The winning numbers are the main numbers from the EuroMillions draw.
- Pick up to five numbers from 1 to 50
- Match all your numbers to win
- Prizes from £10 to £1 million
- Play on Tuesdays, Fridays or both
Health Lottery
The Health Lottery is played five times a week, with a minimum jackpot of £25,000 in every draw. You can also win £100,000 in special draws every Wednesday and Saturday. The Health Lottery raises money for health-related causes in Great Britain.
- 5 from 50 draw game
- Draws every day from Tuesday to Saturday
- QuickWin draws held every three minutes
- Jackpot of at least £25,000
Free Lottery
The Free Lottery costs absolutely nothing to play. Enter draws every day without having to deposit funds, picking six numbers from 1 to 75. There’s a £500 prize to play for in the Daily Draws, while there are also Weekly Draws offering £10,000.
General Help & Information
The National Lottery’s games are simple to play, but there’s lots more you should know about, including how to claim prizes, what happens if you lose your ticket, and whether you have to reveal your name to the public if you win a big jackpot. Select one of the following pages to learn more.
Claiming Prizes
You can claim prizes from retailers, post offices or by posting your winning tickets to the National Lottery. The methods for claiming differ depending on how much you have won, but if you hit a big jackpot you must claim it in person, so you will need to contact the National Lottery directly.
If you play online, there is no chance of ever missing out on a prize because you will always be alerted by email if you win.
Scratchcard Prizes
National Lottery scratchcards allow you to win prizes instantly, so you don’t even have to wait for a draw to take place. There are always dozens of different games to choose from, offering prizes that stretch into the millions of pounds.
See a list of all the scratchcards that are currently on sale and find out how many jackpots are left to play for, along with the overall odds of winning a prize, the cost of entry, and recent game closures.
Damaged Lottery Tickets
You may still be able to claim a prize even if your lottery ticket has been damaged. Learn what you should do if you think you have won but your entry is no longer intact.
Unclaimed Prizes
National Lottery prizes expire 180 days after a draw has taken place. Look through all the major prizes that are currently still unclaimed.
Can Winners Stay Anonymous?
One of the biggest decisions you face as a winner is whether to share your news with the world. Read about the publicity options you can consider.
Reporting Lost Tickets
If you have mislaid a lottery ticket that may have been a winner, you need to act quickly to have a chance of claiming the prize. Find out what to do.
Lottery Syndicates
Discover how you can increase your chances of winning a lottery prize by joining together with others to split the cost of multiple entries.