Is Your Postcode Lucky?
Last Updated: Wednesday 7th August 2013, 14:02
The National Lottery in the UK has published details of the luckiest postcodes in the nation since the lottery was first launched in November 1994. One interesting statistic reveals that every postcode has won at least £6,000,000 in prizes of £50,000 or more in the twelve months to 5 October, 2006.
This puts paid to the comments some players make that "nobody ever wins around here", and illustrates that no area of the country is missing out on lottery luck. Of course, some areas are luckier than others. Here are some highlights of the data that has been released:
The top ten postcodes at of 5 October 2006 were: Ilford (IG), Romford (RM), Medway (ME), Dartford (DA), Liverpool (L), Watford (WD), Swindon (SN), Dumfries (DF), East London (E) and Newcastle upon Tyne (NE).
According to the statistics, these ten luckiest postcodes have collectively won over £1 billion in prizes since November 1994. 215 millionaires have been created in these areas and a total of 505 prizes worth £50,000 or more have been won.
The towns with the most millionaires since the National Lottery was launched in 1994 are: Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The towns with the highest number of major prize wins are: Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Glasgow and Manchester.
The towns with the highest total prize payouts (for prizes of £50,000 or more) are: Birmingham, Newcastle upon Tyne, Glasgow, Manchester and Sheffield.
Commenting on the statistics, a National Lottery official said: "Maybe it's Essex players' happy-go-lucky, optimistic attitude that attracts good luck and secures their entry into the top 10 - whatever it is, Essex certainly has a lot to be cheerful with a double-whammy for the third year running.
"It's also great to see so many new postcodes in the top 10, some for the first time ever - it just proves that your luck can change for the better at any time. With an average of 16 millionaires created in every postcode area in the UK, it's fair to say that beyond the top 10, lucky hotspots are in fact everywhere.
"More than 2,000 lottery millionaires have been created since November 1994, and this means that 1 in 10,897 UK Lotto players have now won a share of a Lotto jackpot.
