Lotto shakeup improves odds of winning £1m

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/16/national-lottery-lotto-shakeup-more-millionaires

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Lotto players will have to select their winning numbers from a pool of 59 rather than 49 under sweeping changes to the game taking effect later this year.

The National Lottery operator, Camelot, said the “enhancements” would give players a better chance of winning and becoming a millionaire.

It said a new Millionaire Raffle would guarantee at least one millionaire per draw, the average winning jackpot was expected to be triple the current level, and the odds of winning at least £1m would be one in just under 10 million, compared with a one in nearly 14 million chance of winning the jackpot on the current game.

Players who match two numbers will win a lucky dip ticket for a future draw, which Camelot said would create an extra 1.8 million winners a week and improve the chance of winning any prize from one in 54 to one in 9.3.

The cost of playing will remain £2 a line, and other prizes such as £25 for matching three numbers will also stay the same.

Camelot’s chief executive, Andy Duncan, said: “Lotto has enjoyed two years of consecutive growth since we reinvigorated the game in 2013 and has already delivered over £250m more to good causes than if we had done nothing to change the game.

“What we’re announcing today – offering players more chances than ever to become a millionaire on Lotto and bigger rolling jackpots – is part of our programme of continuous innovation and builds on Lotto’s ongoing success.”

Camelot is yet to reveal the exact October launch date.