UKLottery.info is an independent guide to the UK National Lottery. Here you will find how to play Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball and Set For Life, along with draw schedules, odds and prize structures. The National Lottery is operated by Allwyn Entertainment, which took over the licence from Camelot in February 2024, and returns a share of every ticket sold to good causes across Britain.
EuroMillions is changing on 30 September 2026
If you play EuroMillions, this is the most important thing on this page. A set of major changes takes effect across all nine participating countries, including the UK.
- A new game matrix. The current 5 from 50 plus 2 Lucky Stars from 12 format is being replaced. The stated aim is to encourage longer rollover cycles, which means the jackpot will be harder to win.
- A new prize tier is being added to the existing thirteen.
- Higher jackpots. The maximum will rise above the current cap of €250 million.
- A new ticket price. The exact figure has not been confirmed.
The details were first published by France’s gambling regulator and full rules are expected closer to the date. If you play EuroMillions regularly, the odds and the price you are used to will both change.
The main UK lotteries
Four games make up the bulk of UK lottery play, and they suit very different players. Lotto and EuroMillions chase large jackpots; Thunderball and Set For Life offer far better odds on smaller, fixed prizes.
Lotto
The UK National Lottery’s flagship game, drawn on Wednesday and Saturday. Choose 6 numbers from 1 to 59, or use Lucky Dip for a random selection. Six main numbers and a bonus ball are drawn.
The jackpot starts at around £2 million for the Wednesday draw and £3.8 million on Saturday, rolling over when nobody matches all six. The largest single Lotto jackpot won stands at £66 million.
- 6 numbers: jackpot
- 5 numbers + bonus ball: around £1 million
- 5 numbers: around £1,750
- 4 numbers: around £140
- 3 numbers: around £30
- 2 numbers: a free Lucky Dip for the next draw, not a cash prize
Prize amounts below the jackpot vary by draw, because they depend on ticket sales and the number of winners in each tier. Full Lotto guide.
EuroMillions
A transnational lottery played across nine European countries, including the UK. Choose 5 numbers from 1 to 50 and 2 Lucky Stars from 1 to 12. Draws are on Tuesday and Friday.
The jackpot starts at €17 million and rolls over until it is won or reaches the cap of €250 million. At the cap it can stay for a maximum of four further draws; if it is still not won, the whole amount rolls down to the next winning tier.
- 5 numbers + 2 Lucky Stars: jackpot
- 5 numbers + 1 Lucky Star: around €300,000
- 5 numbers: around €50,000
- 4 numbers + 2 Lucky Stars: around €4,000
Thirteen prize tiers in total, with a fourteenth arriving in September 2026. UK players also get a Millionaire Maker code on every ticket, which guarantees at least one UK millionaire per draw regardless of the main result.
Thunderball
Smaller than Lotto and EuroMillions, but with much better odds. Choose 5 numbers from 1 to 39 and 1 Thunderball from 1 to 14. Drawn four times a week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The top prize is a fixed £500,000, won by matching all five main numbers plus the Thunderball, at odds of roughly 1 in 8 million. That is by far the shortest odds on any UK top prize; EuroMillions sits at 1 in 139.8 million.
Prizes are fixed rather than shared, so a win pays the same amount however many other people win it. You can win by matching just the Thunderball on its own. Full Thunderball guide.
Set For Life
The top prize is not a lump sum but an income: £10,000 a month for 30 years, which comes to £3.6 million in total. Choose 5 numbers from 1 to 47 and 1 Life Ball from 1 to 10. Draws are on Monday and Thursday.
Whether an income beats a lump sum depends on what you would do with the money, not on which headline figure looks bigger. It is a genuinely different proposition from every other UK game.
Which game suits you?
- Want the biggest possible prize? EuroMillions, capped at €250 million.
- Want the best chance of winning something? Thunderball, at around 1 in 8 million for the top prize and far shorter odds on the lower tiers.
- Want a guaranteed UK winner every draw? EuroMillions, through Millionaire Maker.
- Want an income rather than a lump sum? Set For Life.
- Want the traditional British game? Lotto, running since 1994.
Recent changes to Lotto
Adjustments have been made to the Lotto prize structure aimed at lower-tier winners. Players matching just 2 main numbers now receive a free Lucky Dip for the next draw rather than a cash prize, which is why you will sometimes see Match 2 described as a win.
Rollover rules were also adjusted so that the jackpot must be won within a set number of consecutive draws. When that limit is reached, the jackpot rolls down and is shared among the winners in the next tier with matches.
Where the money goes
A share of every National Lottery ticket sold goes to good causes across the UK: sport, the arts, heritage and community projects. That is a structural part of the licence rather than a voluntary donation, and it is the main reason the National Lottery holds the position it does in Britain.
Prizes from UK National Lottery games are tax-free for the winner. That is unusual in Europe and it is worth knowing when comparing a UK jackpot to one advertised abroad, where the figure quoted is often before tax.
Playing responsibly
Every lottery has a negative expected return: more money goes in than comes out. Set a budget before you play, never use money you need, and treat a win as luck rather than as a plan that worked. Play is for over-18s only.
If gambling stops being enjoyable, or you are worried about someone else, free and confidential support is available in the UK through GamCare and the National Gambling Helpline.
UKLottery.info is an independent information website. We are not an official lottery agency, we do not sell tickets, and we are not affiliated with Allwyn Entertainment or the National Lottery. Some outbound links are affiliate links, for which we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Prize amounts and odds are set by the operators and can change.