The UK National Lottery was first launched in November 19, 1994 with a jackpot size of £5,874,778.00. Since this first draw the UK Lottery has grown from strength to strength and a second weekly draw was added on Wednesday 5th February 1997. The UK Lottery is now drawn twice a week on Saturday and Wednesday nights. In 2002 The National Lottery changed its name to simply ‘Lotto’ and has been continuing to make millionaires ever since.
How to play UK Lotto?
The UK National Lottery follows a simple 6/59 number format meaning that lottery players must pick 6 numbers from a possible 59. There is no extra number set from which to pick so the UK Lottery is thus a relatively easy lottery to play and win. To win the UK lottery a player must match his 6 chosen numbers to all 6 numbers drawn from the lottery machine. A further bonus ball is also drawn creating an additional prize tier to reward lottery players who have matched both the bonus ball and five numbers.
The UK Lotto no longer has a rollover cap of a maximum of four rollovers. This rule changed took place in October 2015. Lotto players can now look forward to bigger UK Lotto jackpots, with a maximum jackpot amount to be advertised on the official UK Lotto site at the time of the draw. UK Lottery drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday night at 8.00pm GMT. The UK Lotto draw is broadcast live on BBC One. UK Lottery tickets can be played on PlayHugeLottos.com until a few hours before the draw. Tickets for the UK Lottery are purchased by agents in London, England.
Pirzes and jackpots UK Lotto
The UK Lottery has increased appeal around the world as all prizes are paid as a lump sum and are tax-free. There are a total of five prize tiers with all except the 3 number matches receiving a percentage of the total prize fund. Higher prize funds or a lower amount of winners will result in higher prizes for each of the tiers.
Funds are divided up after payout of 3-ball winners:
Matching Numbers Prize
- 2 numbers Free lotto ticket
- 3 numbers £25 per winner
- 4 numbers £100 per winner
- 5 numbers £1,000 per winner
- 5 numbers and bonus ball £50,000 per winner
- 6 numbers £2.5 mil (Wed) £5 mil (Sat)
Prizes stated for Match 4, Match 5, Match 5+Bonus and Match 6 are an average of the anticipated prize value. Prize amounts will vary depending on sale and the number of winners in a draw for any given prize tier. The cut-off time for purchasing tickets on PlayHugeLottos.com is 16:00 or 17:00 PM GMT on the day of the draw.