UK National Lottery Operator Camelot issued a Press Release yesterday announcing some significant changes to the UK Lotto game which will be effective from November 2018. The Lotto Central team were keen to review the prospective changes as past changes ( i.e. the change from a 6/49 draw to a 6/59 draw ) were not always perceived as a positive move from a Lotto players perspective.
So what are the main changes coming to the UK Lotto Draw ?
It appears that the main changes will be in the allocation of prize money – a move to fixed cash prizes and a decrease in the number of rollovers that a draw can have and thus the creation of more frequent “rolldown” prizes.
The new fixed prize levels will be as follows :
5 balls+ Bonus – £1 million ( fixed)
5 balls – £1750 ( fixed)
4 balls – £140 ( fixed )
3 balls – £30 ( fixed)
2 balls – Free Lucky Dip ( Unchanged )
The jackpot of six balls will be estimated per draw and will be allowed to rollover five times ( currently ten times ) – a new “rolldown” mechanic will be introduced if there is no 6 ball win in a must win draw with prize money being distributed to lower prize levels if the jackpot is not won.
The cost of entry will remain the same ( £2 ) and the ball count will also stay the same ( 6/59).
On the face of it these changes look very positive for Lotto players – the change to fixed prize amounts is welcomed as in the current regime some of the 5 and 4 ball payouts are poor if several high numbers are drawn ( because the majority of players pick numbers between 1 and 31 to reflect birthdays , anniversaries etc . )
The downside is that these changes will be paid for by the cancellation of the current Lotto Raffle Draw which will cease when these changes are implemented in November – the feeling at Lotto Central HQ is that most players will not mind this change if this helps to fund improvements to the main draw.
The Camelot Press Release also featured news of two other Lottery games :
a) Euromillions – this will remain more or less the same but with more ad hoc high level prizes and a reduction from two to one in the UK Millionaire Maker prizes.
b) A New “Annuitised” Game which will be introduced in Spring 2019 subject to regulatory approval. The Lotto Central team are big fans of the current US Lottery games , Megamillions and Powerball which adopt this annuitised , monthly payment method so look forward to seeing more news about this new proposed UK based game.
So , in summary , good news on the Lotto horizon !! – this post is purely a summary of the changes , click here to read the full text of the Camelot Press Release.
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