Don’t make stupid lottery mistake and lose out on £13MILLION jackpot, experts warn – as time is swiftly running out
EXPERTS have warned lottery fans not to make one stupid mistake and lose out on the £13 million jackpot.
On Wednesday, September 4, a lucky person hit the Lotto jackpot, winning a whopping £12.6 million.
Along with Wednesday’s Must Be Won draw, seven Lotto ticket-holders matched five main numbers to the Bonus Ball, meaning they all won £1m each.
Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery, said: “Imagine being a millionaire and not even knowing it.
“And then imagine being a Lotto jackpot-winning multi-millionaire and being unaware!”
It’s been eight days since the numbers were revealed but the National Lottery advisor “urges” Lotto players to check their National Lottery accounts.
Otherwise, a stupid mistake could be made.
Six of the lucky Bonus Ball winners have come forward so far.
However, Mr Carter stated: “It’s now time for our multi-millionaire and one remaining millionaire to come forward so that they can start to enjoy their amazing wins.”
The winning Lotto numbers for Wednesday’s Must Be Won draw were 03, 06, 15, 25, 29, 41.
And the Bonus Ball was 17.
Once a ticket holder has notified Allwyn UK, the operator of The National Lottery, and their claim has been approved and paid, the winner can decide whether or not to publicise their news.
The details of whether these wins are individual or by a group or business will remain unknown unless the winner decides otherwise.
You can log into your National Lottery account and then call the National Lottery Line on 0333 234 5050 to make your claims.
What are my chances of winning the lottery?
EVERYONE wants to know how to beat the odds and win the lottery.
But unfortunately, the lottery is a game of luck and there are no tips or tricks that can guarantee you’ll take home a top prize.
The odds show how likely you are to win any particular prize – the lower the number, the better the odds.
For example, odds of 1 in 10 are better than odds of 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000.
There are several major lottery games in the UK including Lotto by the National Lottery, Camelot’s EuroMillions and Thunderball.
Chances of winning the Lotto
Lotto by the National Lottery is a game where you pick six numbers from 1 to 59. You can play up to seven lines of numbers on each slip.
The game costs £2 to play per slip.
The odds of winning any prize on the Lotto are 1 in 9.3.
But to win the jackpot on the Lotto, the odds are considerably slimmer.
To bag the top prize, you need to have six matching balls. The odds of doing this and scooping the jackpot are currently 1 in 45,057,474.
The next highest prize of £1,000,000 is for getting five main matching balls plus the bonus ball.
The odds of taking home the million-pound prize are 1 in 7,509,579 – far higher than the jackpot, but still unlikely.
The odds of taking home £1,750 for getting five main numbers without the bonus ball are 1 in 2,180, while you have a 1 in 97 chance of bagging £140 for getting four main numbers.
Your chances of taking home £30 for getting 3 main numbers are much better at 1 in 97.
And you have a roughly 1 in 10 chance of getting a free lucky dip for 2 matching numbers.
Chances of winning the EuroMillions
The EuroMillions costs £2.50 to play and is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To play, you must pick five numbers from 1-50 and two “Lucky Stars” from 1-12. Players with the most matching numbers win the top prizes.
Your chance of bagging the EuroMillions jackpot is even slimmer than winning the top Lotto prize.
This is because it generally has higher jackpots on offer, meaning it attracts more attention.
Currently, the odds of matching five numbers and two lucky stars – the top win – stand at 1 in 139,838,160.
The average jackpot prize is £57,923,499, according to EuroMillions.
The odds of winning the second top prize for matching 5 balls and a lucky star, which is typically around £262,346, are 1 in 6,991,908.
The chances of taking home the third prize for five matching balls, with an average payout of £26,277, are 1 in 3,107,515.
For four matching balls with two lucky stars, it’s 1 in 621,503, and for four balls with one lucky star, it’s 1 in 31,076. These come with an average price of £1,489 and £95, respectively.
Chances of winning the Thunderball
Thunderball is another game run by the National Lottery where you pick five numbers and one “Thunderball”. It costs just £1 to play and you can enter up to four times a week.
The jackpot of £500,000 for matching five balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 8,060,598.
Your odds of bagging the next highest prize of £5,000 for matching five balls is currently 1 in 620,046, while the chances of winning £250 for four balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 47,416.
You have the best chance of winning £3 for matching the Thunderball, with odds of 1 in 29.