Everyone wants to win the lottery – and a lot of people do! Millions of pounds are won every year, but which UK lottery has the best odds of winning? Wondering what are the odds of winning the lottery? Here you’ll find a list of the lottery odds of all of your favourite lotteries.
When you compare that to the jackpot odds of one in 3,838,380 of winning NY Sweet Million, 1 in 8,911,711 for winning New York Keno, 1 in 45 million of winning the New York Lotto 6/59 (or as the New York Lottery claims, 1 in 22,528,737, at two plays for a dollar), the Mega Millions winning odds of one in 302,575,350, or the Powerball winning odds of one in 292 million, you see that New York Take 5 is BY.
It ranks among the world’s lottery games that have some of the best winning odds. All that you have to do is spend just one dollar on a ticket. You can end up walking out with more than 300 million dollars. To participate in the game, you’ll have to choose five numbers in the range from one to 75 and a mega number in the range from one to 15. Which Lottery Has the Best Odds? Not all lotteries are created equally. Although winning a lottery is based entirely on luck, it's theoretically easier to win some lottery jackpots than others and that’s because the jackpot odds are not the same for every lottery.The chance of winning secondary prizes is also not the same in every lottery and that’s because each lottery has different.
What are the odds of winning EuroMillions?
EuroMillions is one of the UK’s favourite lotteries, but what are the actual odds of winning the jackpot? To win the Jackpot, EuroMillions requires you select five numbers from 1-50 and two Lucky Star numbers from 1-12. Because of this, the chances of a single ticket winning the jackpot in a EuroMillions draw is 1 in 139,838,160.
Luckily, EuroMillions gives you 12 additional opportunities to win prizes from matching the five main numbers and one Star Number (1 in 6,991,908 chance of winning) to only matching two numbers (1 in 22 chance of winning).
What are the odds of winning EuroMillions HotPicks?
EuroMillions HotPicks is a relatively new lottery that launched in January 2018. Most people still don’t know how it’s different to regular EuroMillions when in reality, it couldn’t be simpler! When buying a EuroMillions HotPicks ticket, you choose how many numbers you would like to match (as few as one or as many as 5). Then you pick your numbers from 1-50 just like regular EuroMillions. When a EuroMillions draw takes place, the five main numbers draw are also used as the numbers for EuroMillions HotPicks.
Unlike normal EuroMillions, with EuroMillions HotPicks, you must match all the numbers you have chosen (if you opted for a pick 1 you only have to match 1, a pick 2 requires you to match 2 etc.). This means that you have quite good odds of winning a prize if you have opted for a Pick 1 (1 in 10) which will result in a £10 prize and a pick 5 gives you a 1 in 2,118,760 chance at the £1,000,000 prize!
What are the odds of winning Lotto?
In addition to EuroMillions, the other major lottery we get asked about a lot is Lotto. Drawn every Saturday and Wednesday the UK Lotto requires you to successfully pick six numbers from a pool of fifty-nine. You must match a minimum of two to win a prize and match all six (the five main numbers and the bonus ball) to win the major jackpot.
The odds of picking all six numbers correctly in a National Lottery draw are 1 in 45,057,474. These are better odds than the EuroMillions jackpot, but not as good as the EuroMillions HotPicks main prize. The odds of winning the most basic prize (matching two numbers which gets you a free Lotto Lucky Dip) are 1 in 10.3. When compared to the 1 in 22 chance of winning the bottom prize in EuroMillions, the odds seem quite strong!
What are the odds of winning Lotto HotPicks?
Similar to EuroMillions HotPicks, Lotto HotPicks is an extension of the regular National Lottery/UK Lotto game. Just like EuroMillions HotPicks, you first determine how many numbers you would like to pick (between pick 1 and pick 5), then choose your numbers.
To win, all of the numbers you have chosen must be drawn (1 if you chose a Pick 1 ticket, two if you chose a Pick 2 etc.). Because of this, the odds of winning are quite good, with a 1 in 10 chance of winning on a Pick 1 ticket (a £6 prize) and a 1 in 834,398 chance of winning on a Pick 5 ticket (a £350,000 prize).
What are the odds of winning Thunderball?
Thunderball is an increasingly popular lottery with people in the UK. It is similar to the US Powerball; you must match five main numbers plus the Thunderball to win the main prize. Unlike many of the other lotteries on this list, Thunderball does not jackpot. Instead, there is a guaranteed £500,000 prize for people who match all five numbers plus the Thunderball. Drawn five times per week, players must pick five numbers between 1-39 and one Thunderball between 1-14.
Due to the relatively low number of numbers to choose from the odds of winning Thunderball are better than many of the other lotteries. The minimum you must match to win a prize is just the Thunderball with a 1 in 13 chance of that happening. However, the main £500,000 prize has the surprisingly good odds of winning at 1 in 8,060,598.
As is the case with most UK lotteries, as the odds of winning improve, the value of the prize goes down. If you’re chasing record-breaking jackpots, or just want to retire comfortably and treat the family, it can help to know which UK lotteries have the best odds of winning.
So what’s your strategy? Will you go for the big prize in EuroMillions or play it safe with a pick 1 Lotto HotPick? Or maybe somewhere in between?
When you’re entering the lottery, the end goal is always to win the jackpot. So you might find yourself wondering – which lottery has the best odds?
Thunderball
Any prize: 1 in 13
Jackpot odds: 1 in 8,060,598
Thunderball involves picking five main numbers from 1 to 39. You also need to pick one Thunderball from 1 to 14. You can choose your own numbers, or select a Lucky Dip for randomly selected numbers.
Matching the Thunderball means you win £3 while matching five main numbers and the Thunderball gives you the chance to win up to £500,000.
Thunderball is drawn four days a week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at approximately 8:15 pm. Tickets cost £1, and ticket sales close at 7:30 pm on the days of the draw.
Lotto
Any prize: 1 in 9.3
Jackpot odds: 1 in 45,057,474
Lotto involves choosing six numbers between 1 and 59. If you match two numbers, you will win a free Lotto Lucky Dip. You need to match five numbers and the Bonus ball to win the jackpot.
Lotto is drawn at approximately 8:30 pm on Wednesday and Saturday. Ticket sales close at 7:30 pm on the day of the draw. Lotto tickets cost £2.
Lotto HotPicks
Pick 5 Match 5 numbers: 1 in 843,398
Lotto HotPicks involves picking between 1 to 5 Hotpicks numbers. Picking and matching one number has better odds – 1 in 10 – however, the prize is much smaller. If you pick and match five numbers, you may win up to £350,000.
Lotto HotPicks draws take place with Lotto, every Wednesday and Saturday at 9 pm GMT. Sales close 90 minutes before the draw. Tickets cost £1, no matter how many numbers you choose.
EuroMillions
Any prize: 1 in 13
Jackpot odds: 1 in 139,838,160
EuroMillions involves picking five numbers between 1 and 50, as well as two Lucky Stars from 1 to 12. You can choose your own numbers, or choose a Lucky Dip for randomly selected numbers. Match all five numbers and the two Lucky Stars to win the jackpot; if you match two numbers you will win £2.70.
EuroMillions is drawn around 8 pm on Tuesday and Friday, with ticket sales closing at 7:30 pm.
You can enter EuroMillions if you are from Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland or the UK. As a result of the number of countries which can enter, EuroMillions has a much higher odds.
EuroMillions HotPicks
Pick 5 Match 5 numbers: 1 in 2,118,760
EuroMillions HotPicks is a game based on the EuroMillions numbers. You can choose to match between one or five numbers – matching one number has 1 in 10 odds, but you will only win £10. If you match five numbers you will win up to £1,000,000. The Lucky Star numbers do not count, instead, the draw uses the five main EuroMillions numbers.
Which Lottery Has The Best Odds Of Winning In Texas
The Health Lottery
Any prize: 1 in 108
Jackpot odds: 1 in 2,000,000
Unlike the others, the Health Lottery is not a national lottery. Instead, it is 51 local society lotteries which represent one or more areas across Great Britain. This lottery raises money for health-related causes.
You have to choose five numbers between 1 and 50, which can be your own numbers or a Quick Pick. Each line played also enters you into the Mega Raffle for the next month. Matching one ball and the bonus ball will win you a free ticket into the next Mega Raffle. Matching five numbers will win either a minimum £25,000 or 10% of dales for that draw, whichever figure is greater.
Tickets cost £1. Draws occur five times a week – Tuesday through to Saturday. The Health Lottery is drawn around 9:55 pm. The Mega Raffle occurs on the 1st of every month.
People’s Postcode Lottery
Any prize: 1 in 160
Jackpot odds: unavailable
Which Lottery Has The Best Odds Of Winning
People’s Postcode Lottery is a subscription-based lottery. Rather than selecting lottery numbers, tickets are based on your postcode.
To play, you pay £10 per month and select the postcode you wish to play. You don’t need to choose the postcode where you live – you can play with any. The winners will be everyone with the postcode which is selected.
You have a chance to win prizes every day. There are three different prize tiers:
- £1,000 Daily Prize, awarded from Monday to Sunday
- £30,000 Street Prize, awarded on Saturday and Sunday
- £3,000,000 Postcode Millions Prize, awarded once per month
Odds are not announced for People’s Postcode Lottery, as it depends on how many people have entered, and organisers have declared the odds as sensitive information.
Which lottery has the best odds?
So if you’re only going to enter one lottery, which one has the best odds?
The Lotto HotPicks has the best odds at 1 in 834,398. If you don’t want to play a HotPicks game, Health Lottery is the next best, at 1 in 2,000,000.