Is it worth playing UK Lotto since they started charging more?

There have been some quite drastic changes to the UK lottery recently including a name change from The National Lottery to Lotto. The price has gone up from the £1 that it was when it was launched in 1994 to £2. As well as doing this they changed the prizes too and the amount of balls. There were 49 balls and you picked the 6 that you thought would be drawn, but there were an additional 10 balls added which changed the odds of winning.

Some of the prizes are now bigger but some are smaller. The jackpots are larger as the percentage of the prize fund allocated to the jackpot is now bigger. The smallest prize values have also increased with £25 now being paid if three numbers are matched, compared to £10 before and matching four numbers pays out £40 more. However, matching five numbers pays out £500 less and Five numbers plus the bonus ball pays £50,000 less. However, there is an additional prize of a free lotto ticket if you match two numbers. Players also get given a free raffle entry which gives out on £1million and 20 £20,000 prizes per draw.

Many people feel that it is now too expensive as the price has doubled and that the odds of winning are smaller so it is not worth playing any more. The odds of winning the jackpot are now approximately 1 in 45,057,474 and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 9.3. These odds are actually better than the odds of winning the Euromillions but the jackpot is usually smaller and the smallest lotto prize is worth £2 as it is a free ticket whereas the smallest Euromillions prize is £2.70 in cash. There are alternative lotteries in the UK as well but the odds of winning those will vary too. If you are considering trying an alternative lottery it is worth considering why you play and whether that lottery fits your requirement. You may like to win any prize or you may be looking for a jackpot, so compare the prizes and odds of winning to see which will give you the best chance of winning what you want. If you want the best chance of winning a jackpot then compare the odds for those, but also consider the size of the jackpot too, as these will vary. If you like the idea of winning anything, then choose the lottery that has the best odds of winning any prize.

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