Big change to Lotto this week with two chances to win for every £2 line

Allwyn says the chance of winning any prize will improve from one in 9.3 to one in 4.9

Lotto is set for a major shake-up this week with players now having two chances to win from a single line of numbers – but the prizes for lower matches are being slashed. Each line will be entered into two draws, with two sets of six main balls and a bonus ball drawn using two separate machines.

A player could win in round one, round two, or both rounds, from a single Lotto line. The price will stay the same at £2 a line, and there will still be 59 balls. The games will also still take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting from this Wednesday (June 10).

National Lottery operator Allwyn says the chance of winning any prize will improve from one in 9.3 to one in 4.9, while the number of Lotto millionaires is expected to double from around 140 a year to around 345.

But the prizes you get for matching lower sets of numbers will be reduced. Matching three balls will win you £10 instead of £30, while the prize for four balls is now £50 instead of £140.

Matching five balls did win a prize of £1,750, but has now reduced to £1,000. Getting two balls used to get you a free lucky dip, but now you win £1.

There are two ways to become a millionaire on the game. There is a fixed £1million prize if you match five numbers and the bonus ball, and a guaranteed £1million-plus jackpot for matching six main numbers.

As with the current format, Lotto jackpots will begin at £2million and can roll over up to five times before it must be paid out at the next draw.

The jackpot will be shared across both rounds. Allwyn described the change as the biggest transformation of its Lotto game since its first draw in 1994. Lotto HotPicks is also moving to the new two-round format, and will continue to be priced at £1.

An Allwyn spokesperson said: “This change will strengthen Lotto’s position as the nation’s ‘millionaire maker’ – going from it creating around two millionaires a week to over six.

“This is based on the fact that the change is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 a year to around 345.

“Because people can now win more than once from a single £2 Lotto line and will win more often also means that, over the course of the year, regular players will likely experience a net benefit in terms of prize money won – for the same purchase price.

“Players we tested the game with were happy that they’d have two opportunities in every draw to win the £1m+ prizes (at the jackpot and match 5+Bonus Ball tiers) and understood that some of the fixed prizes at the lower tiers have reduced to give them these extra chances of becoming a millionaire.”

Allwyn has also announced a UK version of Powerball, which was previously only available in the US and will be the country’s first “£1 billion-plus mega-jackpot game”.

UK Powerball players will pick five main numbers ranging from numbers from one to 69, and one Powerball number from one to 26, or they can choose a Lucky Dip.

The prize will be paid out over 30 years to UK jackpot winners. UK players will pay £4 per line to compete. No launch date for Powerball has been announced yet to be set as it waits for final regulatory approval.