Cooks from Cleveland most likely to win lotto

Tonight’s £23.5m jackpot must be won

LOTTO fever is set to sweep the country today as a must-win jackpot of £23.5million is up for grabs.

And official figures show cooks from Cleveland are statistically the most likely players to scoop the big prize.

Lotto bosses revealed there will be no rollover into the New Year and the fortune will be won even if no one gets all six numbers correct. It means the jackpot would roll down to the next winning line of five numbers plus bonus ball.

National Lottery figures show cooks are the luckiest players, after a syndicate of six caterers from Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in South Wales, scooped a Euromillions jackpot of £25million last month. The NHS dinner ladies pocketed £4,246,129.72 each and quit their jobs after the life-changing win.

Builders and drivers were also named among the luckiest jobs, along with those who had retired.

Capricorn was the luckiest star sign for big prizes this year, followed by Cancer and Pisces.

And overall, Cleveland was found to be the luckiest area, with Romford, in North East London, second and Warrington, Cheshire, in third place.

Queues are expected at peak hours of 1pm and 5pm today, as players take a last-minute punt during lunch breaks or when heading home from work. And an online frenzy to buy tickets is expected from 7pm, with the draw at taking place at 7.30pm.

Camelot said: “Players are urged to get a ticket early so as not to miss out.” The operator revealed it has created a record 358 millionaires this year. But the lottery suffered a fall in sales, with charities the biggest losers, after the price of a ticket rose to £2 and 10 numbers were added.

Camelot came under fire after figures from the National Audit Office revealed cash raised for good causes fell 15% to £1.63billion in the year to April.