Lotto draw that paid more for matching three balls than four!
NATIONAL Lottery winners have been left dumbfounded after discovering their four correct numbers paid less than if they had matched three.
More than 16,000 people chose four win- ning numbers on Wednesday night’s Lotto, receiving £15 each.
But it was £10 less than the guaranteed prize of £25 for getting three numbers – all because of a quirk in the way the winnings are awarded. Camelot, the lottery company, awards winnings to players who match three numbers first, and because there were more people than usual who achieved this feat, there was less money to be shared by everyone else.
Elizabeth Wilson, 74, was stunned when she was handed a mere £15 at the newsagent.
The grandmother, from Prestonpans, East Lothian, said she felt cheated by the game, adding: ‘I wasn’t expecting a lot of money – maybe £50 or £60 – but when people who matched fewer numbers than you get more it just seems stupid. I wouldn’t mind if they gave me £25 for three numbers but they won’t even do that.’
Ricky Swannell, who also had four winning numbers, said he had been ‘ripped off ’. He tweeted: ‘I received
‘Lottery needs to change things’
£10 less for getting an extra number? 3 numbers I would receive £25 but silly me I got four and got £15?’
Penn Wooding wrote: ‘I got £25 for four numbers, ridiculous, National Lottery needs to change things.’
Another Twitter user said: ‘Four numbers on the lottery last night. Won £15 – less than the prize for 3 numbers. I am finding this genuinely hilarious.’
The low prizes resulted from the fact that all of the main six numbers in Wednesday’s draw were below 31, which are particularly popular with players who tend to choose numbers relating to birthdays and anniversaries.
As a result, 60 per cent more people than normal matched three numbers with a guaranteed prize of £25 going to 219,273 winning tickets. This reduced the prize pot for everyone else. The 16,593 players with four numbers got £15, the 464 with five collected £105 and the seven who got five numbers plus the bonus ball received £8,211.
The chances of getting all six numbers correct are a staggering one in 14million, and generally such a win is a guarantee of millions.
However, the two jackpot winners were left to share £720,152, which works out at a relatively modest £360,076 each.
Camelot said: ‘Because the “Match 3” prizes are fixed and are paid first, that meant there was less money in the prize pot to be shared among the other prize tiers – resulting in a lower jackpot and lower prizes at the other tiers.’
A spokesman said its prize system can work to the advantage of people who get more than three numbers.
He said: ‘In last week’s Lotto draws, a lower than expected number of Match 3 winners resulted in higher t han esti mated j ackpots and increased prizes at the other levels.’
The estimated jackpot for tonight’s draw is £4.1million.