Sweeping changes to national lottery format

More numbers and bigger jackpots but odds are less favourable

from 49, from October. National Lottery operator Camelot has claimed the “enhancements” will actually give players a better chance of winning and better odds of becoming a millionaire.

But statisticians point out that the chance of matching all six balls will decrease from one in 14 million to one in 45 million.

Camelot said a new Millionaire Raffle will guarantee at least one millionaire per draw, the average winning jackpot is expected to be triple the present level, and the chances of winning at least £1m will be better than the chances of winning the jackpot on the existing game, with odds at one in just under 10 million compared with one in just under 14 million on today’s game.

Players who match two numbers will win a lucky dip ticket for a future draw, which Camelot said would create an extra 1.8 million winners a week and increase the overall chance of winning any prize from one in 54 to one in 9.3.

The cost of playing will remain at £2 a line and other prizes such as £25 for matching three numbers will also stay the same.

Statistican Robert Mastrodomenico said: “While it may be the case that the new Millionaire Raffle will increase your chance to become a millionaire, moving from 49 to 59 balls makes it more unlikely to win the jackpot if we need to match all six balls.”

He calculated that the chance of matching all six numbers from 59 balls would increase to precisely one in 45,057,474.