Lotto makes it easier to win bigger prizes

THE National Lottery is to increase the maximum prize for three numbers to £100 in a bid to reverse falling sales.

In the current Lotto game choosing three numbers out of the six drawn wins a player £25, but under new rules these players could win four times that amount.

Camelot, the game’s operator, announced the change as part of an overhaul that is designed to win back former players as well as attracting a new generation. The new rules will be rolled out in November.

Under the new rules the jackpots that reach the highest amount allowed but are not won will be shared among all players who get three numbers or more, causing their prizes to rise approximately fourfold.

For example, someone with five correct numbers would see their prize rise from £1,750 to about £10,500, and a four-number match would be worth about £500 instead of £140.

The Lotto game will also ditch a raffle that gives one player a guaranteed £1million in each of the twiceweekly games. This will be replaced with a millionpound prize for players who match five main numbers plus the bonus ball. Currently these players have been eligible for only an estimated £50,000.

In some previous games there have been as many as four players in this group, raising the possibility of multiple millionaires being created in one game.

The jackpot win for players who match all six numbers will remain, but the maximum amount on a rollover will decrease from £22 million currently to an estimated £11 million on a Wednesday and £12 million on a Saturday.

The changes were in response to an in-depth review that was launched last year after sales dropped 8.8 per cent in 2016-17 compared with the previous period.

Nigel Railton, the chief executive of Camelot, said: “It was clear from the review that we needed to create a more appealing and balanced range of games that offers something for everyone.

“In particular, we needed to make our draw games stand out from each other and to give people the ability to play their way – with prizes, chances to win and prices to suit different tastes.”