The UK National Lotto is the largest lottery game in the United Kingdom and is currently operated by the Camelot Group PLC. Camelot was granted the license to run the UK lotto when it was launched in 1994. The National Lotto is regulated by The National Lottery Commission and their role is to ensure that players are treated fairly; that the UK's interest in the Lotto is taken care of; and that the operator is motivated to maximize the enjoyment and benefits that the Lottery brings to the nation.

In 2002, to stem the tide of diminishing sales, the UK National Lottery had to make some changes. As a result, the main game was re-branded ‘Lotto’.

All the prize money paid out on all the games offered by the UK National Lottery is both lump sum and tax-free. The revenues generated by all of the National Lottery’s games are allocated in the following manner. For every pound (£) spent on the National Lottery games, 50 pence is allocated to the prize pot, 28 pence is given to good causes that the UK Government decides on, 12 pence goes to the British Government as tax and 5 pence is taken by the Lotto retailers as commission. The license holder receives 4.5 pence to cover their operating costs and a further 0.5 pence as profit.

Anyone interested in participating in the UK National Lottery games must be at least 16 years of age and be resident in either the United Kingdom or Isle of Man.

The National Lottery – The Different Game Choices

The UK National Lotto brand comprises numerous games to suit all tastes, each of which is listed here.

Lotto

To participate in the UK National Lotto, each player is required to choose six numbers from 1-49 and a further bonus number. The player can either select their own set of numbers simply by completing the form in the lottery outlet, or they can opt for the lottery retailers system to generate the numbers for them. This is known as the 'lucky dip' option.

Players are required to match at least 3 of their chosen 6 numbers to win a cash prize. A player’s winnings naturally increase as a result of matching more of their selected numbers. A further number is then drawn as the ‘bonus ball’ which is only relevant to players who match 5 of the 6 drawn numbers. Players who match the bonus ball number as well as 5 of the 6 main numbers win a much greater cash prize than those players who simply match 5 numbers without the bonus ball.

Any player lucky enough to match all their chosen numbers wins the jackpot. The chance of this happening is around 1 in 14 million. If no one wins the jackpot in a given week, the prize fund is ‘rolled over’ to the following week, making a much larger jackpot. These rollovers are a fairly common occurrence; with one taking place every few draws or so. The maximum number of rollovers permitted by the lottery operator is three but this has only happened on two occasions since this Lottery was launched in 1994.

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