UK Lotto odds
With one play, the chance of winning the UK Lotto jackpot is 1 in 22,528,737. The chance of winning any prize is 1 in 4.88.
- £2 a play
- 6 of 59
- 2 draws a week
Jackpot1 in 22,528,737
Checked against the official figures, 7 November 2026The odds of every prize
| Numbers matched | Chance per play | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 in 22,528,737 | Jackpot |
| 5 + Bonus Ball | 1 in 3,754,790 | £1,000,000 |
| 5 | 1 in 72,208 | £1,000 |
| 4 | 1 in 1,090 | £50 |
| 3 | 1 in 48.34 | £10 |
| 2 | 1 in 5.39 | £1 |
| Any prize | 1 in 4.88 |
Since 7 June 2026 every Lotto draw has two rounds: six numbers and a Bonus Ball are drawn twice, and each play takes part in both, so every chance on this page is the chance in a draw, as The National Lottery prints it. 8.88% of sales go to the jackpot, shared by all its winners in both rounds; Allwyn tops it up so each winner gets at least £1 million. Every other prize is fixed. After five rollovers the jackpot must be won, and if nobody matches six it rolls down to the lower prizes. The Guaranteed Millionaire Raffles that Allwyn runs on some days are not included.
Draws: Wednesday and Saturday, two rounds each.
What 1 in 22,528,737 means
Playing one line in every draw, 2 draws a week, you would wait on average about 220,000 years for the jackpot.
About 90% of winning plays win only the smallest prize, £1, less than the play costs.
How the odds are worked out
There are 45,057,474 ways to choose 6 numbers from 59. Exactly one wins the jackpot.
To match k of your 6 numbers, you need k of the 6 numbers drawn and 6 − k of the 53 numbers not drawn. That is C(6, k) × C(53, 6 − k) combinations, and the chance is that count divided by 45,057,474.
The bonus ball is drawn from the 53 numbers left. If you matched k numbers, your other 6 − k are among those left, so the bonus lands on one of them with chance (6 − k) / 53.
Every draw has two rounds with the same play, so the chance of a prize in a draw is 1 − (1 − p)², where p is the chance in one round: almost exactly twice as much. The table gives that, as the operator prints it.
Checked against the official figures
Every chance on this page is computed from the rules of the game and compared with the odds the operator publishes. If a single figure differs, the page is not published.
- Lotto Online Game Procedures, Edition 22 (7 June 2026), The National Lottery, checked 7 November 2026
- About Lotto, The National Lottery, checked 7 November 2026
Questions
What are the odds of winning UK Lotto?
With one play, the chance of the jackpot is 1 in 22,528,737 and the chance of any prize is 1 in 4.88. The table above gives the chance of every prize.
Does buying more tickets improve my odds?
Only a little. Each different line adds one more chance in 22,528,737. Ten lines make the jackpot chance 1 in 2,252,874, at ten times the cost.
Are some numbers luckier than others?
No. Every combination has exactly the same chance in every draw, and past draws do not affect the next one. Popular numbers, such as birthdays, only change how many people you would share a prize with.
The National Lottery is run by Allwyn Entertainment Ltd under licence from the Gambling Commission. TrainYourOdds is independent and not connected with any lottery operator.