Which game has the best odds?
Among these four National Lottery draw games, Thunderball has the shortest odds of winning its top prize: 1 in 8,060,598 per line. Lotto has the shortest published odds of any prize, about 1 in 4.9 per entry across its two rounds. Winning any prize is not the same as making a profit: the current Lotto Match 2 award is £1, below the £2 entry cost.
Four UK draw games compared
Published odds per entry into one scheduled draw, including both rounds for Lotto. Any-prize figures are rounded. This covers four games, not every UK game or scratchcard.
Lotto
- Top prize odds per line
- 1 in 22,528,738
- Any prize odds per line
- About 1 in 4.9
- What the figures include
- Per entry across two rounds. Match 2 pays £1; it is no longer a free Lucky Dip award.
EuroMillions
- Top prize odds per line
- 1 in 139,838,160
- Any prize odds per line
- About 1 in 13
- What the figures include
- Main EuroMillions game; UK Millionaire Maker is a separate raffle.
Thunderball
- Top prize odds per line
- 1 in 8,060,598
- Any prize odds per line
- About 1 in 13
- What the figures include
- Top prize requires all five main numbers and the Thunderball.
Set For Life
- Top prize odds per line
- 1 in 15,339,390
- Any prize odds per line
- About 1 in 12.4
- What the figures include
- Top prize requires all five main numbers and the Life Ball.
| Game | Top prize odds per line | Any prize odds per line | What the figures include |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lotto | 1 in 22,528,738 | About 1 in 4.9 | Per entry across two rounds. Match 2 pays £1; it is no longer a free Lucky Dip award. |
| EuroMillions | 1 in 139,838,160 | About 1 in 13 | Main EuroMillions game; UK Millionaire Maker is a separate raffle. |
| Thunderball | 1 in 8,060,598 | About 1 in 13 | Top prize requires all five main numbers and the Thunderball. |
| Set For Life | 1 in 15,339,390 | About 1 in 12.4 | Top prize requires all five main numbers and the Life Ball. |
Top prize and any prize answer different questions
Top-prize odds describe the chance of reaching the highest prize tier. Any-prize odds combine all award tiers. The current Lotto entry participates in two rounds, with prizes assessed separately in each round; numbers cannot be combined across rounds. Its Match 2 award is £1, so an any-prize result need not recover the £2 entry cost. Older references to a free Lucky Dip and 1 in 9.3 overall odds describe the previous Lotto format.
Does a rollover change the odds?
A larger advertised jackpot changes the potential award, not the number combinations that a line must match. Buying more distinct lines covers more combinations and costs more. Repeating the same line in the same draw does not cover another combination, although it can affect your share of a prize if that line wins.
How limited-ticket competitions differ
In a draw with one winning ticket selected from 500 valid tickets, one ticket has a 1 in 500 chance and five tickets have a 5 in 500 chance, or 1%. If those five tickets cost £2 each, the entry costs £10 and the chance of not winning is 99%. A ticket cap is not the same as the final number of valid entries. Read our guide to competitions with the best odds and compare the price and prize as well as the denominator.
Choose a limit before you play
Treat entry as entertainment and decide a spending limit in advance. There is no pattern of past numbers that makes a valid combination more likely in an independent draw. Our odds comparison guide explains the different formats; our responsible gaming page covers support and limits.