National lottery lotto results changed on Sunday as tickets went on sale for the game’s overhauled format. Each £2 line now gives players two chances to win, and the first two-round draw will take place on Wednesday.
Andy Carter said the new structure marks “a huge moment for players” as Lotto enters “a new era for the nation’s millionaire maker.” He added: “From now on, every ticket gives you two chances to win for the same £2 price. We’re talking more winners, more excitement and hundreds more millionaires made every year. It really could be you – not once, but twice.”
Andy Carter and the two-round draw
The new Lotto draw now runs in two rounds, with two sets of six main numbers and a bonus ball drawn using two separate machines. Players can win in one round, the other, or both from a single line, while still picking six numbers from 59 balls.
The draw stays on its Wednesday and Saturday evening at 8pm schedule, but the format changes the route to the prize tiers. Players still win when they match two or more main numbers in a single round, and there are still two ways to become a millionaire: match all six main numbers or match five main numbers plus the bonus ball.
Prize tiers and jackpot path
The jackpot starts at £2 million and can roll over five times before a must-be-won draw on the sixth. The jackpot is shared across both rounds, while all other prize tiers continue to offer fixed cash prizes paid per round.
Allwyn said the updated game is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 a year to about 345, while the odds of winning a prize improve from 1-in-9.3 to 1-in-4.9. The Lotto HotPicks add-on game is also moving to the new two-round format and will remain priced at £1.
Bradley winners and early sales
The format has already brought early sales milestones. A player in Great Yarmouth bought the first retail ticket at 5.01am on Sunday for next Saturday’s draw, and the first online purchase came from a player in Aylesbury using an advanced play option that lets participants buy multiple tickets for future draws in one transaction.
Chris and Geraldine Bradley, who won £3.5 million in 2006, also backed the change. They said: “We know first-hand just how life-changing a Lotto win can be. That’s why this new format is so exciting – giving players two chances to win from a single ticket means more opportunities for that same incredible moment. It’s fantastic to see even more people getting the chance to become millionaires.”
