NationMaster - Encyclopedia: National Lottery (United Kingdom)

The National Lottery is the United Kingdom's largest lottery. It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by The National Lottery Commission. The National Lottery undertook a major rebranding programme in 2002 designed to combat falling sales. This resulted in the main game being renamed Lotto. However, the games as a collective are still known as The National Lottery. It is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the United Kingdom. Download high resolution version (693x1024, 128 KB)A National Lottery play here! sign outside a newsagents on the Euston Road, London Date: 8th September 2004 16:37 Camera: Canon Digital IXUS II Exposure: 1/640 sec. ... Download high resolution version (693x1024, 128 KB)A National Lottery play here! sign outside a newsagents on the Euston Road, London Date: 8th September 2004 16:37 Camera: Canon Digital IXUS II Exposure: 1/640 sec. ... To cross ones fingers is a hand gesture used to wish for good luck or to nullify a promise. ... A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. ... Camelot Group plc is a private company which runs the UKs National Lottery, or Lotto. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Gambling in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Gambling Commission on behalf of the governments Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) under the Gambling Act 2005. ...

All prizes are paid as a lump sum and are tax-free. Of every pound (£) spent on Lottery games, 50 pence (p) goes to the prize fund, 28p to good causes as set out by Parliament (though some of this is considered by some to be a stealth tax^[1] levied to support the New Opportunities fund, a fund constituted to support public spending^[2]), 12p to the British Government as duty and 5p to retailers as commission, while Camelot receives 4.5p to cover operating costs and 0.5p profit [1]. Players must be at least 16 years of age to participate in the lottery, either in the drawn lottery games or by purchase of lottery scratch cards. â€œGBPâ€ redirects here. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... Stealth Tax is a term used for revenue from sources controlled by a Government, that is not classed as tax, but still used by the Government to fund public services. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ...

There are twelve different machines that can be used for the Lotto draw. The machine and set of lottery balls to be used is selected at random, and is announced just prior to the draw. The machines are designated Merlin, Arthur, Galahad, Vyvyan, Lancelot, Garnet, Topaz, Opal, Amethyst, Moonstone, Pearl and Sapphire. Guinevere has also been a designated machine in the past but has now been retired. Ball sets, of which there are eight, are designated by number.

Games

Several games operate under the National Lottery brand: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Lotto

Six numbers are drawn from a set of individually numbered balls with numbers in the range 1–49, as well as a further bonus ball. Balls, once drawn, are not returned to the draw machine, therefore each ball (including the bonus ball) can only be drawn once per Lotto draw. Players choose six different numbers by a method of their own choosing at the time they purchase a ticket. Ticket issuing machines can generate a random set of play numbers as a so–called Lucky Dip. Prizes are awarded to players who match at least three of the six drawn numbers with increasing prize value for matching more of the drawn numbers. In addition to the six drawn numbers, an additional number is drawn as the Bonus Ball. The bonus ball is only relevant to those players who match five of the six drawn numbers, whereby those players matching exactly five of the drawn numbers who also match the bonus ball receive a larger prize than those matching just 5 of the drawn numbers. Anyone matching all six drawn numbers wins a share of the jackpot; the chance of doing so is 1 in 13,983,816. For players matching at least four of the drawn balls the prize value is dependent on the total number of players also matching the same number of balls in that the prize fund is divided equally between all players matching that number of drawn numbers. In the event that no player matches all six of the drawn numbers the jackpot is accumulated into the next Lotto draw, a so–called Rollover. This accumulation is limited to three consecutive draws. Rollover is a common occurrence, happening once every few draws, though a three week roll-over is a rather less common occurrence having happened only twice to date. Jackpot is: A former British comic. ...

The draw is conducted on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Saturday draws started on November 19, 1994, under the name 'National Lottery'. The first Wednesday draw was on February 5, 1997. All draws are shown live on BBC One in the UK, with the Saturday draw shown as a segment in a range of different Lottery branded gameshows throughout the year. is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ...

The Lotto prize fund is 45 percent of draw sales. Camelot state that the 3 ball prize winners are calculated first, these receive £10 each; the remaining prize fund is then divided as shown in the table below and split equally with the number of winners for each selection:

The 6/49 mentioned above also had an optional add-on game known as Extra which could be played for an additional £1. However, its only prize was for matching all six regular numbers drawn for the 6/49 jackpot (there were no lower-tier prizes; you lost even if you matched five). It was discontinued in 2006.

Lotto Hotpicks

Lotto Hotpicks uses the main Lotto draw for its numbers but is a different game. The player chooses both the numbers and the number of draw balls they want to try and match (up to a maximum of five balls). However, if the player does not match all the numbers chosen, it is not a winner. The National Lottery describe Hotpicks as "Five games in one", because the player has a choice of five ways of playing the game, each offering different odds and payouts.

Thunderball

Thunderball was launched on June 7, 1999. Players pick five main numbers from 1 to 34 and one 'Thunderball' number from 1 to 14, for an entry fee of £1. Draws currently take place every Saturday and Wednesday. The first mid-week Thunderball was on October 17, 2002. is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Dream Number

Dream Number was launched on July 15, 2006. Dream Number involves generating a random seven digit number for entry into the draw. It can be played independently of Lotto, or if played with Lotto one Dream Number is generated per ticket, not per lotto entry. The cost of entry is £1. A dream number is automatically printed on every lotto ticket bought, whether the player has chosen to enter it into the draw or not. Unlike other Lotto games, it is not possible to choose the number entered, and the order that the numbers are drawn is important, since the numbers must be matched in order for the player to win. All money raised for good causes from Dream Number will go towards the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... â€œLondon 2012â€ redirects here. ... The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics. ...

Scratchcards

As well as draw tickets, the National Lottery sells (through newsagents, supermarkets, and so on) scratchcards. A scratchcard (also called scratch off, scratch game, scratch ticket, scratcher or scratchie) is a small piece of card where an area has been covered by a substance that cannot be seen through, but can be scratched off. ...

These are small pieces of card where an area has been covered by a thin layer of opaque (and usually designed according to the particular card) latex that can be scratched off. Under this area are concealed the items/pictures that must be found in order to win.

The generic scratchcard requires the player to match three of the same prize amounts. If this is accomplished, they win that amount, the highest possible being £100,000. Other scratchcards involve matching symbols, pictures or words.

The majority of National Lottery scratchcards are sold for £1. Larger scratchcards with two or more chances to win or a larger than usual maximum cash prize, for example £250,000, cost £2. There are also scratchcards available for £5.

Daily Play

The Daily Play draw can be played every day but Sunday and Christmas Day. By selecting 7 numbers between 1 and 27, players can win anything from a free lucky-dip to £30,000. The draw is well known for giving its players the chance to win a free daily play lucky-dip for not matching any numbers in the draw.

The draw currently has no live broadcast. The results on Saturdays are recorded and announced during the live broadcast of the Lotto, Dream Number and Thunderball draws on BBC One. The Daily Play draw can, however, be watched every day online via the BBC's website. BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ...

EuroMillions

On Saturday 7 February 2004 the lottery organisation Camelot launched a pan-European lottery: EuroMillions. The first draw took place on Friday 13 February 2004 in Paris. The UK, France and Spain were involved initially. Lotteries from Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland joined the draw on 8 October 2004 and the draws are currently made in Paris, and shown in the UK on UKTV Gold. The odds of winning the Jackpot is 1 in 76,275,360. A map of the countries that participate in EuroMillions. ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UKTV Gold, (previously known as UK Gold until March 8, 2004), is a British television channel that shows mainly classic BBC entertainment programmes. ...

Olympic Lottery

Following the success of London's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, Olympic Lottery Scratchcards were launched on 27 July 2005 under the brand name "Go for Gold". 28% of the price of £1 goes to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund, and the scratchcards are intended to raise £750,000,000 ($1,456,836,819) towards the cost of running the games. â€œLondon 2012â€ redirects here. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The National Lottery television draws

The majority of National Lottery draws take place on live televison. The National Lottery is well represented on several TV game shows, including Jet Set with Eamonn Holmes, and 1 vs. 100 with Dermot O'Leary, all on BBC One. Also, the Euromillions: Boom Bang show which is broadcast every Friday on Dave. Traditionally, the draws would take place in the BBC studio during the game show on a Saturday. However, in more recent years, the channel holding the lottery draw will take a break at a various point and switch to 'National Lottery HQ', a designated studio for the draws. The Draws have their own five minute slot on BBC One on Wednesdays, which is hosted by various alternating presenters in the. Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Stub ... Eamonn Holmes (b. ... US logo of . ... Sean Dermot Fintan OLeary, Jr. ... UKTV G2 (previously UK G2; UK Gold 2 and UK Gold Classics) is a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom, as part of the UKTV network of channels. ...

Good causes

It was announced during the live Saturday night draw show on 30 March 2007 that The National Lottery has so far raised £20 billion ($39.2 billion) for good causes, a programme which distributes money via grants. 28% of lottery revenue goes towards the fund, along with all unclaimed prizes. Additionally, 12% goes to the state. The prize fund is 50% of revenue, with the remaining 10% going towards running costs and profits for the lottery organisers and ticket sellers. is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

The distribution of money to good causes is not the responsibility of the operator (Camelot). It is the responsibility of The National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF), administered by the government Department for Culture, Media and Sport. DCMS Logo DCMS headquarters in Cockspur Street The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (sometimes abbreviated DCMS) is a department of the British government. ...

Unclaimed prizes

Winning tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the draw taking place. If a prize is unclaimed within that time, it is distributed through the Lotto's Good Causes fund. The highest unclaimed prize distributed this way to date was a winning ticket worth £9,476,995 ($18,283,497) which expired at 17.30 GMT on Monday, 2 January 2006 [2]. This ticket was the 24th prize in excess of one million pounds to be unclaimed. is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Regulation

The National Lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission - a non-departmental public body reporting to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Until 1 April 1999 the National Lottery was regulated by the Office of the National Lottery (known by the acronym OFLOT). The term Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation (or QUANGO), attributed to Sir Douglas Hague, was originally invented as a joke, but fell into common usage in the United Kingdom to describe the agencies produced by the growing trend of government devolving power to appointed, or self-appointed bodies. ... The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (sometimes abbreviated DCMS) is a department of the British government. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ...

The Lottery was set up in 1993 under the National Lottery etc Act 1993 [3] and was reformed under the National Lottery Act 1998 [4] and the National Lottery Act 2006 [5]

Machine appearances

Below is a table of how many times each machine has appeared in the main National Lottery, or Lotto game.

Contents