Lottery In The United Kingdom
The UK largest lottery is known as the National Lottery, which was set up under government licence in 1993. A statute of 1698 provided that in England lotteries were by default illegal unless specifically authorised by statute.
An 1934 Act legalised small lotteries, which was further liberalised in 1956 and 1976. There could be no big national lottery until the Government established one, however.
Several lottery games are run under this brand, including Lotto and Thunderball. As with other lotteries gamblers choose a set of numbers, say 6 from 50, with six numbers then being drawn at random. Lotteries gamblers win cash prizes depending on how many numbers they match. The national lottery launched a Pan European “super-lottery”, called EuroMillions in 2004. Currently 9 countries contribute.
In the United Kingdom the national lottery has so far raised several billions of pounds 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 45% of revenue, with the remaining 15% going towards running costs and profits for the lottery organisers and ticket sellers.
The odds of specific combinations occurring in the United Kingdom national lottery are as follows:
| Combinations | Odds | Allocation of winnings |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Numbers | 1: 13,983,816 | 52% of remaining prize fund |
| 5 Numbers & Bonus Ball | 1: 2,330,636 | 16% of remaining prize fund |
| 5 Numbers | 1: 54,201 | 10% of remaining prize fund |
| 4 Numbers | 1: 1,032 | 22% of remaining prize fund |
| 3 Numbers | 1: 57 | £10 |
| 2 Numbers | 1: 8 | No win |
| 1 Number | 1: 2 | No win |
