Lotto Syndicates
Lotto was launched in 1994 and continues to attract millions of players to every draw. The game is played on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the jackpot regularly grows into eight figures, while prizes can be won by matching just two main numbers.
How to Play
Every Lotto draw sees six numbers drawn at random from a ball pool of 59, followed by a Bonus Ball from the remaining 53 numbers. The prize that a player wins depends on how many of the balls drawn match the numbers on their ticket.
Online syndicates play multiple lines of numbers to boost the probability of winning a prize. Rather than playing just one set of six numbers, therefore, the syndicate will enter several different combinations into a draw and split the cost into a number of shares.
It is then up to each player to decide how many of the available shares they wish to buy. The number of shares you purchase will correspond to how much you win if the syndicate lands a prize. For example, a player who holds two shares will receive twice as much as a player who owns one share if the group wins.
Prizes are paid automatically if your syndicate wins, so you just need to check to see if you have been contacted and do not even need to get in touch to claim your money.
Odds and Prizes
Lotto prizes can be won for matching as few as two main numbers, and go right up to the multimillion-pound jackpot if anyone manages to match all six main numbers.
| Prize Category | Odds on a single ticket | Odds in an example syndicate playing 30 lines |
|---|---|---|
| Match 6 (Jackpot) |
1 in 45,057,474 | 1 in 1,501,915 |
| Match 5 + Bonus Ball |
1 in 7,509,579 | 1 in 250,319 |
| Match 5 |
1 in 144,415 | 1 in 4,813 |
| Match 4 |
1 in 2,180 | 1 in 72 |
| Match 3 |
1 in 97 | 1 in 3.2 |
| Match 2 |
1 in 10.3 | 2.91 to 1 |
Biggest Lotto Wins
The record for the largest Lotto jackpot in history stands at £66 million, after two ticket holders split the top prize on Saturday 9th January 2016. The biggest win on a single ticket came when one participant netted £35.1 million on Wednesday 6th April 2016.
It is also estimated that one in five top prizes are won by groups. Check out the Syndicate Winners page to find out about some of the stories.