By Todd Northrop
In the United States, a record jackpot is cause for celebration and waves of ticket-buying, but in the United Kingdom players are bemoaning tomorrow night's record £42.2 million (US$62.62 million) Lotto jackpot and threatening to boycott the game, according to local media reports.
Apparently having a jackpot won frequently is more important to Brits than the size of the pot.
Tomorrow's record £42.2 million jackpot is the result of a record 10th rollover. The reason for the high number of rollovers is the new game format, in which the odds of landing the top prize is now one in 45 million after operator Camelot made a series of controversial changes, including adding an extra 10 balls to the draw.
That came after the price of playing the game doubled to £2.
This week lottery players vented their fury and dismay on social media site Twitter.
Benjamin Copp said, "Remember when we doubled the price? Now let's triple the odds."
Tony Marszoi said, "Anyone else notice it costs £2 a line now (and is) more difficult to win."
Katt Abos added, "My chances of winning have gone from 14 million to 1 to an astonishing 45 million to 1 but the changes are supposed to encourage me."
And Nigel Wilson said, "Another rollover — there's a surprise. Too many rollovers. Think it's time to boycott the National Lottery."
The past Saturday the jackpot rolled over yet again when no one matched the winning numbers of 17, 21, 31, 38, 44, and 58, with bonus number 20.
Under the new Lotto game rules the jackpot can grow up to £50 million. If there is no winner in the following draw the pot is shared between players who get five numbers and the bonus ball.
Will player reaction suddenly change if that happens? Nobody knows for sure, because this is all new territory for the UK National Lottery.
The last draw to produce a jackpot winner was back on November 14. That jackpot was worth £4.34 million (US$6.61 million), which was typical for a UK Lotto jackpot win.
Despite some players venting their anger, a National Lottery spokesman properly promoted the huge prize.
"The Lotto jackpot is poised to break records with £42.2million waiting to be won," the spokesman said. "A single winner would instantly become the biggest Lotto winner the nation has ever seen."
The new Lotto game does always have several big winners each drawing, despite the outlash about the top prize rollovers. Each drawing there are five guaranteed winners of £1 million in the Millionaire Raffle and 20 guaranteed winners of £20,000. Each Lotto ticket purchase includes one entry to the raffle.
In the Saturday evening drawing, 89 players matched five out of the seven numbers, winning £1,351, but there was no winner of the £350,000 Lotto HotPicks top prize.
UK Lotto is drawn twice per week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 8:00 pm local time. The winning numbers are published on Lottery Post's UK National Lottery Results page soon after each drawing. Unlike other lottery websites on the Internet, Lottery Post publishes the complete UK Lotto results, including all winning Millionaire Raffle numbers.
Technically, the odds is 6 times worse, not 3, because not only did they add 10 balls, they doubled the price.
Give a Power Ball or Mega Millions player odds of 45 million to 1, we would be jumping for joy.
How much is two pounds worth in American dollars? Maybe double like say, $4.00? or more than that?
Hearse track where is your humor when we need it now?
good on the poms, i would boycott all the dreaws, except the 50 million pound ones. nothing business like more than boycotts
Right now 2 pounds is worth $2.96.
Subject to change.
I would like 45 mil to 1 odds with a crack at $184 million.
How many players match 5 plus the bonus ball in typical drawings? Just wondering if that even happens every draw, or if it happens so much that the jackpot would be split so many ways that it wouldn't be worth it?
The Directors of the PowerBall should take note of this. That was the whole reason they changed the Powerball format back in October,,, for higher jackpots. I pretty much stopped playing Powerball now. It just sucks with having to pay 2 or 3 bucks with odds like that. Just my opinion.
Right, they don't know how good they got it. If we had a guaranteed 5 raffle winners every game i would play a lot more.
I think though the odds are obviously worse now and it's pricier the guaranteed 5 millionaires are unique and make the game worth playing. I would trade in my 6/49 in a heartbeat.
But, Mr. Reddog,
You can't stop playing Powerball.
OK, especially not for this Wednesday night.
Then, if you want to stop, OK.
(am I nuts? what am I talking about ?!?!)
ok, maybe 1 or 2. lol until it is won.
Well that's a misleading headline. They aren't upset because the pot is high. They're upset because the price doubled and the odds of not winning tripled. If the pot had reached £42 million without the changes that came with it, the social media sites would be filled with wishes and dreams of winning instead of anger and threat of boycotts.
I don't think they're any less mercenary than we are. Just more vocal about getting shafted.
Same here. I will not play it.
The winner(s) have the right to remain anonymous. They won't be paraded in front of the media, unless they are silly enough to want that.
Winning, or sharing, such a large jackpot would be great, but it would be very difficult to handle in the full glare of the media. US lotteries please take note.