There’s no way to predict the next winning combination in the lottery, but you can improve your chances when you play with a mathematical strategy.

1. Which Lottery Game Has The Best Odds Uk
2. Which British Lottery Has The Best Odds

.Lotto and EuroMillions jackpots are estimated. ∑ The European Millionaire Maker Prize is €1,000,000 which, for UK winners, will be converted to Sterling and topped up by Camelot so that the total prize awarded is £1,000,000. ∞ Calls to 0844 numbers cost 7p per. The UK has various lottery games, from Hot Picks to Thunderball. All with different odds, all with different prize divisions and amounts. Some with very different methods of play. So it’s certainly confusing! All lottery games balance the odds against size of the jackpot, i.e. Bigger jackpot = harder to win.

My analysis of the UK Lotto 6/59 shows that six combination patterns exhibit high probability, and 64 worst types only put your money down the drain.

The Odds Of Winning The UK Lotto

If you use a quick pick, memorable dates, hot numbers, or cold numbers, and many other baseless lotto playing strategies, chances are, you may fall into one of these worst combinations in the UK Lottery. To me, playing with the worst combinations is just a “waste of money.”

The new UK Lotto’s 6/59 format produces a total of 45,057,474 possible combinations. Therefore, there is one chance in 45 million.

The odds of winning the jackpot in the UK Lotto are one of the hardest in the world of lottery. So someone will win the next big prize in the UK Lotto and chances are it may not be you.

Many experts say that you are more likely to get killed by a shark than winning the lottery. Of course, if you don’t swim in the ocean, the possibility that you get killed by a shark is impossible. The same holds in the lottery. You have to be in it to win it.

So how to win the UK Lotto?

Math can surely help. Two mathematical tools that proved to be useful for lottery players are combinatorics and probability.

Combinatorics is the main mathematical tool behind number wheeling system. While probability theory is the one we use to determine the best and the worst type of combination in the lottery.

Together, they provide a powerful method by which you can play the lottery with the best shot possible.

On this page, I would like to emphasize the importance of combinatorial math and probability theory in determining the best type of combinations in the UK Lottery.

Let me introduce the probability concept to you, starting with a simple concept of odd-even patterns.

Odd-Even Patterns In The UK Lotto

Mathematically, counting the odd and even numbers play a crucial role in your chances of winning the UK Lotto. Pick the wrong odd-even combination, and you have just put your money down the drain. And you don’t even know it.

The table below shows the complete odd-even patterns with their corresponding probability:

I divided the patterns into three groups.

Based on the table above, there are four types of combinations in the UK lotto that you should avoid at all cost. This information is crucial as it helps you to determine the best combinations to play.

Bad patterns are simply risky, and playing them gives nothing but the least chance of winning. Choosing to play with a combination that exhibits high probability offers the best shot at winning the big prize.

The Theoretical Prediction Versus The Actual Results Of The UK Lotto

In this section, I will compare the theoretical estimation or prediction with the actual results of the UK Lottery. 449 draws already took place in UK Lotto from October 10, 2015, to February 05, 2020.

We get the expected frequency of each pattern by multiplying the Probability by the number of draws.

Expected Frequency = Probability x 449 draws

In the case of 3-odd-3-even, the expected frequency is 148.

Expected frequency = 0.3292514800097320 x 449 = 147.833914524

Doing the same computation for the rest of the patterns, we will come up with the following comparison graph below:

UK Lotto Odd-Even Probability Prediction Versus Actual Draws (February 2020 Update)

The graph above shows that there is a close match between the predicted frequency and the actual frequency. This agreement proves that the UK Lotto is subordinate to the dictate of probability.

Probability calculation shows that the 3-odd-3-even pattern must occur 148 times; the actual results show 137 times. While the 2-odd-4-even pattern is predicted to appear 103 times, the actual draws have it 117 times. And our estimate tells us that the 6-even-0-odd may appear five times; it occurred four times.

Of course, we cannot expect the probability to be exact. However, judging from the outcome of the comparison graph, we know that we are in the right direction. And according to the law of large numbers, the agreement between probability prediction and the actual results will be more evident as the number of draws continues.

Like the odd-even patterns, we can also measure the performance of the lottery based on low-high numbers. And once again, the outcome of the lottery shows complete subordination to the dictate of probability.

The comparison graph between the predicted frequency versus the actual results speaks for itself.

UK Lotto Low-High Probability Prediction Versus Actual Draws (February 2020 Update)

That’s the power of mathematics. We can prove the validity of our probability analysis by comparing our prediction with the actual results.

Predicting the UK Lotto Using The Probability Theory Two Years From Now

Thanks to probability theory. We can predict the lottery (to an extent).

For example, if we want to know in advance the outcome of the UK Lottery in 1000 draws, we use the same formula to get the expected frequency.

Example:

Expected frequency (3-odd-3-even) = 0.3292514800097320 x 1000 draws

Therefore, for 3-odd-3-even combination, the expected frequency is 329.2514800097320 or 329

If we are to predict the outcome of all the odd-even patterns, we know it will always be the 3-odd-3-even that will stand out.

However, there’s more to UK Lottery than just odd and even. Deep within the finite structure of the UK Lotto system are layers of advanced patterns that can be the clue to your lottery success.

The discovery of these advanced patterns is only possible with the use of applied mathematics, which I discussed in great detail in the free lottery guide.

So let’s talk a bit about these advanced combinatorial patterns below.

Advanced Combinatorial Patterns: The Best and the Worst Types of Combinations in The UK Lotto Game

Working with odd-even selection can pose a big issue, especially if we want to be more precise and accurate with our analysis.

For example, 1,2,3,4,5,6 belongs to the pattern 3-odd-3-even. Although this type of combination belongs to the best odd-even pattern, we don’t need to be a probability expert to conclude that this combination sucks. Nonetheless, a lot of people are still playing this combination. I know because reports are everywhere like here and there.

From a probability standpoint, indeed, a consecutive straight combination poses the least probability because of its poor low to high number ratio.

So to deal with odd-even and low-high patterns as separate methods may not be the best option for a UK lotto player.

This problem prompted me to look at the lottery patterns differently. And sometimes, in a situation like this, mixing two methods into one equation may do the trick. The result is an advanced combinatorial design. And I realize, this is the key to a better understanding of how random events work in the lottery.

Let’s discuss in a bit how this advanced method works. And how we can use this superior combinatorial design to have a better picture of randomness in the UK lotto system.

An example of an advanced combinatorial pattern looks like this:

(One low-odd) (One low-even) (Four high-even)

This pattern is derived from the following 4 sets:

Low-odd = {1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,29}
Low-even = {2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26,28,30}
High-odd = {31,33,35,37,39,41,43,45,47,49,51,53,55,57,59}
High-even = {32,34,36,38,40,42,44,46,48,50,52,54,56,58}

Examples of combinations under the above pattern are the following:

5-18-32-38-42-54
19-28-36-40-52-58

In reality, based on the composition of the pattern, we can calculate that the probability of the above pattern is 0.0049986158.

Such probability tells us that the pattern can only occur about once or twice in 400 draws.

Unbelievable?

Then see for yourself. Go back to the last 400 draws and check all the winning combinations that match the above pattern. You will believe in the reliability of probability prediction, that’s for sure.

But why, the last 400 draws? Why not 500? or 1000?

Well, that’s because the current format of 6/59 of the UK Lotto only started on October 10, 2017. At the time of writing this article, only 449 draws are available to check the validity of the calculation.

Theoretical Probability Versus Empirical Observation of the UK Lotto’s Historical Results

Alright, a single pattern may not convince you that a mathematical method works.

But maybe three types of patterns may convince you that mathematics is a reliable tool to predict the outcome of the lottery (to an extent).

Here are the three patterns you may check out for yourself:

(2 low-odd) (2 low-even) (1 high-odd) (1 high-even)

(1 low-odd) (2 low-even) (3 high-even)

(1 low-odd) (1 low-even) (4 high-even)

Again, the theoretical estimation and the actual observed frequency may not exactly match, but it should match very closely. That’s mathematical prediction is all about.

Go ahead, check the last 400 draws and tally all the winning numbers that match the above three patterns. Check the observed frequency of each pattern and compare the results with the theoretical estimation.

If the results convinced you that math works, I invite you to check the full details of a mathematical strategy. Please check the free lottery guide for more details.

The Whole Picture of the UK Lotto Game

The UK Lotto has 84 patterns, and only three are the best. 64 of them are the worst ones

The UK Lotto is divided into three groups.

The majority of the UK Lotto players are not aware of the combination patterns they are playing. So more often, they fell on those combination patterns that will only waste their money.

I am not saying that those combinations that belong under the worst group will not occur in a lottery draw. Of course, strange combinations do happen in a random game like the UK Lotto. But according to probability theory, the worst group is unlikely to occur. And as a lotto player who wants to win the jackpot, you want to pick your combinations from the group that gets drawn more frequently.

And mathematics doesn’t lie.

The table below shows some combinations that exhibit the poorest probability of occurring in a draw.

There are millions of these worst combinations in the UK Lotto. But how do you know your combination is not one of them?

So with a mathematical strategy, players get two benefits. First, you get the confidence that you are not wasting your money. And second, you get the best shot at winning the jackpot.

To have a higher chance of winning the UK Lotto, I recommend you focus on number patterns with high probability, especially patterns #1, #2, and #3. If you are serious about winning your game, then here are the tips you must do to win the lottery.

The United Kingdom has a wide number of different lotteries in operation for citizens to involve themselves in. For hundreds of years lotteries have existed within the country, with the first legislation passed in 1934, which legalised small lotteries. This went on to be further liberalised in 1956 and 1976, but the largest lottery that has come to light within the UK is the state-franchised National Lottery. This was set up in 1993 by the government of John Major, and the first draw took place in November of 1994.

It was several years later that a second lottery was announced, known as the Thunderball. That went into action in 1999, and since then, more and more lotteries have been set up and spread throughout the country with growing popularity. Games have come and gone within the past couple of decades as well, and around nine proper lotteries are still operational today in the UK. But are you as likely to win one as the other? Or do you stand more chance of being successful by playing a specific lottery over another?

What Lotteries Available in the United Kingdom?

Following the success of the National Lottery in the 1990's other games were released, starting with Thunderball in 1999 and EuroMillions in 2004. This then lead to launch of linked games, such as Hotpicks and most recently a new game called Set For Life.

Other community lotteries also began to launch in the mid-2000's, starting with the Postcode Lottery in 2005 and the Health Lottery in 2011.

With so many different lottery games and formats these days it can be hard to compare them. Below we look at each major game in turn and looking at prizes, odds, jackpots and value. Click on any link below to jump to the game description.

Lotto

This is the longest-running lottery in the UK, being the one that started out in 1994. Players buy their tickets with a choice of six different numbers between 1 and 59. Alternatively, players can opt for a Lucky Dip ticket, which randomly selects six numbers for them, and the entry fee in either case is £2 per set of numbers chosen.

Draws for this lottery are conducted twice each week – once on Wednesday and once on Saturday. The game was originally called The National Lottery, although it was renamed simply to Lotto as part of an update in 2002 when it was discovered that ticket sales had decreased.

In the draw for this, six numbered balls are drawn from a set of 59, while an additional Bonus Ball is drawn, which is relevant only to those players who have managed to match five numbers already. If no player manages to match all six numbers, then the jackpot total is added to that of the next Lotto draw, also known as a rollover.

Lotto Prizes and Odds

While tickets started out at £1 for the Lotto game, they doubled to £2 in October of 2013, and the prizes were also restructured alongside. The announcement actually came with news that large bonuses were to be set aside for management pay, which drew a mass of criticism towards the Lotto game. Yet, the arrival of that new version of Lotto meant that bigger jackpots would be present.

Changes were undertaken in 2015, 2016 and 2018, which led to the product that is in operation today. The rules surrounding gameplay now dictate that each prize level of the Lotto is a fixed amount per winner, which is similar to the Thunderball game. Prior to this time, all prize levels from matching four numbers and above were determined by the number of winners at each level and the total ticket sales. Rollovers were also limited to five at a maximum at this time, and if nobody matches six main numbers after that fifth rollover, then the jackpot total is shared between all cash prize winners.

Here is a rundown of prizes and odds of winning the Lotto at each level:

Lotto Hotpicks

This lottery utilises the main Lotto draw for the winning numbers, but it’s actually a different game. Players select both the numbers and the number of draw balls they would like to try and match, with a maximum of five being selectable. However, they must match all those numbers to be considered a winner. The entry fee for this game is £1 per board.

Hotpicks Prizes and Odds

Many people prefer Hotpicks as if you match the same number of numbers in the lotto you get much lower prizes, for example, matching five numbers in the main lotto would only win around a thousand pounds but five matches in hotpicks could bag you £350k. Of course the compromise is you don't win a prize if you don't match all numbers but if all you are interested in is the jackpot this represents better value.

Thunderball

The second longest-running lottery game in the UK, the Thunderball jackpot requires its players to select five main numbers between 1 and 39 first. Then, you need to choose a separate number, which is known as the Thunderball, and this is a number between 1 and 14. Again, entry into the Thunderball lottery is set at £1 per line. Prizes are won in this game by matching the Thunderball number or at least three of the main numbers alone. Naturally, the more numbers that a player matches, the bigger the prize pay-out.

Thunderball draws are held on Saturdays and Wednesdays, like the standard Lotto game. A Tuesday draw was also added to these days in January of 2018.

Thunderball Prizes and Odds

The top prize of the Thunderball lottery now stands at £500,000, and this can be won by matching all five of the main numbers as well as the Thunderball. Yet, additional prizes are available for matching the Thunderball or at least three of the main numbers. Draws for the Thunderball occur four times per week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Prior to May 2010, the rules surrounding the Thunderball were that draws of numbers between 1 to 34 were undertaken. There wasn’t any prize for matching the Thunderball alone at that point, either and the top prize was £250,000. With the increasing of numbers to 39 and an additional Friday draw included, the chance of winning the top prizes more than halved, although the chance of winning anything on Thunderball itself more than doubled. The odds and pay-outs at current are as follows:

Set for Life

This is one of the more recent additions to the collection of lotteries in the United Kingdom. A top prize of £10,000 per month for thirty years is available through playing this. Each line has a charge of £1.50 and draws occur on Monday and Thursday each week. Players are required to select five main numbers from 1 to 47 as well as a single Life Ball from 1 to 10.

Set for Life Prizes and Odds

A top prize of £10,000 per month for thirty years, which equates to £3,600,000 in total, is available when playing the Set for Life lottery game. Entry is £1.50 and players can follow draws each Monday and Thursday at 20:00. The odds of winning can be found below:

EuroMillions

The EuroMillions lottery was announced and launched in 2004, with the first draw taking place in Paris, France. Initially, the draw included players from France, Spain and the UK. Today, lotteries from Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland are also active in the EuroMillions draw. These lottery draws take place twice a week – on Tuesday and Friday. Entries into this lottery are £2.50 per board.

EuroMillions Prizes and Odds

To win the jackpot of the EuroMillions, players are required to match seven numbers, with draws for this being held every Tuesday and Friday at 20:45 CET in Paris. A standard EuroMillions ticket costs £2.50 per line played now, although it originally cost £1.50. Players select five main numbers from 1 to 50 and two lucky star numbers from a pool of 12 numbers. All prizes are tax-free, except in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal since 2013. These are paid out as a lump sum. The odds of winning and prize structure are a little more complex where the EuroMillions draw is concerned.

EuroMillions Hot Picks

As with the standard Lotto game, the EuroMillions has its own Hot Picks available to enter, too. One of five prizes are available for players to win, from £10 up to a maximum of £1 million. The rules behind it pretty much echo what those of the standard Hot Picks game.

EuroMillions Hotpicks Prizes and Odds

The EuroMillions is very much the same as hotpicks although it is worth pointing out that for lower prizes it is slightly better value. For one number picked and matched the EuroMillions version and Lotto version are both 10/1 yet the former pays out £10 for a win (£1.50 ticket cost) and the latter £6 (£1 ticket cost). Factoring in ticket cost the Lotto pays out £6 for every £1 entered and EuroMillions pays £6.66.

For two numbers picked and matched the odds for the Lotto (115/1) and EuroMillions (123/1) are similar yet the Lotto Hotpicks pays a prize of £60 vs £100 for Euromillions. Per pound entered, as the EuroMillions tickets cost more, that works out at £60 for the Lotto and £66.66 for EuroMillions.

As the picks increase the odds for the EuroMillions Hotpicks increases above the Lotto Hotpicks but then the prizes are much higher, overall this is a better value game.

The Health Lottery

Operating on behalf of 12 local society lotteries across Great Britain, The Health Lottery was launched in 2011. It runs five weekly draws from Tuesday to Saturday. Each week, a different regional community interest company receives the funds from this, with a 20% share of ticket sale proceeds going to local causes regarding healthcare. Tickets are charged at £1 per entry, there are 5 balls and a bonus ball drawn from 50 balls numbered 1-50.

So as to circumvent the requirements of the UK Gambling Act, The Health Lottery is not structured as a national lottery, though. Instead, it undertakes the 12 societal lotteries description, with each one representing at least one local authority within England, Scotland and Wales. Each of these are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

Health Lottery Prizes and Odds

The Health Lottery does not have a straight forward prize structure given there are five different draws and jackpot sizes can vary depending on the number of tickets purchased. The jackpot is either £25,000 or 10% of ticket sales if this amount is greater.

What we can tell you is the average overall odds of winning any prize is 9.7 /1.

People’s Postcode Lottery

This lottery is a subscription-based game, which is run by the Postcode Lottery Limited, regulated by the Gambling Commission of the UK. The format of this was actually introduced by a Dutch company – Novamedia BV, which launched its own postcode lottery in the Netherlands in 1989. The People’s Postcode Lottery started in the north of England in 2005, at the time being a pilot scheme. Following that successful launch, it expanded into the Scottish lands in 2007 before entering Wales in 2010.

Players sign up to play this lottery and pay a monthly subscription for it in advance, either by direct debit, debit card or PayPal. A total of 10 draws take place each month and prizes are handed out on a daily basis. A player’s tickets are based on their playing postcode, which in most cases is represented by their home postcode. This represents a group of houses that utilise that same postcode, and if more than one resident in that specific postal code has tickets, all players within collect prizes.

A minimum of 32% of the ticket price from the players’ £10 monthly subscriptions is handed out to various trusts, and these then fund charities and community projects across not only Great Britain, but internationally as well. Around £330 million has been donated already.

Postcode Lottery Prizes and Odds

The Postcode lottery is the most difficult to define in terms of odds owning to the fact it works on a subscription model and there are various draws with different prizes that take place at different frequencies.

The odds shown below are approximate because the chances of winning depends on how many postcodes are playing, which of course varies. There are also other factors that influence specific draws:

For the big £3M monthly draw you can win up to a maximum of £400,000 but this is shared with other people who play in your postcode, so depending on how many other people are playing the prize code you could win a lower amount.

For the other fixed prize draws you do not need to share the prize if you win but the odds still vary as these draws are conducted daily or weekly basis and as this is a monthly subscription model the true odds depend on the number of days in the month or the number of Saturdays and Sundays in a month.

Still, it is worth pointing out that for the main £3,000,000 draw you stand the chance to win £400,000 with rough odds of 1,080,000/1, which in jackpot terms makes it the best odds of all the lotteries.

Which Lottery Game Has The Best Odds Uk

Which Lottery is the Best Value?

If you were to compare each of these lotteries, then it’s clear to see that the conventional lottery game with the best odds of winning the top prize is the Thunderball. Of course, it’s necessary to put those odds into some sort of perspective, prior to you rushing out and purchasing a Thunderball ticket. Considering that the odds of being struck by lightning in the UK is around 1 in 1,200,000, this really does put the odds of winning the Thunderball at 1 in 8,060,598 into perspective, right?

Yet, when you consider that The Health Lottery runs five days a week and tickets can be bought for £1, the odds for this jackpot being won are 1 in 2,000,000. The odds for winning any prize stand at 1 in 108, and it is for this reason that it stands out as being the easiest lottery to win a jackpot of for the least ticket money on average. Keep in mind though, that The Health Lottery has the smallest overall jackpot of £25,000 or 10% of ticket sales.

The postcode lottery is worth a mention too as it technically has the lowest odds for the jackpot prize although it is worth considering the big draw only takes place once a month, the prize is split so may not be £400k and it is a £10 subscription to enter. Of course that subscription also means you get to enter all of the daily and weekly draws too for lower prizes and this is one reason it has become so popular.

Which British Lottery Has The Best Odds

If you’re looking at the easiest lottery to win any prize on, then you’re safer sticking with the aforementioned Thunderball or the EuroMillions draw.