UK National Lottery Set To Make Changes
A number of exciting changes are set to be introduced by the UK National Lottery after operating company Camelot announced its plans to bring in ‘an improved range of games’. The proposals have been made following a review into falling ticket sales and will see players given more opportunities to pick up big wins throughout the week.
The plans were announced in a statement by Camelot which confirmed Nigel Railton as the company’s permanent chief executive, and included the following key points:
Changes to UK Lotto
As the UK’s best-selling lottery game, Camelot wants to reinvigorate Lotto to give players a ‘better winning experience’. The statement on Tuesday confirmed that changes were planned for 2018, but stopped short of giving details. The options currently being considered do not include a reduction in the ticket price or the number of balls, as had been rumoured.
EuroMillions HotPicks
One of the new games which has been announced by Camelot is EuroMillions HotPicks. This will be a game similar to Lotto HotPicks, and will give players the option to select either one, two, three, four or five numbers. If players match all the numbers they select, they can win prizes from £10 to £1 million. EuroMillions HotPicks will be played every Tuesday and Friday, starting on 26th January 2018, using the balls drawn as the main numbers in EuroMillions.
Tuesday Thunderball
Camelot wants each of its games to ‘stand out from the crowd - and each other’, and will introduce a fourth weekly Thunderball draw every Tuesday night. The first Tuesday Thunderball draw is scheduled to take place on 30th January 2018.
An Annuity-Style Game
Camelot acknowledged in its statement that some players crave ‘long-term financial security rather than big jackpots’, and is exploring ways to offer an ‘annuity-style’ game. Such a game would offer players the chance to win smaller amounts of money every day, week, month or year instead of a massive one-off payment. Although there has been no official confirmation of how the game would be structured, it could be similar to the Australian Set for Life draw, which offers AU$20,000 a month for 20 years, or the American Lucky For Life game, where players can win $1,000 a day for life.
Better Choice
Boosted by a £20 million investment, Camelot also aims to ‘modify its range of in-store and online instant win games’ so that players have more choice over what games to play. There are also plans to implement ticket-buying facilities at self-checkout machines.
Ahead of the changes, players can enjoy EuroMillions, Lotto and Thunderball by choosing numbers online or visiting authorised retailers in the UK.