𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Tickets have gone on sale for the National Lottery’s new Lotto game giving players two chances to win for every £2 line.

The twice-weekly Lotto draws, held every Wednesday and Saturday evening at 8pm, will now follow a two-round format, with two sets of six main numbers and a bonus ball drawn using two separate machines.

This means players can win in one round, the other, or both, all from a single Lotto line.

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Players do not have to make any changes and will continue to pick six numbers from 59 balls.

Jackpots will continue to start at £2 million and can roll over up to five times before a must-be-won draw on the sixth.

Players will still win a prize when they match two or more main numbers in a single round.

There will still be two ways to become a millionaire, either by matching all six main numbers to win a jackpot prize of at least £1 million, or by matching five main numbers plus the bonus ball to secure a fixed £1 million prize.

The jackpot will be shared across both rounds, while all other prize tiers will continue to offer fixed cash prizes, paid per round.

In addition, the Lotto HotPicks add-on game will also move to the new two-round format and will continue to be priced at £1.

The first two-round draw will take place on Wednesday.

The updated game is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires – from around 140 a year to about 345, while the odds of winning a prize will improve from 1-in-9.3 to 1-in-4.9, operator Allwyn said.

Allwyn said a player in Great Yarmouth bought the first retail ticket at 5.01am on Sunday for next Saturday’s draw.

Meanwhile, the first online purchase was made by a player in Aylesbury, who selected an advanced play option which allows participants to buy multiple tickets for future draws in one transaction, giving them two chances to win across the next four draws.

Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at Allwyn, said: “This is a huge moment for players as we enter a new era for the nation’s millionaire maker, Lotto.

“From now on, every ticket gives you two chances to win for the same £2 price. We’re talking more winners, more excitement and hundreds more millionaires made every year. It really could be you – not once, but twice.”

Chris and Geraldine Bradley, from Carmarthenshire, Wales, won £3.5 million in 2006 and feature in the National Lottery’s It Could Be You ad.

They said: “We know first-hand just how life-changing a Lotto win can be. That’s why this new format is so exciting – giving players two chances to win from a single ticket means more opportunities for that same incredible moment. It’s fantastic to see even more people getting the chance to become millionaires.

“We won with our family syndicate, and there is nothing like the feeling of becoming a big winner.”