FantasticMrFuchs Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/16/national-lottery-autumn-doubles-fee National lottery revamp in autumn doubles fee but raises jackpot to £5m First change in charges since 1994 launch 'ensures more winners' but cuts five-number and bonus win by half to £50,000 The cost of playing the national lottery is set to double, but more winners will be able to share in the prize pot, the operator, Camelot, announced. The price of a lotto line will increase from £1 to £2 in the autumn, but the prize for matching three numbers will rise from £10 to £25. However, the prize pot for matching five numbers will drop by £500 to £1,000, while the reward for matching five numbers and the bonus number will halve to £50,000. The prize for matching four numbers will increase from £60 to £100. The price rise is the first since lotto launched in 1994 and follows research which found that consumers "want more ways to win more money" from the game. On average 800,000 players win prizes for matching three or four numbers each week, while about 800 players match five numbers or five plus the bonus. The average Saturday jackpot will increase from about £4.1m to £5m and the Wednesday jackpot will increase from an estimated £2.2m to about £2.5m, while a new lotto raffle will guarantee at least 50 winners £20,000 in each draw, Camelot said. Andy Duncan, Camelot UK's managing director, said: "Our players still love lotto but after 18 years they say they want more from it. We've spoken extensively with them to develop a re-energised game, and the changes we'll be introducing in the autumn to rejuvenate Lotto will give them what they have asked for: £25 for matching three numbers, bigger jackpots and a brand new way to play and win one of 50 prizes of a guaranteed £20,000 on each and every draw." Lotto rollover draws will also change, with the number of raffle prizes on offer increasing significantly with each rollover of the jackpot. National lottery sales, as a whole, have increased by 35% since 2002, the number of players growing by more than 12% in the past five years. Players have helped raise more than £29bn for good causes.
Danizen Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 £50k for matching 5 numbers plus the bonus ball? Scandalous!
Vacamion Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 I'll still play. I consider it to be my 'make a wish' tax.
Webbo Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 I don't mind spending £4 a week but I'm not paying £8. No need for this at all, the greedy bastards.
whoareyaaa Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 Just another scam they must rake in millions from it. and like someone else said the payouts are outrageous.
FantasticMrFuchs Posted 16 January 2013 Author Posted 16 January 2013 Just another scam they must rake in millions from it. Add the amount of money they make on scratch cards. I'll still play it every now and then.
pSinatra Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 They've doubled the stake but have only increased the total payout by a small percentage. Sounds like profiteering. I've always considered it just another tax. I've never played & I'm even less likely to now. I'd be interested to know where the £29bn for good causes has gone?
Alexikokopops Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 I don't mind spending £4 a week but I'm not paying £8. No need for this at all, the greedy bastards. I thought I'd see whether this was the case or not. Looking at the Saturday draw only (because I'm lazy) the expected gain (using the average values given in the article) from a £1 go (in the old system) is 59.8p. The expected gain from a £2 go (in the new system) is 93.5p. So, the expected gain increases by a factor of 1.56 while the price increases by a factor of 2. The price is increasing by more than the expected returns, despite the increase in the jackpot and the 3 and 4 ball prizes. So, in other words, you are correct - they are greedy bastards.
Guest MattP Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 Outrageous to be honest, better off sticking a few quid on the football millionare coupon, much more fun. The pay out percentage of the lottery is about 28% less than a pub fruit machine. Think about that next time you buy a ticket.
Charl91 Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 Never bought a ticket in my life. Never intend to.
stripeyfox Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 Had my first win in ages on Saturday, got 4 numbers which I was a little bit annoyed to learn netted me £14!
Jimothy Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 Strangely was talking about how the lottery could improve at work this afternoon. Someone came up with an idea much better than this of capping the jackpot at say £15m - £20m and if that doesn't get won filter the extra money down to the lower prizes. £20m is more than enough and it's keeps interest in the lower prizes. The lottery ****ed up years ago though. Bigger prizes mean bigger interest. The more people playing on one draw means a bigger jackpot and bigger prizes below that. So creating a second draw spreads the money around and means jackpots are smaller. Add to that Thunderball and the daily one and it's spreads it even more. One big draw on a Saturday promises bigger winnings to the punter, so means more people play because the carrot is more tempting. They need to go back to one draw and do away with all the extra crap. Only play every so often now it's £1, probably won't play much at all when it's £2.
Filbert_Ross Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 I play the same 3 lines twice a week and pay by direct debit, its gonna go up to about £58 a month now, a bit to much just to play the lottery.
DorsetFox9 Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 all about the euromillions anyway haha exactly, not interested in anything other than £20m+ on a lottery
ADK Posted 16 January 2013 Posted 16 January 2013 Don't really get why people waste money on the lottery anyway.
Fox92 Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 Don't really get why people waste money on the lottery anyway. The prize. People, inluding me, dream of winning that much. It's just a form of gambling. When I first turned 16, I played the lottery. Only ever won a £10. Gave up, haven't played it for about two or three years now.
ithuriel Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 I play the Euros only now, won more playing that than the national lottery.
Rincewind Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 What are the odds of winning? 15 million to one? More chance of being hit by a metoriteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Alexikokopops Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 What are the odds of winning? 15 million to one? More chance of being hit by a metoriteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Actually the chances of being hit by a meteorite are the same as winning the lottery twice in a row. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/13/meteorite-space-earth
Rincewind Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 First thing I thought of but my point was the chances of winning are huge. I used to do it when it first started. Then I went halves with a mate doing the mid week draw as well. Got to the stage where I was spending over a fiver a week and it was me checking the numbers. We were gradually increasing the goes. In the end I said we are spending too much on this I want to pack it in. Hardly had a go since.
Fox92 Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 Apparently you've got more chance of dying on the way to get the ticket, than actually winning.
Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 Part of a syndicate at work, so my standing order will be going up from £8 per month to £16, suddenly sounds a bit much considering we play several lines a week and have won about £100 total over the last 7 years. Any winnings we get just go on lines for the Euromillions and the prize for 3 balls on that is usually £3. I'd leave the syndicate but they'd definitely win a substantial amount the following week and I'd be left a harder job because everyone else in my department would piss off in a Lamborghini
Guest Bilo Posted 17 January 2013 Posted 17 January 2013 It's all about the Euromillions and the Irish Lottery so far as I'm concerned. Which reminds me, I have an Irish ticket to check.
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