Lotto Plus 5 to be Scrapped

As part of the changes announced by lottery operator Camelot earlier this year, not only will UK National Lottery ticket prices be doubling and the prize structure revamped but, the side game Lotto Plus 5 is to be scrapped as well. Thus, Lotto Plus 5, which offers players another chance of winning, will be replaced by the new Lotto Raffle supposedly guaranteeing more prize winners per draw.

Lotto Plus 5

Lotto Plus 5 comprises a side game to the Lotto which offers players a further chance of winning. Whilst it features 5 tiers like the Lotto, the Lotto Plus 5 draws are held 5 times throughout the week (everyday excluding Saturday and Wednesday) thus, the cash prizes correspond to a smaller amount. It costs an extra £1 per play however, lottery hopefuls are automatically entered into five separate lotto Plus 5 Draws. To take part, players need to play Lotto. When they complete the Lotto slip they simply select the “Plus 5” checkbox next to the Lotto line of their choice. As is the case with the Lotto, 3 or more numbers need to be matched to claim a prize which ranges from £2.50 to the top prize of £25,000. Lotto Plus 5 Rollovers are a frequent occurrence, with no first prize winner for (sometimes) weeks, as lottery hopefuls still have to match 6 out of a possible 49 lottery numbers.

New Lotto Raffle

All this is soon to change after the UK National Lottery announced the discontinuation of the Lotto Plus 5, which will be replaced by a new Lotto Raffle. The 3 major differences between Lotto 5 Plus and the new Lotto Raffle are as follows:

1. Similarly to the Euromillions UK Millionaire Raffle, the new Lotto Raffle will be obligatory. You can not opt out of playing.

2. Players will receive one raffle number for every line of Lotto that they purchase. Their raffle entry will automatically be selected from a pool of numbers and printed on their Lotto ticket.

How to Play Lotto Plus 5 3. Finally, the received raffle number(s) will remain the same for all draws that players enter in a single transaction. For example, if a lottery hopeful plays two lines for two weeks on both Wednesday and Saturday in a single transaction then their two raffle entries will remain the same for each of the four draws. Similarly, if four Lotto lines are purchased separately then the player will receive four different Lotto Raffle numbers, one on each Lotto ticket, corresponding to four entries per Lotto Raffle draw.

According to the UK National Lottery, the new side game will guarantee that at least 50 players scoop a £20,000 prize per draw, whilst many more winners in the rollovers will be produced. In the meantime, Lotto Plus 5 will still be available to players up until Autumn, when the various changes announced by the UK National Lottery finally come into effect.