The Lotto jackpot must be won this weekend after the cap of £22 million was passed in the previous draw on Wednesday. Rules dictate that, once this amount has been reached, the top prize has to be given away in the following draw.
If nobody matches all six main numbers on Saturday, therefore, the full jackpot amount will be split between ticket holders in the next tier where there are winners. The last time the Lotto jackpot had to be won, in early September, three players picked up £8.1 million each after matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball, as nobody matched all six main numbers.
As well as the huge estimated jackpot of £25.4 million, there will be 100 extra Lotto Raffle codes worth £20,000 in Saturday’s draw. All the usual Lotto Millionaire Raffle prizes will be up for grabs, so in total there will be one guaranteed millionaire and 120 winners of £20,000.
Saturday’s draw promises to provide a fitting end to a wonderful year for Lotto players. Statistics revealed earlier this week showed that there have been 347 winners of £1 million or more across all UK National Lottery games in 2016, compared to 341 in 2015. The luckiest profession for National Lottery players this year has been drivers, with cabbies and lorry drivers overtaking those in the building trade to take first place.
The final tally for 2016 will be even higher, and tickets for Saturday’s draw can be bought online or from authorised retailers in the UK. Good luck!