OUTTA LUCK
EuroMillions winner loses out on whopping £1million lottery jackpot after making HUGE blunder
Plus other lottery mistakes you can make
LOTTO bosses have revealed that a EuroMillions winner lost out on a whopping £1million jackpot after they made a huge blunder.
Allwyn, the operator of The National Lottery, confirmed that the £1,000,000 prize from the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker draw on April 16, 2024, has gone unclaimed for over 180 days since the draw.
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The ticket holder bought their EuroMillions ticket in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
However, they missed the deadline to claim the prize, which was at midnight on October 13.
Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery, said: "Unfortunately, I can confirm that the ticket-holder did not come forward within the deadline to claim their prize and has now sadly missed out on this substantial amount of money.
"However, the money will now add to the £30M raised each week for National Lottery-funded projects."
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Experts had previously warned lottery fans not to make a stupid mistake to risk losing out on mega jackpots.
Earlier this year, a lucky Brit hit bagged an eye-watering £12.6million.
Yet the winner still hasn't claimed their huge cash prize.
At the time, Andy said: "Imagine being a millionaire and not even knowing it.
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"And then imagine being a Lotto jackpot-winning multi-millionaire and being unaware!"
Lotto expert reveals UK's 'most overdue' numbers
It comes after a lottery expert revealed the biggest mistakes players make.
Laura Pearson, vice president of global corporate affairs at Lottoland, shared tips on what to avoid and how to improve your chances of winning a jackpot prize.
Aiming too high
According to Ms Pearson, one of the biggest errors lottery players make is only gambling on the biggest jackpots.
As the size of the jackpot increases, the odds go down and the number of players tends to increase, making winning less likely.
"People should understand, first of all, that the bigger the jackpot, the bigger the odds are against them winning it," she explained.
"This is because the higher the jackpot amount is, the greater the hype, so more people buy tickets."
Instead, she suggests players consider opting for a lower cash prize that's generating less attention.
And if you're trying to beat the odds, don't just focus on the jackpot odds, which tend to be what you'll see first.
Instead, look in more detail at the various prize tiers each game offers and the odds of winning each of those.
“Learning the odds of different lottery games can make all the difference and might make you reconsider your favourite lottery,” Ms Pearson added.
Trying to pick 'lucky numbers' or 'patterns'
Many of the largest lottery wins end up being shared out between a number of people, and there's one big reason for this.
We all have a subconscious tendency to pick the same numbers, even if we're trying hard to be different.
By thinking you're picking "lucky" or "special" numbers, you're increasing your chances of ending up with the same numbers as your peers.
This means you could miss out on taking home the jackpot all to yourself if your numbers do win.
"We see a lot of people who pick the number 7, and we also see a lot of people who try the reverse psychology approach and pick 13," Ms Pearson said.
"Most common of all, though, are all the people picking numbers based on dates between 1 and 31 - a large proportion of whom all end up with the numbers 19 and 20."
To set yourself apart and increase your chance of taking home the jackpot in full, pick the numbers at total random and don't let anything else influence your choices.
Ms Pearson recommended using a "quick pick" to generate random numbers, as this doesn't give you the opportunity to overthink.
Lottoland found many users also try to base their numbers on patterns, such as by drawing shapes on their tickets.
"There is no scientific basis whatsoever for using patterns to determine which numbers to choose, but using this type of system limits the amount of numbers you pick," Ms Pearson said.
Picking based on previous wins
Another major mistake people make when picking their numbers is looking at previous jackpot wins, according to Lottoland.
You may be tempted to see what numbers have won before, but each lottery draw is entirely unique and past wins are no indicator of which numbers could come up in future.
In fact, it's even less likely that the same set of numbers will reappear again in a short space of time.
"Any correlation between one draw and the next is purely coincidental, so you should be very wary, and indeed highly sceptical, of any of the so-called 'lottery systems' out there," Ms Pearson warned.
She also advised to be wary of so-called lottery "gurus" or psychics who claim they can help predict the next numbers.
"After all, if you knew the results of a lottery jackpot in advance, would you tell anyone?" she pointed out.
How else can I improve my chances of winning?
No one can predict the next lottery numbers - if they could, they would already be very rich.
But there are some ways you can help increase your chances of winning if you're prepared to put in a bit of extra work.
For example, you can join a lottery syndicate where you pool your numbers with other players to increase your overall chances of winning.
You may not take home as much of the big jackpot, but you're more likely to get a cash prize at some point.
Most lottery games also have extra bonus games, such as the Irish Lotto's Plus 1 and 2 games.
These don't tend to cost as much as playing a whole new game, so you can boost your chances of winning for less.
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Studying the odds is also a good idea for committed players.
You might figure out that you're unlikely to win certain games, while others with lower cash prizes have a higher chance per game.
What are my chances of winning the lottery?
EVERYONE wants to know how to beat the odds and win the lottery.
But unfortunately, the lottery is a game of luck and there are no tips or tricks that can guarantee you'll take home a top prize.
The odds show how likely you are to win any particular prize - the lower the number, the better the odds.
For example, odds of 1 in 10 are better than odds of 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000.
There are several major lottery games in the UK including Lotto by the National Lottery, Camelot's EuroMillions and Thunderball.
Chances of winning the Lotto
Lotto by the National Lottery is a game where you pick six numbers from 1 to 59. You can play up to seven lines of numbers on each slip.
The game costs £2 to play per slip.
The odds of winning any prize on the Lotto are 1 in 9.3.
But to win the jackpot on the Lotto, the odds are considerably slimmer.
To bag the top prize, you need to have six matching balls. The odds of doing this and scooping the jackpot are currently 1 in 45,057,474.
The next highest prize of £1,000,000 is for getting five main matching balls plus the bonus ball.
The odds of taking home the million-pound prize are 1 in 7,509,579 - far higher than the jackpot, but still unlikely.
The odds of taking home £1,750 for getting five main numbers without the bonus ball are 1 in 2,180, while you have a 1 in 97 chance of bagging £140 for getting four main numbers.
Your chances of taking home £30 for getting 3 main numbers are much better at 1 in 97.
And you have a roughly 1 in 10 chance of getting a free lucky dip for 2 matching numbers.
Chances of winning the EuroMillions
The EuroMillions costs £2.50 to play and is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To play, you must pick five numbers from 1-50 and two "Lucky Stars" from 1-12. Players with the most matching numbers win the top prizes.
Your chance of bagging the EuroMillions jackpot is even slimmer than winning the top Lotto prize.
This is because it generally has higher jackpots on offer, meaning it attracts more attention.
Currently, the odds of matching five numbers and two lucky stars - the top win - stand at 1 in 139,838,160.
The average jackpot prize is £57,923,499, according to EuroMillions.
The odds of winning the second top prize for matching 5 balls and a lucky star, which is typically around £262,346, are 1 in 6,991,908.
The chances of taking home the third prize for five matching balls, with an average payout of £26,277, are 1 in 3,107,515.
For four matching balls with two lucky stars, it's 1 in 621,503, and for four balls with one lucky star, it's 1 in 31,076. These come with an average price of £1,489 and £95, respectively.
Chances of winning the Thunderball
Thunderball is another game run by the National Lottery where you pick five numbers and one "Thunderball". It costs just £1 to play and you can enter up to four times a week.
The jackpot of £500,000 for matching five balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 8,060,598.
Your odds of bagging the next highest prize of £5,000 for matching five balls is currently 1 in 620,046, while the chances of winning £250 for four balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 47,416.
You have the best chance of winning £3 for matching the Thunderball, with odds of 1 in 29.
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