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National Lottery players slam sneaky change that ‘charges double’
We've explained how to avoid it
PLAYERS have slammed the National Lottery over a sneaky change to the way you buy tickets that makes it appear that you're charged double,
When playing via the app customers are now automatically entered for draws on two days, instead of one.
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The change affects customers purchasing lines on games including Lotto, EuroMillions, Set for Life, Hotpicks, and Thunderball.
For instance, a single £2.50 EuroMillions line will now automatically be added for both Tuesday and Friday draws, totalling £5, unless the player manually deselects one.
Angry players have complained of being charged double, unaware of the reason why which is hidden in small print on the lottery's website and app.
One person on X (formerly Twitter) said: "I've been trying to get my tickets today and the National Lottery app keeps trying to charge me double for each ticket. Is there a problem?"
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Another complained: "I’m trying to buy euro tickets on the app but it’s charging double euro tickets are £5 why is this?"
Others said that "charging double is scandalous" and urged the National Lottery to "sort your app out it’s still charging double".
Customers who purchase their lottery tickets in-store are not affected by the change.
The change to draw day options online, which appears to have been added for most users over the past week, is designed "to help players' experience".
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In a section about the shake up on the app and website's help section, it said: "Recent insights on player behaviour has told us that pre-selecting 'all draw days' and 'one week' of play could make it easier for players, and help to calculate the cost of play."
LOTTO WINNERS WHO LOST IT ALL
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While it is possible to deselect unwanted draws, the automatic opt-in has caused some players to raise concerns that it could lead to unintended extra spending.
Several have branded the move by the National Lottery, which is now run by Allwyn, as sneaky.
One called it a "very sneaky move" and"; adding that "people unaware are going to go without because of your greed".
Another said: "Bit sneaky on the latest update automatically adding both days to play lotto so we have to unclick to play one day! Why?!?"
A third said: "Really not liking the new automatic selected days for playing games…
"This should be switched off so WE can choose which days to play.
"Having both days highlighted isn't right. People will make mistakes and spend too much."
Another customer said: "Properly sketchy how The National Lottery app now automatically ticks both days of a draw as standard rather than none and make you select which one you want.
"That seems underhanded, do you guys really need those few extra 'accidental play' monies?"
The National Lottery is advising players on the help page to carefully review their "My Playslip" page before confirming their purchase to ensure they are only paying for the draws they intend to enter.
James Daley, managing director of Fairer Finance, said: "It's irresponsible for Allwyn to opt people into spending more on the lottery than they might want to.
"It's a privilege to run the National Lottery and Allwyn should be making it as easy as possible to choose what they want to bet - rather than trying to guide them.
"Hopefully they have seen the feedback from their customers and will change this immediately."
An Allwyn spokesperson said: "We're always looking at ways to improve the playing experience on The National Lottery website and app.
"We're sorry to hear these players don't like the change.
"Players can change their selections and we would encourage players to always be sure to check that this is all correct before clicking 'BUY NOW'."
Allwyn was also keen to point out that, since this change was introduced, there's been an in-app alert highlighting it to players prior to them starting their purchase.
What are my chances of winning the lottery?
By James Flanders, Chief Consumer Reporter
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, Allwyn'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 prize of £1,489 and £95, respectively.
Chances of winning the Thunderball
Thunderball is another game run by 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.
OTHER NATIONAL LOTTERY CHANGES
Since January, players can now have prizes ranging from £500 to £50,000 paid directly into their bank accounts, marking the first time this option has been available instead of receiving payment by cheque.
Payments are processed within 24 hours once winners have submitted their bank account details online.
This new payment method is exclusively available for tickets purchased in retail shops.
Jenny Blogg, Operations Director for Allwyn, the operator of the National Lottery, said last month: "We're thrilled to introduce this completely new payment solution, which, for the first time, allows people who play The National Lottery in shops to have their prizes paid directly into their bank accounts.
"Not only will this enable faster payments than ever before, but it also significantly reduces administration and postage costs.";
The announcement follows the Post Office's decision to cease paying National Lottery retail prizes between £500 and £50,000, commonly referred to as "mid-tier" prizes.
Allwyn stated that the new payment system will allow more funds to be allocated to National Lottery-funded Good Causes due to reduced administrative and postage expenses.
To use the new system, winners need to visit claims.national-lottery.co.uk, enter their email address, and complete a claim form.
Players are required to provide their personal information and upload an image of their winning ticket.
After this step, the player will receive an email containing a unique, secure link to submit their bank account number and sort code.
The system then verifies that the name on the bank account matches the details on the claim form. If the information aligns, the payment will be issued within 24 hours.
Alternatively, winners still have the option to receive their prize by cheque.
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It’s worth noting that claims made on weekends may experience a delay, with payments taking two to three days to clear.
The National Lottery, which launched in 1994, has awarded a total of £95 billion in prizes to date.
TOP 5 BIGGEST LOTTERY WINS ACROSS THE WORLD
- £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
- £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
- £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
- £625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
- £575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
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