If you play the lottery in the UK, two games dominate the conversation: the UK Lotto and EuroMillions. Both are run by the National Lottery, both are drawn on the same weekly rhythm in different combinations, and both can make you a millionaire — but they are built very differently. Lotto is a domestic game with friendlier odds and smaller jackpots; EuroMillions is a multi-country game with far longer odds and jackpots that can run into hundreds of millions of euros.
This comparison puts the two games side by side — format, price, draws, odds, prizes, rollovers, and tax — so you can decide which one fits your budget and your appetite for a long shot. All figures here reflect the published game formats; lottery operators do occasionally change prices and formats, so always confirm the current rules on the official National Lottery website before you play.
At a Glance: Lotto vs EuroMillions
| Feature | UK Lotto | EuroMillions |
|---|---|---|
| Operator in the UK | The National Lottery | The National Lottery (multi-country game) |
| Numbers to pick | 6 numbers from 1 to 59, plus a Bonus Ball drawn separately | 5 numbers from 1 to 50, plus 2 Lucky Stars from 1 to 12 |
| Ticket price (UK) | £2 per line | £2.50 per line |
| Draw days | Wednesday and Saturday | Tuesday and Friday |
| Jackpot odds (one line) | 1 in 45,057,474 | 1 in 139,838,160 |
| Any-prize odds (one line) | Published per game; prizes start at matching 3 numbers | About 1 in 13 |
| Typical starting jackpot | Around £2 million (Wednesday) and £3.8 million (Saturday) | Around €17 million, sometimes exceeding €200 million |
| Jackpot sharing | Shared among all jackpot winners in the draw | Shared among all jackpot winners across participating countries |
How Each Game Works
UK Lotto: six numbers and a Bonus Ball
For each Lotto line, you choose six numbers from 1 to 59 (or use a Lucky Dip for a random selection). In the draw, six main numbers are drawn plus a Bonus Ball. The Bonus Ball matters only for one tier: matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball wins a larger prize than matching five main numbers alone. The jackpot requires all six main numbers.
Lotto prizes start at matching three main numbers, so a line does not need to come close to the jackpot to return something. Draws are held twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, which gives regular players two chances a week at a game whose jackpot odds are roughly three times shorter than EuroMillions.
EuroMillions: five numbers and two Lucky Stars
EuroMillions asks you to pick five main numbers from 1 to 50 and two Lucky Stars from 1 to 12. The draw produces five main numbers and two Lucky Stars, and the jackpot requires all seven to match. That extra layer — two bonus numbers instead of one — is the main reason EuroMillions jackpot odds are so much longer: there are 139,838,160 possible combinations, compared with 45,057,474 for Lotto.
The trade-off is scale. EuroMillions pools players from several European countries, so its prize fund is far larger. Its jackpots start at around €17 million and, after a run of rollovers, can climb past €200 million. Draws are held on Tuesday and Friday evenings. Because the game spans multiple countries, a UK EuroMillions ticket also enters the UK Millionaire Maker draw, which guarantees at least one UK millionaire per draw — a separate raffle-style prize that does not depend on matching numbers.
Odds Compared: What the Numbers Really Mean
The headline odds tell a clear story. A single Lotto line has jackpot odds of about 1 in 45 million; a single EuroMillions line has jackpot odds of about 1 in 140 million. In other words, hitting the EuroMillions jackpot is roughly three times harder than hitting the Lotto jackpot.
But jackpot odds are only part of the picture. EuroMillions has 13 prize tiers, and the overall chance of winning any prize is about 1 in 13 — better than most players expect, because the lowest tiers (such as matching two main numbers) are relatively reachable. Lotto’s lower tiers are also designed to pay out regularly: matching three numbers wins a fixed prize, and higher matches pay progressively more, with the Bonus Ball tier sitting just below the jackpot.
Neither game’s odds change depending on how many tickets are sold or which numbers you pick. Buying a ticket on a rollover week, choosing “lucky” numbers, or playing the same numbers every week does not alter the probability of any single line. What does change with ticket sales is the chance of sharing: the more tickets sold for a draw, the more likely it is that someone else holds the same winning combination, and the jackpot — and some lower tiers in parimutuel-style games — may be split.
Price and Value: £2 vs £2.50
A Lotto line costs £2; a EuroMillions line costs £2.50 in the UK. That 50p difference matters if you play regularly: ten lines a week costs £20 on Lotto and £25 on EuroMillions, a gap of £260 over a year. For that extra money, EuroMillions buys you access to a much larger jackpot pool — but with longer odds and, on a per-pound basis, a worse chance at the top prize.
Value in lottery terms is a slippery concept, because the mathematical expected return on any ticket is negative: lotteries return only a portion of ticket sales as prizes, with the rest funding good causes, retailer commission, and operating costs. The honest way to think about price is as entertainment cost. If your weekly lottery budget is fixed, Lotto gives you more lines — and therefore more combinations — for the same money, while EuroMillions gives you fewer lines but a shot at a far bigger headline prize.
Jackpots and Rollovers: How Big Can They Get?
Both games roll over when nobody wins the jackpot: the prize money carries to the next draw and the jackpot grows. Lotto jackpots typically start around £2 million on Wednesdays and £3.8 million on Saturdays, and they can roll several times to reach tens of millions of pounds. There are also special Lotto events and “must be won” draws, in which a jackpot that has rolled a set number of times is guaranteed to be distributed among lower tiers if nobody matches all six numbers.
EuroMillions jackpots start higher and climb faster because of the multi-country player base. When a EuroMillions jackpot rolls repeatedly, it can pass €100 million and, on rare runs, exceed €200 million. EuroMillions also has a jackpot cap mechanism: once the jackpot reaches its cap, it stays there for a set number of draws and then must be won, with the money shared down to lower tiers if nobody matches all seven numbers. These cap rules have changed over the years, so check the current published rules for the exact cap and “must be won” draw count.
Prizes and Payouts: Fixed vs Shared
Lotto’s lower prizes include fixed amounts for the smallest tiers, while the jackpot and higher tiers are shared among winners at each tier — a parimutuel-style arrangement where the prize pool for a tier is divided equally. EuroMillions works similarly across its 13 tiers: each tier receives a percentage of the prize fund, and winners in a tier share that tier’s pool.
Sharing has a practical consequence that surprises new players: a jackpot headline is the total amount, not a guaranteed per-winner amount. If two tickets match all the numbers, each winner receives half. This is also why popular number combinations (birthdays, sequences, patterns on the play slip) are worth avoiding if you care about the size of a potential win: they do not change your odds, but they increase the chance that someone else picked the same line.
One major difference for UK players is tax. Lottery winnings in the UK are not taxed as income — a UK Lotto or EuroMillions prize is paid in full, with no tax deducted by the operator. This contrasts sharply with the United States, where lottery prizes are subject to federal (and often state) tax withholding. If you ever compare UK games with US games like Powerball or Mega Millions, remember that the headline figures are not directly comparable after tax.
Which Game Should You Play?
There is no mathematically “correct” answer, because both games have a negative expected return and both jackpots are extremely unlikely. The choice comes down to what you enjoy:
- Choose Lotto if you prefer better jackpot odds, a lower ticket price, more lines for the same budget, and a domestic game where jackpots are meaningful but not astronomical. It is the steadier, more frequent game.
- Choose EuroMillions if you are drawn to the biggest possible jackpots, do not mind longer odds, and enjoy the multi-country spectacle of a €100 million-plus rollover. It is the dream-big game.
- Play both if you enjoy following two draws a week each — Lotto on Wednesday and Saturday, EuroMillions on Tuesday and Friday — and you keep the total spend within a fixed entertainment budget.
Syndicates are worth a mention here too: pooling money with friends or colleagues buys more lines and therefore more combinations, without changing the odds of any single line. Just agree the rules in writing before you play — who holds the tickets, how prizes are split, and what happens if someone misses a payment — because syndicate disputes are one of the most common sources of lottery arguments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EuroMillions harder to win than Lotto?
Yes, at the jackpot level. EuroMillions jackpot odds are about 1 in 139,838,160, compared with about 1 in 45,057,474 for Lotto. However, EuroMillions pays smaller prizes more often overall, with any-prize odds of about 1 in 13.
How much does each game cost in the UK?
A Lotto line costs £2 and a EuroMillions line costs £2.50. Prices are set by the operator and can change, so check the official National Lottery website for current pricing.
When are the draws?
Lotto draws are held on Wednesday and Saturday; EuroMillions draws are held on Tuesday and Friday.
Are UK lottery winnings taxed?
No. Lottery prizes won in the UK are not subject to income tax, and the operator pays prizes in full. This applies to both Lotto and EuroMillions prizes claimed in the UK.
Can I play EuroMillions from outside the participating countries?
EuroMillions tickets are sold only in participating countries, through authorized retailers and official online platforms. Third-party courier or betting services that claim to offer EuroMillions operate under different rules and may not be the same as holding an official ticket — read their terms carefully.
What is the UK Millionaire Maker?
Every UK EuroMillions line includes entry into the UK Millionaire Maker draw, a separate raffle that guarantees at least one UK millionaire per EuroMillions draw, regardless of the main draw numbers.
Conclusion
Lotto and EuroMillions are two versions of the same dream at different scales. Lotto offers a £2 line, six numbers from 59, and jackpot odds of about 1 in 45 million, with draws on Wednesday and Saturday. EuroMillions offers a £2.50 line, five numbers plus two Lucky Stars, and jackpot odds of about 1 in 140 million — but with jackpots that can dwarf anything Lotto produces, and draws on Tuesday and Friday. Neither game will make you rich on expectation, and both should be played only with money you can afford to lose. Pick the game whose rhythm and prize scale you enjoy, set a weekly budget, and treat the ticket as entertainment — with the small, pleasant possibility of a very good day.
18+ only. Play responsibly. Lottery games are games of chance — never spend more than you can afford to lose, and seek help if gambling stops being fun. This guide is for information only and is not financial or legal advice.