UK lottery tickets double in price

Brit punters taking a flutter on the National Lottery – the biggest single source of online betting for years – will be paying double the price for a chance to win fame and fortune from today (Thursday).

Lotto tickets have doubled in price to GBP 2 – the first increase in the price of a ticket since the National Lottery was introduced in 1994.

Operator Camelot says a new system will deliver bigger prizes, with the payout for the average Saturday jackpot increasing from about GBP 4.1 million to GBP 5 million.

Those matching three numbers will now get a GBP 25 pay-out, instead of GBP 10, and the amount paid for four numbers rises from GBP 60 to GBP 100.

Some prize pay-outs are being reduced however, with the reward for matching five numbers dropping by GBP 500 to GBP 1,000, and that for five numbers and the bonus ball halving to GBP 50,000.

Camelot is holding two GBP 10 million jackpot draws to mark the launch of the new game.

The special draws, to be held on October 5 and 12, will also see 1,000 raffle ticket holders winning GBP 20,000 on each occasion.

Camelot UK managing director Andy Duncan said the new Lotto will “give players more ways to win more money”.