Twice a week, every month, and every year, the lottery offers its players the chance to win prizes that can reach into the millions of pounds.
But how does the lottery work exactly? Do lottery numbers have to be in order to win? And how many numbers do you need to win something? Continue reading this Wizard Slots blog post to find out.
Do Lottery Numbers Have To Be In Order To Win The Jackpot?
No, the lottery numbers do not have to be in order to win the jackpot. The order of how you wrote the numbers down is not important. What is important is that the numbers that are drawn are the same as the ones in your lottery slip, regardless of the order you wrote them in or the order they are drawn.
The jackpot is the highest lottery prize a Lottery player can win and is awarded if you match all six numbers, including the bonus ball. If you play the Lotto, you must choose six numbers between 1 and 59. If you match all six numbers, you receive the highest prize, which is the jackpot.
Let's say, for example, the numbers you chose were 7, 15, 17, 8, 1 and 32 as the bonus ball. The draw comes around at 8:30 on Wednesday, and the machine picks these numbers in this order: 17, 1, 15, 8, 7, and the bonus ball is 32.
While they're not in the exact order you wrote them on your ticket, they are still all the numbers you have picked, so you would then be the jackpot winner. Moreover, the National Lottery is more likely to organise these numbers in numerical order, except for the bonus ball. Therefore, they would look like this on their website: 1, 7, 8, 15, 17, and 32.
As you can see, it does not matter what order your numbers appear in. You will still win the jackpot if they are the same as the numbers pulled during the lottery draw.
Do Lotto Numbers Have To Be On The Same Line?
No. Lotto numbers do not have to be on the same line. Because the ticket grid can have up to 59 numbers, you may not want to play numbers on the same line of the grid, so you have to choose from different lines that make up the 59 numbers.
If the numbers you have chosen match the numbers drawn, you will win a payout equivalent to the numbers matched, regardless of the lines you took them from. Matching the drawn numbers is the only determining factor of winning the lottery.
However, for the numbers to win, they must be from the same ticket and lottery draw. For example, if you played two different kinds of lottery draws, and the numbers you chose on each of these lottery draws make up the numbers for one of the lottery draws, that does not mean you can add the numbers together and be the winner. The winning numbers have to come from the same ticket.
How Many Lottery Numbers Do You Need To Win Something?
The answer to this question depends on the type of lottery you're playing. For example, if you're playing the National Lottery, you need to match at least two numbers to win something. But of course, the more numbers you match, the bigger the prize you stand to win.
For example, say you are playing a £1 million jackpot lottery game. If you match 5 numbers plus the bonus ball, you will win the £1 million jackpot. However, if you match 5 numbers but miss the bonus ball, you win less than the £1 million but still significantly more than people who matched fewer numbers. The total win scope may look like this:
- 5 Numbers + Bonus Ball = £1 million
- 5 Numbers = £1,750
- 4 Numbers = £140
- 3 Numbers = £30
- 2 Numbers = Free Lotto Lucky Dip entry
Please note that the above example is only hypothetical and based on previous prizes; it does not reflect the true potential prizes you could win when playing the National Lottery.
However, other lotto games, such as Lotto HotPicks, require you to match all the numbers to win. If you match less than five numbers, you do not win. Even matching four numbers will not result in a win of any kind.
Summary
In summary, the order of your lottery numbers or the line in which they are taken does not matter when playing the lottery. If the numbers you played match the numbers drawn, you win, regardless of the order.
To win something in the UK National Lottery, you need to match at least 2 numbers. The more numbers you match, the bigger the prize you win is likely to be. Matching 5 numbers plus the bonus ball wins you the jackpot.
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*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins, etc.) mentioned in relation to this game are subject to change at any time.
