Country hub

Lotteries in United Kingdom — ranked by the numbers

Every United Kingdom game on this site, ranked by top-prize odds, with the tax rules and the regulator. All odds derived from the published rules.

Games, best jackpot odds first

GameTop-prize oddsAny-prize oddsTicketCost per unit of jackpot chance
Lotto HotPicks1 in 834,3981 in 834,398£1.00834,398 GBP
Thunderball1 in 8,060,5981 in 12.38£1.008,060,598 GBP
49s Lunchtime1 in 13,983,8161 in 13,983,816
49s Teatime1 in 13,983,8161 in 13,983,816
Set For Life (UK)1 in 15,339,3901 in 12.41£1.5023,009,085 GBP
Lotto (UK)1 in 45,057,4741 in 9.23£2.0090,114,948 GBP

Shorter odds are not automatically better value — shorter-odds games pay smaller top prizes. Cost per unit of chance (price × odds) is the cleanest single comparison.

Tax on winnings in United Kingdom

Lottery and gambling winnings are entirely tax-free at receipt in the UK — HMRC does not treat betting or lottery wins as taxable income. Later income from investing the prize is taxable, and large gifts from winnings can fall within inheritance tax rules if the winner dies within seven years.

Anonymity

National Lottery winners can choose to remain anonymous; publicity is optional.

Claim window

180 days from the draw date for National Lottery prizes.

Regulator

Gambling Commissionofficial site

Sources

Last verified: 2026-08-29