Before you can stand a chance of winning a UK National Lottery game prize, you have to first get yourself a ticket. Follow this handy step-by-step guide to playing the National Lottery and then keep those fingers crossed!

Step 1 – Pick Your Numbers

The Lotto game requires players to pick any 6 from 49 numbers. On a National Lottery play slip you will see that there are several boards containing the numbers 1 to 49. To select your six numbers, simply draw a horizontal line underneath each number that you want to play. Each line of 6 numbers costs £1, and if you want to play several lines you can do so by selecting 6 numbers on several boards.

If you would rather have your numbers selected at random, you can mark the Lucky Dip option next to the numbers board. The lottery terminal will then use a special computer programme to automatically pick 6 numbers at random. Since the numbers that are selected in each lottery drawn are selected at random, a Lucky Dip line has just as much chance of winning as a line of numbers that you choose yourself.

Step 2 – Pick Your Draw

National Lottery draws take place twice a week – every Wednesday and Saturday. You need to state which draw you want your numbers to be entered for by marking a horizontal line underneath the Wed, Sat or Both options on the lottery play slip. The “Both” option obviously enters your chosen numbers for both draws, and will therefore cost twice as much as entering them for a single draw.

Step 3 – Pick Your Weeks

The National Lottery play slip allows you to enter numbers for up to eight consecutive draws. You can take advantage of this feature by marking the relevant “No. of Weeks” option on the ticket. Note that if you have entered any Lucky Dip lines then the numbers that are selected for you at random will be entered into ALL of the draws that you choose to play.

Step 5 – Pay and Check

When you have completed your play slip, take it to the lottery retailer for processing and pay the required amount. You will then be issued with your lottery ticket and your lottery play slip will also be returned to you. This allows you to check that the ticket is accurate and that the “Void” box has not been marked accidentally. If you discover an error then you can normally get this corrected if you bring it to the attention of the retailer immediately, but certainly not after two hours have passed or after the lottery terminal has closed if this happens earlier.

Step 6 – Keep It Safe

It is recommended that you write your name and address on the back of your lottery ticket(s), but absolutely essential that you keep it safe. When the draw has taken place, check your numbers to see if you have won and if you have then you can claim your prize according to the instructions on the ticket itself. Modest prizes can normally be claimed from any lottery retailer, but for more sizeable sums you may need to contact the lottery claims line as instructed on the back of the ticket.

Other Things You Should Know

• There are five tiers of prize in the UK Lotto game, and these are as follows:

• If no ticket matches all six main numbers, the jackpot prize is “rolled over” to the next draw. The jackpot can only be rolled over four times in succession, and if it is not won in the fifth draw then the jackpot fund is shared between those tickets that have matched five main numbers and the bonus ball.
  
  
• All winning players must claim their prize within 180 days of the draw taking place. Failure to claim within this time will result in your prize being added to the Good Causes fund, and you will lose all rights to any money that would have been due to you.