Health Lottery Questions and Answers
The Health Lottery FAQs on this page pose the most common questions related to the game and give you the answers. You'll find information about how various elements of the Health Lottery work, from picking numbers to winning prizes.
What day is the Health Lottery played on?
Draws take place five days a week - on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This main draw is known as The Big Win.
At what time is the Health Lottery played?
Draws take place at approximately 8.00pm. The cut-off time for ticket sales is 7.45pm on draw days.
Can I enter multiple draws in advance?
Yes, you can enter draws up to five weeks in advance. If you are playing on all five draw days, you can therefore enter 25 consecutive draws. Another option is to play continuously by Direct Debit so that you never miss a draw.
How do I play?
To play the Health Lottery, you select five numbers from 1 to 50. You can take part online or by visiting an authorised retailer in Great Britain. See the How to Play page for a full guide.
What is the cost of entry?
The cost of playing the Health Lottery is £1 per line.
How do I win prizes?
You win prizes if the numbers you select are the same as the winning numbers. You only have to match two main numbers, or one and the Bonus Ball, to win a prize. Prizes increase in value as you match more numbers, up to the jackpot of £25,000 for matching all five main numbers.
What is the Bonus Ball?
The Bonus Ball is the sixth and final number in every draw. It is selected from the 45 balls that are left after the first five numbers have been drawn. The Bonus Ball serves to create more prize categories but you do not pick one when you play the game. Go to the Prizes and Odds page to see what you can win when you match the Bonus Ball.
What are the odds of winning?
The odds of winning the Health Lottery Big Win jackpot are 1 in 2,118,760. The overall chances of winning a prize are 1 in 9.7.
Does the jackpot roll over?
No. The jackpot is fixed at £25,000 in every draw. If there is more than one winner, the prize is shared between everyone who matches all five main numbers.
Do the other prize amounts change?
No. You will always receive the advertised prize unless the total prize fund for a draw exceeds £1 million, which is a very rare occurrence. In that case, the prize fund is capped at £1 million and payouts in all categories may be reduced.
How long do I have to claim prizes?
You have 180 days from the date of a winning draw to come forward and claim prizes.
How do I claim my prize?
If you buy your ticket in-store, you can claim prizes of up to £50 from any Health Lottery retailer. For prizes up to £250 you will need to visit a Post Office, and for larger prize amounts you need to contact the Health Lottery directly. If you play online, prizes up to £2,000 will be paid straight into your account, otherwise you need to call the Health Lottery.
How do the free tickets work?
You win a free ticket if you match two main numbers or one main number and the Bonus Ball. If you play in a store, you just need to take your winning ticket to a retailer to receive a free entry for the next available draw. If you play online, you get a free entry into the draw on the date of your choice, up to five weeks in advance.
How do you enter the free prize draws?
Extra prize draws take place on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. You just need to have a ticket for the main Health Lottery game on that day and your numbers will be entered automatically into the free prize draw. If you have several lines for the main draw, they will all be entered into the free prize draw.
What can you win in the free prize draw?
There is only one prize in the free draw. If you match all five numbers, you win £100,000 on a Wednesday or £475,000 if it is a Saturday Megadraw. This is shared if there are multiple winners. You do not win a prize for matching four or fewer numbers.
What are Health Lottery Playcards?
Playcards are special cards which you can pick up from Health Lottery retailers. You can store up to 10 lines of your favourite numbers on a blue Playcard, allowing you to enter quickly each time you play. The other type of Playcard is red and you just hand it to the retailer to get Health Lottery Quick Picks.
How does QuickWin work?
QuickWin is a Health Lottery game that is only available online. Draws take place every three minutes and, just like the main game, you have to pick five numbers from 1 to 50 to take part. You can win up to £25,000. Go to the QuickWin page to find out about how the game works and all the different ways to win.
Is the Health Lottery a National Lottery game?
No, the Health Lottery is separate from the National Lottery. It actually consists of 12 different society lotteries, each of which represents a different region of Great Britain.
How much money goes to good causes?
When you buy a Health Lottery ticket, 25.5 percent of the £1 you spend is donated to one of the 12 society lotteries. The beneficiaries are rotated, so a different region is supported each month. The money is used to help vulnerable communities and address health inequality in Great Britain. More than £114 million has been raised for good causes since the Health Lottery launched in 2011.
