How to Play Set For Life
Find out how to play Set For Life and how to win a top prize that pays out £10,000 a month for 30 years. This Set For Life guide will walk you step-by-step through the process of choosing your numbers and deciding which draws to enter.
Pick five numbers and a Life Ball
The first step is to pick five numbers between 1 and 47 and one Life Ball between 1 and 10. You can pick the same number twice: once as a main number and once as the Life Ball.
Either mark your selected numbers on the playslip or select the Lucky Dip option to receive a random selection of numbers. You can pick up to seven sets of numbers on each playslip.
Choose which days to play on
Set For Life is played every Monday and Thursday at 8.00pm. You can enter draws on either of those days or on both; just select the relevant option on your playslip.
You must purchase your entries by 7.30pm on draw days; sales will reopen for the following draw shortly after the winning numbers have been confirmed. You can enter at any time on other days of the week.
Enter a single draw or play in advance
You can enter one draw at a time or you can play for up to four weeks – eight draws – in advance. Confirm how many weeks you want to play for by marking the relevant option on the playslip.
You can also set up a Direct Debit to play Set For Life continuously. The numbers you select will be entered into every draw on your chosen days for the duration of the subscription. You can update your numbers and draw days at any time while the Direct Debit is active.
Pay for your tickets
The last thing you need to do is pay for your tickets – each line costs £1.50. If you play in-store just pay the cashier for your entry, and if you play online you'll need to deposit funds or confirm your Direct Debit to complete the transaction.
Once you’ve got your tickets just keep them safe until the night of the draw. You won’t have to worry about that if you play online, as your numbers will be stored in your player account.
How Do Annuity Lotteries Work?
The thing that sets annuity lotteries apart from other games is the way the top prizes are paid out. When you win a traditional lottery like Lotto or EuroMillions, you get paid the entire jackpot amount in one lump sum. When you win the top prize in an annuity lottery, such as Set For Life, that’s not the case; instead you get paid in regular instalments over a number of years, hence the term 'annuity lottery'.
There are two annuity prizes in Set For Life. The top prize pays out £10,000 a month for 30 years and the second prize pays £10,000 a month for one year. Those prize totals equal £3.6 million and £120,000 respectively, but there are only very limited circumstances in which you can take them as lump sum payouts – see the Set For Life Prizes page for more information.
The game is otherwise played in a similar way to the National Lottery’s other games. You pick some numbers and must try and match them with the winning numbers in the draw you enter. Match them all and you will win that top prize and receive £10,000 every month for 30 years.
