Description
The Health Lottery Main Draw is a Great Britain-wide affair made up of 12 regional society lotteries, rotated each month to give each region a fair share of the pot. Proceeds from the weekly draws go to help regional health projects across England, Scotland and Wales, and approaching 3,000 of these have been supported so far, with more than £112m raised.
How to play
Playing the Health Lottery Main Draw is easy. Visit one of 32,000 retailers offering Health Lottery tickets, or go to the website to sign up and purchase them online. (You just need a GB-based address and bank account.) Buy just for the draw taking place this week, or for up to five weeks in advance.
The good news is there’s nothing overly complicated about playing this lottery. And tickets cost just a pound to play one line. For each line, all you need to do is pick five numbers between 1 and 50.
What’s more, every line you buy for £1 automatically enters you in the monthly Mega Raffle draw and the chance to win the life-changing £250,000 top cash prize.
Double-check you have the correct number of weeks and the lottery numbers you wanted before confirming your purchase since changes can’t be made later. There’s nothing else you need to do – you’re all entered for the main Health Lottery draw!
Playing the Health Lottery Main Draw
Choosing your numbers
Not sure how to choose your numbers to play the Health Lottery? It really couldn’t be easier. Many players, going by the law of averages, believe that a number which hasn’t recently been drawn must be due for selection! But, of course, each number has exactly the same chance of being drawn.
Can’t choose which numbers to go for? Select the Quick Pick option and the random number generator makes the decision for you.
Play the same numbers each week
Many players like to play their favourite numbers each week. You’ll just need your Playcard, available from the retailer or online by clicking the relevant link.
Odds of winning
The odds of you winning any prize is one in 9.7.
What could I win?
The prize structure is pretty simple. Five numbers and a bonus ball are picked at random, and you win a bigger prize the more numbers you match.
The Health Lottery changed things in July 2018 to offer players more chances to win, and it’s now as follows:
- Five balls to win at least £25,000 – it could be more if 10% of ticket sales for that draw exceeds £25k
- Four balls + bonus ball to win £10,000
- Four balls to win £250
- Three balls to win £10
- Two balls + bonus ball to win £5
- Two balls for a free Quick Pick ticket which includes entry to the next Mega Raffle
The £25,000 prize is guaranteed for each draw – and if more than one player in the same draw matches five balls, the prize is split between the winners.
Find out if you’ve won by checking some national newspapers, looking online or phoning. The website has more information on how to claim your prize.
Bonuses
If you see a ‘bonus balance’ when you log on to your account, you can use it to buy extra draw tickets. Some offers have expiry dates or only apply to particular games, so check out the terms and conditions before you do anything else. The lottery’s website has detailed information about bonuses and promo codes.
Verdict
The Health Lottery has better odds but smaller prizes than some of the comparable lotteries in the UK. It’s extremely safe and, of course, proceeds go to some very worthwhile causes that might otherwise struggle for funding. Give it a go – and let us know what you think!