Those nice people at Camelot have just launched a new daily lottery game in an attempt to raise more money for good causesshareholders. It seems that we've all got a bit bored with the main twice-weekly game, and Camelot's answer is lots more lotto. But do you have a better chance of winning or is it still just a load of balls? Time for another diamond geezer consumer guide...
Daily Play(born 22 September 2003)
Rationale: pick 7 numbers from 27.
Play: every day except Christmas and Sundays.
Prizes: £30,000 for all seven correct, down to £5 for four correct, and a free extra go if you don't match any numbers at all.
Your chance of winning the big one: A 1 in 888,000 chance of winning thirty grand. Not good at all.
Your chance of winning a free extra go: Only 1 in 12.
Top prize won on Monday: £300, won by just 51 people who got six numbers correct. No jackpot winners.
Expected performance over 20 years (£1 stake): You spend £5724, including 520 free extra goes. You win 270 £5 prizes, 28 £30 prizes, and one £300 prize. Overall loss: £3234 (56½%).
Better value for money: hiding your money under the mattress. The last 20 years of UK inflation would have lost you only 53%.
Lotto(née The National Lottery) (born 19 November 1994)
Rationale: pick 6 numbers from 49.
Play: every Wednesday and Saturday.
Prizes: Millions (maybe) for all six correct, down to £10 for three correct. You know how this one works.
Your chance of winning the big one: A 1 in 14 million chance of winning the jackpot. Quite awful.
Your chance of winning at least a tenner: Only 1 in 54.
Top prize won last Saturday: £187,508, won by just 9 people who got 5 numbers and the bonus ball correct. No jackpot winners.
Expected performance after 20 years (£1 stake): You spend £2087. You win 37 £10 prizes, two prizes of about £65 for four numbers correct, and nothing bigger. Overall loss: £1587 (76%).
Better value for money: buying a TV licence every year for the last 20 years would have cost you only £1580.
Thunderball (born 7 June 1999)
Rationale: pick 5 numbers from 34, and one Thunderball from 14.
Play: every Wednesday and Saturday.
Prizes: £250,000 for all six correct, down to £5 for one correct plus the Thunderball.
Your chance of winning the big one: A 1 in 4 million chance of winning the jackpot. Miserable.
Your chance of winning at least a fiver: 1 in 18.
Top prize won last Saturday: Quarter of a million, won by just 4 people. Usually there are no top prize winners.
Expected performance after 20 years (£1 stake): You spend £2087. You win 64 £5 prizes, 48 £10 prizes, two £20 prizes, one £100 prize, and nothing bigger. Overall loss: £1147 (55%).
Better value for money: becoming the chief executive of Camelot would have earned you over one million pounds in salary over the last 9 years.
Lotto Extra (born 13 November 2000)
Rationale: pick 6 numbers from 49.
Play: every Wednesday and Saturday.
Prize: Scoop the entire jackpot for all 6 correct. No other prizes.
Your chance of winning the big one: A 1 in 14 million chance of winning the jackpot. Pitiful.
Your chance of winning something: 1 in 14 million. Absolutely abominable.
Top prize won last Saturday: Nothing at all. Nobody won any prizes on Lotto Extra in June, July or August.
Expected performance after 20 years (£1 stake): You spend £2087. You win nothing. Overall loss: £2087 (100%).
Better value for money: sending two grand to me, cheques gratefully accepted.
