How to Play UK Lotto | Buy Online or In a Shop

The simple version

Choose six numbers once. Your £2 line enters two rounds.

Choose six different numbers from 1 to 59, or let a Lucky Dip choose them for you. You can play for Wednesday, Saturday or both, and you can buy online or from an authorised National Lottery retailer.

£2 lineOne Lotto line still costs £2.

Two roundsThe same six numbers are checked against Round 1 and Round 2.

Effectively £1 per roundYou are not buying two £1 tickets — one £2 line gets two separate chances.

Buy your wayUse the official National Lottery website/app or a local retailer.

Play Lotto onlineChoose numbers, select the draw, check the cost and confirm your entry.Buy Lotto in a shopFind a retailer, complete a play slip or ask for a Lucky Dip, then keep your ticket safe.

Route 1 • online

How to play Lotto online: step by step

If you prefer not to keep a paper ticket, online play stores the entry in your National Lottery account.

Open Lotto on The National Lottery website or app

Use the official Lotto game area and sign in to your National Lottery account, or create an account if you are eligible to play.

Choose six numbers from 1 to 59

Select six different numbers for your line. Don't want to choose? Select a Lucky Dip and six numbers will be picked randomly for you.

Choose Wednesday, Saturday or both

Select the draw day or days you want your line to enter. If you select both, the line is purchased separately for each selected draw night.

Choose how long you want to play

You can make a one-off purchase or use the advance-play options offered online. Check the exact draw dates shown before continuing.

Check your lines and total cost

Each Lotto line costs £2 per draw. More lines and more draw dates increase the total you pay, so check the purchase summary before confirming.

Confirm the purchase

Complete the purchase through your National Lottery account. Your entry is then recorded digitally rather than printed as a shop ticket.

Check after the draw

Your six numbers are checked against both rounds. You can also use our latest Lotto results and number checker.

Playing online from abroad?

Online National Lottery play is subject to account and location rules. Check the operator's current eligibility requirements before trying to buy an entry outside Great Britain or the Isle of Man.

Route 2 • in a shop

How to buy a Lotto ticket in a shop: step by step

Prefer a paper ticket? You can play at an authorised National Lottery retailer. You do not need to understand the system before walking in.

First, find somewhere to buy a ticket

Use the MLL National Lottery shop finder to find an authorised retailer near you.

Choose your own numbers or ask for a Lucky Dip

If you want your own numbers, choose six from 1 to 59. If you do not mind which numbers you get, ask the retailer for a Lotto Lucky Dip.

Fill in a Lotto play slip if you're choosing numbers

Mark your six numbers on a Lotto play slip for each line you want. The retailer scans the completed slip through the National Lottery terminal.

Choose the draw

Choose Wednesday, Saturday or both, plus any available advance-play option you want. Check that the dates on the final ticket are the ones you intended to enter.

Pay £2 for each line in each draw

The retailer processes the entry and prints your Lotto ticket. One £2 line for one draw night is automatically entered into both Round 1 and Round 2.

Check the printed ticket before leaving

Check your numbers, draw date or dates and number of lines. If something looks wrong, ask the retailer there and then.

Keep the ticket safe

A shop entry gives you a physical ticket. If it is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, The National Lottery has a specific reporting process.

The easiest first ticket?

You can simply ask at the counter: “One Lotto Lucky Dip for Saturday, please.” The retailer can generate the numbers and print the ticket for you.

How the 2026 format works

What happens to your six numbers?

Since June 2026, you choose one set of six numbers for each line. You do not choose another six numbers for Round 2.

Round 1Your six numbers are checked against six main numbers plus a Bonus Ball.

Round 2The same six numbers are checked against a completely separate draw.

Can one £2 line win twice?

Yes. Because the rounds are separate, the same Lotto line can win in Round 1, Round 2, or both. The jackpot is shared across the two rounds, while other fixed prize tiers are awarded separately per round.

Choosing numbers

Your own numbers or a Lucky Dip?

Both are valid Lotto lines. The choice only changes who picks the six numbers.

Choose your own numbers

Pick any six different numbers from 1–59. Birthdays, favourite numbers and patterns are allowed, but choosing them does not improve the mathematical chance of winning.

Generate six Lotto numbers with MLL

Use a Lucky Dip

The system chooses six random numbers for you. A Lucky Dip has the same chance of winning as any other valid six-number Lotto line.

Draw nights

When can I play Lotto?

Lotto draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday evening, with two rounds on each draw night.

Do not leave the purchase until the last minute

Entries close before the draw, and a shop also needs to be open and able to process the ticket. For the exact current sales cut-off, check The National Lottery when purchasing.

Prizes and chances

What can you win?

You win when you match at least two main numbers within a single round. Matching all six main numbers wins the jackpot, while matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball wins a fixed £1 million prize under the current format.

The new format improved the chance of winning any prize

The published overall chance moved from about 1 in 9.3 to about 1 in 4.9. That does not mean every prize became larger: the fixed-prize structure changed as part of the 2026 relaunch.

After buying

What happens after you've bought your ticket?

The main difference is whether your entry lives in an online account or on a physical retail ticket.

If you played online

Your entry is associated with your National Lottery account. Check your account and the official results after the draw.

If you bought in a shop

Keep the printed ticket safe and check it after the draw. Prize-claim procedures depend on the prize and how the ticket was purchased.

Continue from here

Useful Lotto pages once you know how to play

Use the next page for the next job rather than searching around the site.

Questions answered

UK Lotto questions for first-time players

Short answers to the things people usually want to know before buying their first line.

How much does it cost to play UK Lotto?

One Lotto line costs £2 for one draw night. That same line is automatically entered into both rounds of that draw.

Do I need to choose numbers for both rounds?

No. Choose six numbers once. The same six numbers are used for Round 1 and Round 2.

How many numbers do I choose?

Choose six different numbers from 1 to 59, or use a Lucky Dip.

Can I just ask for a Lotto ticket at the counter?

Yes. If you want random numbers, asking for a Lotto Lucky Dip is the simplest route. Tell the retailer which draw you want to enter.

Is a Lucky Dip more likely to win?

No. Every valid six-number combination has the same chance in a fair draw. A Lucky Dip simply chooses the numbers for you.

Can my £2 line win in both rounds?

Yes. The two rounds are separate, so the same line can win in Round 1, Round 2, or both.

How old do I need to be?

National Lottery players must be aged 18 or over.

Where can I check my Lotto numbers?

Use the MLL UK Lotto results and checker, then confirm any prize through The National Lottery before making financial decisions.

What does “Must Be Won” mean in UK Lotto?

A Must Be Won draw happens when the Lotto jackpot has reached its rollover limit and cannot roll over again. If someone matches all six numbers, they win the jackpot as usual. If nobody matches all six, the jackpot prize fund is used to increase prizes in the lower winning tiers instead of rolling over to another draw. So “Must Be Won” does not mean somebody is guaranteed to match all six numbers — it means the jackpot prize fund must be paid out in that draw.

Reviewed for the June 2026 Lotto format: game details can change. Always check The National Lottery's current game procedures, account rules, sales cut-off and claim instructions when purchasing or claiming a prize. Lotto is a game of chance; decide what you are comfortable spending before you play.