UK Lottery Changes
Posted by: Don Atkinson on 14 September 2015
I just realised that the UK Lottery is changing yet again. It changed two years ago.
The Lotto element will now allow you to select your 6 numbers from 59 numbers rather that the current 49.
This reduces the probability of winning the Jackpot from c.1 in 14 million to c.1 in 45 million.
The Lottery organisers, just can't bring themselves to highlight this change in probability on their web-site !
OK, they do highlight there are more chances of wining "something" and a higher probability of people winning £1m, but they just don't seem able to lay bare the fact that the Jackpot is liable to be greater whenever it is won, but the odds on winning it are 3 times less and the payout on the Jackpot overall will be smaller each year.
Probably a good thing in essence, but the spin-doctors have been hard at work IMHO
Old news Don. This was announced months ago.
Someone mentioned the lottery was just a tax on the mathematically challenged. That tax has just increased.
Ooops, looks like I missed the news that day Steve.
But yes, i've also seen it as a "ring-fenced tax" levied on the mathematically challenged but with the option for conscious-seeking-charity-minded givers to opt-in, expecting about 50% to go to (good) causes, and the balance to the tax collectors, (used to be Camelot IIRC, now some Canadian pension fund ?) and one or two lucky punters.
And for sure, the tax just went up, even without Corbyn's intervention 