£1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
£1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
£633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
£625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
£575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
A LUCKY viewer of a brand new ITV game show has walked away with an eye-watering £1million.
Sienna McSwiggan, 20, secured the top prize last night on Win Win with People’s Postcode Lottery on Saturday night.
3
Sienna McSwiggan, 20, broke down in tears after winning the huge jackpot
3
After trading in a trip to the Maldives, she took home £1millionCredit: ITV
The hotel manager from The Black Country took home the £1million cash prize, as well as two cars, two luxuryholidays, a trip to Australia to see The Ashes and Take That tickets.
After answering the winning question correctly, Sienna questioned if it was real and said the money would be life-changing for herself and family.
She said: “I don’t even know what to say. I am in shock.
“I’ve literally got a penny in my account.
“I’m over the moon. It feel like a dream and someone’s gonna wake me up any minute.”
Hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, the quiz show sees contestants battling it out in the studio.
At home viewers can also get involved and play for prizes.
However, the show’s format also allows these viewers to become contestants in the studio.
Once they have bagged a prize, players have to face the ultimate decision.
They must choose between keeping their original prize or risk it all and trade it in to join Millionaire’s row.
Watch as one young woman shares how her family won the lottery
Sienna took the gamble and traded a trip to the Maldives for a chance to win big.
The risk saw her take home one of the UK’s biggest telly prizes.
Last month, The Sun reported that another contestant took home a huge £20,000 jackpot.
After answering the final question correctly, Shayanne took home the winning prize.
Previously discussing the format, Mel Giedroyc said: “This quiz is so extra!
“Imagine winning something like a car just by playing along with a gameshow you’re watching on a Saturday night in your pyjamas?
“I can’t wait!”
Sue Perkins added: “If I wasn’t hosting this, I’d be playing it at home; sat in my leopard print onesie, cuddling the dog whilst trying to figure out The Nation’s favourite chocolate bar. Bring it on!”
Speaking to The Mirror ahead of yesterday’s finale, Sue added: “Saturday’s show really is going to be a night like no other.
“The thrilling thing, of course, is that all of this is going to be won by one person, and that person might even be a viewer turned contestant, who simply signed up, joined in from their sofa and got the surprise of their life.”
Hardest Quiz Show Questions
Would you know the answers to some of quizzing TV’s hardest questions
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – Earlier this year, fans were left outraged after what they described as the “worst” question in the show’s history. Host Jeremy Clarkson asked: “From the 2000 awards ceremony onwards, the Best Actress Oscar has never been won by a woman whose surname begins with which one of these letters?” The multiple choice answers were between G, K, M and W. In the end, and with the £32,000 safe, player Glen had to make a guess and went for G. It turned out to be correct as Nicole Kidman, Frances McDormand and Kate Winslet are among the stars who have won the Best Actress gong since 2000.
The 1% Club – Viewers of Lee Mack’s popular ITV show were left dumbfounded by a question that also left the players perplexed. The query went as follows: “Edna’s birthday is on the 6th of April and Jen’s birthday falls on the 15th of October, therefore Amir’s birthday must be the ‘X’ of January.” It turns out the conundrum links the numbers with its position in the sentence, so 6th is the sixth word and 15th is the fifteenth word. Therefore, Amir’s birthday is January 24th, corresponding to the 24th word in the sentence.
The Chase – The ITV daytime favourite left fans scratching their heads when it threw up one of the most bizarre questions to ever grace the programme. One of the questions asked the player: “Someone with a nightshade intolerance should avoid eating what?” The options were – sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots – with Steve selecting sweetcorn but the correct answer was potatoes.
3
Last night, a contestant took home a £1million cash prizeCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
One lucky EuroMillions player in the UK has won a life-changing £25mCredit: Getty
It marks the second Friday in a row that a UK ticket-holder has won the top prize, and the fourth time this year.
Andy Carter, senior winners’ adviser at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: “Wow, it’s been an exciting night for EuroMillions players, as a single UK ticket-holder has landed the amazing £25m jackpot.
“That’s two UK EuroMillions jackpot wins in the space of a week, after another lucky player scooped the incredible £26M jackpot in last Friday’s draw (3 October).
“Players are now urged to check their tickets and to give us a call if they think they are tonight’s lucky winner.”
EveryEuroMillionsticket also bags you an automatic entry into the UK Millionaire Maker, which guarantees at least one player will pocket £1million in every draw.
The UK Millionaire Maker Selection winner is: TGXG94724.
The first EuroMillions draw took place on February 7, 2004, by three organisations: France’s Française des Jeux, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado in Spain and the Camelot in the UK.
One of the UK’s biggest prizes was up for grabs on December, 4, 2020 with a whopping £175million EuroMillions jackpot, which would make a winner richer than Adele.
Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs in Scotland, netted a huge £161,653,000 in the July 12, 2011.
Heartwarming moment dad who battled cancer tells son he’s won massive jackpot on the EuroMillions
Adrian and Gillian Bayford, from Haverhill, Suffolk, picked up £148,656,000 after they played the draw on August, 10, 2012, while Jane Park became Britain’s youngest lottery winner when she scooped up £1 million in 2013.
£1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
£1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
£633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
£625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
£575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
£1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
£1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
£633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
£625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
£575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
£1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
£1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
£633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
£625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
£575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
£1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
£1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
£633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
£625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
£575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
Anyone 18-years or over can buy a scratchcard and play.
Here’s what you need to know before playing.
Make sure you gamble responsibly.
Track down the odds
4
Here’s where you will find the odds listed for each scratchcard on the National Lottery websiteCredit: National Lottery
Scratchcard odds can be found on the back of the slip, on the game procedures document or the National Lottery website.
They can also be found on in-store screens at the till in shops.
From reviving ‘dead’ pets to Ibiza benders and living in a caravan – how Lotto winners who scooped £194m splashed cash
Typically, the more expensive the scratchcard, the better the odds – but this isn’t always the case.
The odds of winning on the Sapphire 7s Doubler scratchcard, which costs £2, is one in 3.37, whereas the odds of winning the Diamond Maze scratchcard, which is £5, is one in 3.58.
Odds show how likely you are to win any particular prize – the lower the number, the better the odds.
This means you have a better chance of winning with the £2 game compared to the more expensive £5 game.
Of course, there’s no guarantee you will win on your scratchcard, even if you buy many to increase your odds of winning.
4
Matt Harding and partner John Drabble won £500K on a lucky scratchcardCredit: National Lottery
Patrick said: “If you buy a scratchcard with odds of one in four, and you buy four scratchcards, you’d assume you get a winner.
“Yet the odds are calculated on all scratchcards in circulation, which means that you aren’t guaranteed a winner in this scenario.
“It can work in your favour though, as you could equally win on all four scratchcards.”
A better method of calculating the likelihood of winning can be to take a look at what “return to player” rate is.
This is what gambling experts define as the percentage of money that will be paid back to players from total scratchcard sales. It’s essentially the pay out rate on scratchcards.
National Lottery scratchcards usually pay out at a rate of between 60-70%.
So say, for example, that the total of all the scratchcards sold was £1 million.
A 65% pay out rate would mean that £650,000 would be paid out to players, with the remaining £350,000 going to National Lottery.
The £100,000 A Month For A Year scratchcard has pay out rate of 70.02%.
The £100,000 Multiplier Yellow scratchcard has an pay out rate of 61.75%.
You can find information on prize rates on the game procedure documents, which are on the National Lottery website for each scratchcard.
Top 10 prize rate scratchcards
HERE are the National Lottery scratchcards with the top pay out rates that are currently on sale.
£2 Million Red – 71%
Black Pearl Deluxe – 70.98%
Cash Vault – 70.91%
Black Pearl – 70.85%
Run For Your Money – 70.12%
Mega Cashword (Purple) – 70.04%
£500 Loaded – 70.03%
Mega Cashword (Yellow) – 70.03%
Millionaire Maker – 70.03%
Silver & Gold – 70.03%
The scratchcards you can NEVER win the jackpot
Before you buy your scratchcard, check whether the top jackpot prizes have already been won.
The number of jackpot prizes available varies depending on what type of scratchcard you pick.
Many people don’t realise you can still buy National Lottery scratchcards even after all the top prizes have been won.
For cards with a jackpot above £121,000, no new packs of scratchcards will be put on sale when the last top prize has been won.
However, scratchcards that are already on display can continue to be sold.
Information about remaining prizes is available on in-store National Lottery scratchcard terminals, but these can be easy to miss so make sure you visit the National Lottery website too.
There won’t be a breakdown of other winnings still up for grabs.
Jackpot information is only every weekday, so there could be a delay if prizes are claimed on the weekend or on bank holidays.
The National Lottery site currently shows that five out of around 50 scratchcard games on sale have already had the top prizes claimed.
Use this nifty site
If you’re not sure which scratchcard to choose with the best chance of winning, this handy website could help.
Smartscratchcard.co.uk ranks which scratchcards are best to buy based on the chances of scoring the top prize.
It uses an algorithm to give a rating out of 100 on popular scratchcards.
It takes into account factors such as the price of the card, whether the top prize is still available to be won, how many cards are still available to buy, and the odds of winning.
It also lists how much you might have to spend to win the jackpot statistically.
The scratchcard rated the top buy on the site is currently Run For Your Money.
It costs £5 and the jackpot is £1 million.
The return to player rate is 70.12%, and two out of three jackpots have been won.
Shockingly, statistically speaking, you could have to spend £4,990,920 on cards to win.
Don’t throw away a loser
You may not believe it, but it’s easier to lose track of a winning scratchcard then you might think.
More than £57.6m worth of prizes went unclaimed by Lotto, EuroMillions and scratchcard players in the ten months to the end of January 2024.
The National Lottery recommends you always sign a scratchcard and keep it safe if you have a winner.
It sounds obvious, but make sure your card is definitely not a winner before chucking.
This is more likely to happen with scratchcards featuring letters and numbers, such as the Bingo and Crossword styles.
Patrick adds: “The National Lottery often changes the rules between new releases – even if they look similar to the ones before them.”
Even if you think you have a loser, it’s a good idea to take it to a shop where they can check.
Then you can be completely sure you don’t throw away any winners.
Don’t leave it too late
It’s really important to know that all scratchcards have an expiry date.
Even if you have a winner, you won’t be able to claim your prize if the card is out of date.
Prizes must be claimed before the end of the 180th day after the closing date of the game.
This gives you roughly six months after the game has closed.
THE draw for tonight’s National Lottery EuroMillions (August 1, 2025) has taken place, with life-changing cash prizes at stake.
Check the results to see if you have just won a fortune and bagged enough to start that jet-set lifestyle you always dreamed of.
2
Have you got the winning EuroMillions ticket?
Every EuroMillions ticket also bags you an automatic entry into the UK Millionaire Maker, which guarantees at least one player will pocket £1million in every draw.
You can find out if you’re a winner by checking your ticket against tonight’s numbers below.
Tonight’s National Lottery EuroMillions winning numbers are: 04, 16, 25, 29, 30 and the Lucky Stars are: 02, 10.
The UK Millionaire Maker Selection winner is: TGLL13138.
Tonight’s National Lottery Thunderball winning numbers are: 02, 09, 20, 23, 27 and the Thunderball is 13.
TOP 5 BIGGEST LOTTERY WINS IN THE WORLD
£1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
£1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
£633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
£625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
£575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
The first EuroMillions draw took place on February 7, 2004, by three organisations: France’s Française des Jeux, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado in Spain and the Camelot in the UK.
One of the UK’s biggest prizes was up for grabs on December, 4, 2020 with a whopping £175million EuroMillions jackpot, which would make a winner richer than Adele.
Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs in Scotland, netted a huge £161,653,000 in the July 12, 2011.
Adrian and Gillian Bayford, from Haverhill, Suffolk, picked up £148,656,000 after they played the draw on August, 10, 2012, while Jane Park became Britain’s youngest lottery winner when she scooped up £1 million in 2013.
Could tonight’s jackpot of £145 million see you handing in your notice and swapping the daily commute for slurping champagne on a super yacht or lying back on a private beach in the Bahamas?
2
EuroMillions tickets come with an automatic entry into the UK Million Maker too
