EUROMILLIONS returns tonight with another chance to win a sum of money that could change your life FOREVER.
Tuesday night's top prize stands at £14million after there were no winners of the top prize on New Year's Eve.
The deadline for entering the draw closes at 7.30pm, with results expected between 8.15pm and 8.30pm.
Always remember to play responsibly. And when the fun stops, stop.
Read our lottery live blog below for the latest numbers and results…
- Joseph Gamp
Helpful tips to help you win
- Avoid computer picks. It lowers your odds of winning.
- On scratchcards try buying 10 of one ticket instead of several different tickets.
- Mix it up – Never play all one-number groups.
- Don’t pick all odd or all even numbers.
- Don’t play patterns.
- Avoid anniversaries, birthday’s and dates.
- Don’t Copycat – Avoid playing winning numbers that have been drawn before, because every combination has a chance of coming up once every half a million drawings.
- Joseph Gamp
Huge blowout before returning to normal
Lotto lout Michael Carroll is a skint coalman who works seven days a week, but swears he’s “happier now” after blowing his £9.7million winnings.
Michael, 36, bagged the money in 2002 after buying a £1 ticket when he was 19 and working as a binman in Norfolk.
After a mind-blowing 10 years, he says he has no regrets and is glad he has his life back.
Michael, who now lives in Moray, told The Mirror: “It didn’t go wrong – it was the best 10 years of my life for a pound.
“I don’t look back with any regrets that’s for sure. It was 10 years of fun for a pound, you can’t go wrong with that.
“I wouldn’t want to turn the clock back. But I live a good, free lifestyle now and I’m happier because I’ve got my life back.”
For years Michael blew his money on booze, drugs, sex and friends, gaining the title “King of the Chavs”.
- Joseph Gamp
Winners drank tea all night
While most lottery winners would be tempted to splash out on fancy Champagne, Anne Canavan had very different plans.
The mum, from Northern Ireland, couldn’t believe her luck and felt fate had intervened after her £1million EuroMillions win in 2015.
On the day she picked the winning numbers, Anne joked with a neighbour that it was “about time someone from around here won”.
Normally she “always waited a week” before checking her lottery ticket but that night things were different.
“At 1am, I suddenly had the urge to check the results so I switched my laptop on, when I realised I’d won I woke my daughter up,” she recalled.
“It took half an hour to convince her that I wasn’t joking, and after that we stayed up all night with cups of tea planning what to do with the money.”
Anne went on to spend £50,000 renovating her four-bedroom house and funnelled other funds into inventions – including self-sealing gift pouches.
- Joseph Gamp
Business as usual for one millionaire
Winning £1m was sheer luck for Jamie Heavens, who purchased a Millionaire Riches Scratch card after watching a customer in front of him do it.
After leaving the petrol station, he pulled into a layby to scratch it off and was gobsmacked when he won.
However, hardworking Jamie, from Bournemouth, had no intention of quitting his day job.
Jamie told the Mirror: “It was 7.30 in the morning and I still had a day’s shift ahead… I won a million pounds and earned another £100 for my shift.”
After that the roofer and his fiance Danielle spent £25,000 on a lavish wedding with “a band, a videographer and a massive marquee”.
He bought a business but feels rather happy about his new job, adding: “I still work but now I’m my own boss!”
- Joseph Gamp
What happens if no one claims a prize?
If no UK players come forward within 180 days then the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated while it is held in trust, goes to National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.
The National Lottery have said: “Our players change the lives of individuals as well as communities by raising, on average, over £33 million for National Lottery-funded projects every week.”
- Joseph Gamp
This number has made 3,071 lotto appearances
Number 27 has made more appearances than any other in 3,071 draws in the past ten years making it the best number to have in your row.
The number came up 399 times in the UK National Lottery, Thunderball, EuroMillions and Irish Lotto.
That is 141 more times than number 57, the unluckiest number, which was drawn just 258 times.
The second luckiest is 54, which appeared 387 times. It was followed by 29, 42, 52 and 58 in joint third on 381 times.
The next luckiest was number 20 with 378. Then came 23, with 372.
- Joseph Gamp
Tips to get lucky numbers
Avoid repeats
Another top tip is to ensure you are always choosing numbers that weren’t drawn last week.
While it might seem 3 is a lucky number, just because it appeared in the previous draw, it doesn’t mean it will again next time.
Odds and evens
According to expert analysis, all-odd and all-even line-ups are drawn less than three per cent of the time.
As there are seven gaps to fill, this means it is best to pick three odd and two even, or two odd and three even.
One of these patterns will occur in 68 per cent of EuroMillions draws.
Shun same last digits
Similarly to odds and evens, it’s good to mix things up when it comes to the second digit of your numbers.
Even if seven might be your lucky number, think twice about choosing 7, 17, 27, 37 and 47.
Almost 90 per cent of draws have no more than one repeated last digit.
And your chances of winning with four same final digits drop to less than two tenths of one per cent.
- Joseph Gamp
Woman wins on first time ‘hunch’
A woman won £184million on her first ever EuroMillion lottery ticket after buying it “on a hunch”.
The young woman – who wanted to remain anonymous – was presented with the prize at her home in Tahiti after it went unclaimed since October 15.
According to the EuroMillions website, her ticket was the only entry that matched all seven numbers after the jackpot had hit its cap of €220m (£184m).
The mystery woman said she had never entered the EuroMillions draw in her life but had grown up watching her grandfather play.
“I was waiting for the right moment to play, and that day I had a hunch,” she said.
“Everything is possible, you just have to believe in it. Before checking my ticket, I felt a shiver in my back.
- Joseph Gamp
The Lottery timetable
There is a draw happening six nights a week, apart from Sundays.
Here is a timetable for all UK lottery games including Lotto, EuroMillions and Set For Life and what day they happen on.
- Joseph Gamp
Unluckiest winner of all time
That was the case for one young couple this week who missed out on the £182million Euromillions jackpot – when they realised their winning ticket payment hadn’t gone through.
Rachel Kennedy, 19, and Liam McCrohan, 21, from Hertfordshire were “absolutely heartbroken” when they realised their usual numbers had come up, but they had won nothing.
The couple, both students, had played the winning numbers of 6, 12, 22, 29, 33, 6 and 11 for five weeks in a row before all seven digits appeared in Friday’s draw.
Rachel’s account was set up to automatically buy a Euromillions ticket with her usual numbers but because her account did not have the right funds, the ticket payment did not go through.
“I called the number thinking that I had won £182million and they said ‘yeah you’ve got the right numbers but you didn’t have the funds in your account for the payment of the ticket so it didn’t actually go through’,” Rachel said.
Read the article in full here.
- Joseph Gamp
Who are the biggest Euromillions winners in history?
Your chances to win may be remote but if you do you could win big.
Here are some of the record prizes one by UK winners in the past:
- Joseph Gamp
Set For Life winner becomes full time ghost hunter
A WOMAN who scooped £10,000 a month for 30 years on the National Lottery Set For Life quit her job to become a ghost hunter with her husband.
Part-time paranormal investigator Laura Hoyle, 39, has decided to ditch her day job to pursue her spooky passion with Kirk Stevens, 37, after their big win.
The 39-year-old is used to shocks – after realising she had landed the life-changing amount of money when she initially thought she had only won a fiver.
Laura was able to immediately jack in her job at a logistics firm, after realising the cash could allow her to concentrate on her ghost-hunting hobby full-time.
Read more here.
- Joseph Gamp
Lottery fraud
A RAPIST who scammed millions on the Lotto ten years ago still owns a posh four-bedroom house he allegedly bought with the tainted dosh.
The home in commuter haven Kings Langley, Herts, just minutes from the M25 has fallen into serious disrepair.
Docs show it is still owned by convicted rapist and fraudster Edward Putnam who is currently serving nine years for his despicable part in the biggest scam to ever hit the National Lottery.
He was jailed for seven years in 1993 for raping a terrified pregnant 17-year-old girl.
Putnam, now 56, “scooped” £2.5 million on the National Lottery in 2009 after conspiring with a Camelot employee to craft a fake ticket.
- Joseph Gamp
New rules on scratchcards
A major rules shake-up to National Lottery tickets and scratch card will change who is able to buy tickets from October this year.
Those feeling lucky now have to be over 18 to play, as the minimum age goes up from 16 to 18.
That means it is illegal for any retailer to sell these goods to anyone under the age of 18 – and will apply to favourite games like Lotto and the EuroMillions.
The new rules come into effect from today after being announced as part of a major crackdown on gambling laws last year.
Online sales of lottery tickets and scratch cards have already been banned – this came into force in April this year.
- Milica Cosic
Three ways to improve your chances for EuroMillions
1. Don’t favour special dates
It’s pretty common to opt for birthdays and anniversaries when choosing Lotto numbers.
If you’re relying on special dates, you’re never going to pick a number higher than 31 so you’re ruling out 19 possibilities.
Don’t be afraid to explore your options between 32 and 50.
2. Bunch your choices
To stand a better chance of scoring a win, go for numbers closer together.
For example, instead of choosing 3, 7, 14, 19, and 26, you could give 9, 10, 12, 13, and 14 a go.
3. Keep things balanced
As well as keeping your digits closer together, experts suggest keeping them well-balanced.
They recommend adding them up once you’ve made your choices to ensure the total is between 90 and 160.
This is because numbers between these two account for almost three quarters of the five-number successful EuroMillions sets.
- Milica Cosic
Is the EuroMillions worth playing for?
The game with the best odds, in terms of winning the top prize, is the Thunderball.
According to the National Lottery website, the odds of winning the jackpots are:
- Lotto jackpot: 1 in 45,057,474.
- EuroMillions jackpot: 1 in 139,838,160.
- Set For Life top prize: 1 in 15,339,390.
- Thunderball top prize: 1 in 8,060,598.
What happens to unclaimed EuroMillions prize money?
If no UK players come forward within 180 days then the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated while it is held in trust, goes to National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.
The National Lottery have said: “Our players change the lives of individuals as well as communities by raising, on average, over £33 million for National Lottery-funded projects every week.”
Explained: How to play the EuroMillions
- Pick 5 numbers from 1-50 and two Lucky Stars from 1-12. Or try a Lucky Dip for randomly selected numbers.
- Choose to play on a Tuesday or Friday – or both, then the number of weeks you’d like to play.
- You can play up to seven lines of numbers and buy up to 10 play slips at a time.
- You’re all good to go!
The Lottery timetable
There is a draw happening six nights a week, apart from Sundays.
Here is a timetable for all UK lottery games including Lotto, EuroMillions and Set For Life and what day they happen on.
Tonight will see the return of the EuroMillions and Thunderball.
Recap: Last night's winning numbers
The Set For Life took place last night at 8:00pm. In case you missed the draw, here are the winning numbers:
The numbers were: 15, 22, 26, 37, 47
The Life Ball was: 10
Explainer: Where does the money go?
Around £30 million is raised every week by National Lottery players for good causes – so even if you don’t win some of the country’s most vulnerable do.
Here are some of the organisations they work with:
- Arts Council England
- Sport England
- BFI
- UK Sport
- Arts Council Of Wales
- Sport Wales
- Arts Council Of Northern Ireland
- Louis Allwood
Set For Life winner becomes full time ghost hunter
A WOMAN who scooped £10,000 a month for 30 years on the National Lottery Set For Life quit her job to become a ghost hunter with her husband.
Part-time paranormal investigator Laura Hoyle, 39, has decided to ditch her day job to pursue her spooky passion with Kirk Stevens, 37, after their big win.
The 39-year-old is used to shocks – after realising she had landed the life-changing amount of money when she initially thought she had only won a fiver.
Laura was able to immediately jack in her job at a logistics firm, after realising the cash could allow her to concentrate on her ghost-hunting hobby full-time.
Read more here.
- Louis Allwood
Scratching for gold
Striking it rich with a scratchcard might seem like a fantasy – with most punters pocketing a couple of quid, if anything.
But some actually put you in pretty good stead of bagging the top prize.
Read more here.
- Louis Allwood
‘Special purchase’ after big win
Ger Murphy has toasted his multi-million-euro jackpot – by snapping up a pub in his native village.
The lucky carpenter nailed a mega €6.3million after buying a €6 ticket in his brother-in-law’s newsagents.
Despite landing the life-changing loot, proud family members have insisted down-to-earth chippy Ger – who is originally from Kilmaine, Co Mayo – hasn’t “lost the run of himself”.
And today they tell how the multi-millionaire remains a “homebird”, revealing how he has forked out for a modest pub in the village where he hails from.
Minted Ger recently invested in Jack Murphy’s pub in Kilmaine with relatives describing the outlay as “a special purchase”.
Serving up the bubbly news to the Irish Sun, one family member told us: “Ger is doing great. He has bought a pub in Kilmaine which would have been in the family back in his great grandfather’s time, they would have owned it.
“He just bought that recently. So that was a special purchase alright.
“He is not running it himself, but he bought it, he’s the investor.
“Jack Murphy’s is the bar, he has someone else running it for him.
“Ger is certainly enjoying himself.”
- Louis Allwood
I won £30k & brand new BMW on Christmas scratchcard
A GRATEFUL gran has kicked off the new year in the best way possible, winning £30,000 and a brand new BMW on a scratch card.
Hanna Valarie Dewar, from Tain, in the Scottish Highlands, won big on the Cars & Cash National Lottery scratchcard, after she nearly threw the winning ticket away.
Mrs "Val" Dewar said she had decided to treat herself to the scratch card after a trip to the dentist, on December 22, and was left in disbelief after she realised she won.
The 79-year-old said that she nearly threw the winning ticket away before she realised she had won the top cash prize and a brand new BMW X2, the Daily Record reported.
She said: "I had been at the dentist that day and decided to buy myself a couple of Scratchcards to cheer myself up. I remember it because I was chatting to the lady behind the counter at Morrisons who, funnily enough, was also called Val.
"Being a few days before Christmas the shop was very busy so I decided to wait until I got home to scratch them.
"I live in a farmhouse with a big open fire and normally when I have scratched the cards, and if I haven’t won anything, I just throw them into the fire.
"Strangely, that day the fire wasn’t lit and boy am I glad about that!"
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