THE ESSENTIALS
Which lottery has the best odds? Every UK game compared
Thunderball has the best jackpot odds and Lotto gives you the best chance of winning something. Every UK and Irish game side by side.
The short answer
Thunderball has the best jackpot odds of the main UK lottery games. A £1 line has a 1 in 8,060,598 chance of the £500,000 top prize.
If you just want the best chance of winning something, Lotto wins. Every £2 line goes into two rounds, so it has about a 1 in 4.9 chance of a prize on each draw night.
EuroMillions and US Powerball have the biggest jackpots, but also the longest odds. Over in Ireland, Irish Lotto improved to 1 in 8,145,060 after its September 2026 change.
The best game for what you want
| If you want | Best game | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The best chance of a jackpot | Thunderball | 1 in 8,060,598 for £500,000 |
| The best chance of any prize | Lotto | About 1 in 4.9 per line across both rounds |
| The biggest possible jackpot | EuroMillions or Powerball | Jackpots often top £100m, at 1 in 139.8 million and 1 in 292.2 million |
| The cheapest line | Thunderball | £1 a line |
What “1 in” means
A 1 in 100 chance means an outcome has a 1% probability on a single attempt. It doesn’t mean you are guaranteed a win after 100 tries.
Every game side by side
| Game | Cost | Top prize odds | Any prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Lotto | €2 | 1 in 8,145,060 | 1 in 25.4 |
| Thunderball | £1 | 1 in 8,060,598 | 1 in 12 |
| Lotto (per round) | £2 | 1 in 45,057,474 | 1 in 9.2 |
| EuroMillions | £2.50 | 1 in 139,838,160 | 1 in 13 |
| US Powerball | £4 | 1 in 292,201,338 | 1 in 14 |
Lotto enters every line into two rounds, so your overall chance on a draw night is roughly double the per-round figure. Most odds here are calculated from each game’s rules. The Irish Lotto any-prize figure and the Powerball any-prize figure come from the operators. Want more lines without spending more? A lottery syndicate shares the cost, and the prize.
Past results don’t predict the next draw
Each draw is independent. A number that has come up often isn’t more likely next time, and a number that hasn’t appeared for a while isn’t “due”. Treat the lottery as entertainment, not a way to make money. For real numbers, see how many people win the Lotto jackpot each year. Our number generator picks lines at random, which is as good a method as any.
Questions people ask
Which lottery has the best odds in the UK?
Thunderball has the best jackpot odds, at 1 in 8,060,598 per line. For the best chance of winning any prize, Lotto is best at about 1 in 4.9 per line on each draw night.
Which lottery is easiest to win?
Lotto, if you count any prize. Every line gets two rounds, so roughly 1 line in 5 wins something each draw night. Most of those prizes are £1 or £10.
What are the odds of winning the Lotto jackpot?
1 in 45,057,474 per round. With two rounds on every draw night, a line has roughly a 1 in 22.5 million chance of the jackpot.
Does Lotto or EuroMillions have better odds?
Lotto. Its jackpot odds are about 1 in 22.5 million per draw night, against 1 in 139,838,160 for EuroMillions. EuroMillions jackpots are usually much bigger though.
Does buying more tickets improve my odds?
Yes, but only in line with what you spend. Ten Thunderball lines give you a 1 in 806,060 chance of the jackpot, for £10. A syndicate is a cheaper way to play more lines.
Sources
We check every guide against the operators’ own pages. Rules and prizes can change, so the official operator always has the final word.