University is known to be a haven of change; but things in the big bad real world are constantly getting mixed up as well – for better or for worse. Think the rebranding of popular chocolate bars, or the breaking-up of and subsequent coming-back-together of – albeit in a new guise – (Mc)Busted!
Change is inevitable.
But one change that is set to affect millions around the country and has caused much controversy is the decision concerning the National Lottery. Offering students the chance to dream of finally crawling out of their overdraft, the Lotto will undergo the biggest change of its 21 year history on the 8th of October.
It seems the organisers think the general public enjoy winning big, as opposed to substantial sums every so often, with the chances of huge rollovers set to become even more likely with the impending introduction of 10 new numbers (from the original 49 to 59). This significantly decreases the odds of you winning the jackpot from one in 14 million to a huge one in 45 million.
It’s not all doom and gloom though as a new Millionaire Raffle will be included, which guarantees a £1 million prize in every draw. Alongside this there will be 20 winners of £20,000 in every draw as well. It would also be naïve to forget that the revamped prize structure will mean that the player who matches two numbers will also receive a free Lotto Lucky Dip ticket for the following week. Currently a return of two matches produces a prize of absolutely nothing, so perhaps this is a step in the right direction.
However, this huge change is most certainly going to mess up a number of Lotto Syndicates that have been running in numerous workplaces across the country for years. There was outrage amongst many when the organisers decided to raise the price of a ticket from £1 to £2 two years ago and this decision has sparked similar responses from a large amount of people.
Whilst many seek excitement (and perhaps even security) in the fact that they could potentially turn their life upside down and all around in one night, the lottery has always been a bit of a fad for me. Since buying my first ticket after hitting the rather uneventful landmark of 16 years old, I’ve barely dabbled in the Lottery market, as I find it quite disconcerting that – even in the current system – if you match 4 numbers (at odds of 1 in 1033) you only receive £100.
To put that into perspective, if I were to place a football bet at the bookies with those odds I would win that exact amount, rather than a lesser fee in relation to the odds of winning said prize – that is to say, for example: the odds needed to match 5 numbers and the bonus ball for an estimated £50,000 prize money (a hefty sum on the face of it) technically would equate to £2,330,636 from a £1 football bet. Such a high level of prize/chance would equal to you predicting the outcome of multiple sporting events, the winner of the X Factor for the next 10 years and whether Boris Johnson will become the next Conservative leader – all on one betting slip. Essentially it’s pretty darn unlikely, yet you still only would win £50,000 for your accolade. Starting to see the picture I’m creating?
Despite this, wherever your allegiance may lie with the lottery, it’s going to become infinitely more difficult to hit any numbers at all – nevermind the jackpot – when these changes come into play next month. Perhaps it’s time to move your hopes elsewhere, by investing in Volkswagen or putting your money into Greece…
What’s your view on such a drastic change? Do you even do the lottery anyway? Or perhaps you agree with my blasé attitude. Let us know!
Sources:
http://showbizgeek.com/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-dale-winton/