Millions in running for 'biggest ever' Lottery jackpot

Friday, November 10, 2006 posted 11:11 AM EST

Millions of tickets will be sold today ahead of the massive £100 million EuroMillions draw, Lottery operator Camelot said.

The huge jackpot will be the biggest ever lottery prize ever paid out if a single winner strikes lucky tonight, according to the Lottery operator.

Ticket sales will exceed 1.5 million per hour at peak time today as customers rush to have a flutter.

Tonight's jackpot has already rolled over 10 times to hit £100 million.

A Camelot spokeswoman said: "If one UK ticket-holder wins the EuroMillions jackpot they will be guaranteed a place in the current Sunday Times Rich List as the 554th richest person in Britain - equal to Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne.

"The win would not only catapult them to the top of the National Lottery rich list, they would also receive the biggest lottery prize ever paid out in the world."

The biggest jackpot offered in the UK to date was the £125 million EuroMillions prize in February this year.

But it was won by the holders of two tickets sold in France and one sold in Portugal. And the odds seem to be in favour of a French ticket-holder winning the EuroMillions jackpot again this time.

Bookmaker Ladbrokes gives France 2/1 odds of having the golden ticket compared to 7/2 for the UK and 10/1 for the Irish.

Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said earlier: "UK-based lottery players are definitely in with a chance of securing the bumper payout. But we think it's more likely the winner will come from across the Channel."

The chances of winning the EuroMillions top prize are 76 million to 1.

Although previous jackpots won by sole ticketholders in the United States have been higher than £100 million, the actual prize amounts paid out to the winners were less than £100 million because the winners opted for lower one-off payments rather than the full amount over a period of time.

EuroMillions tickets cost £1.50 each. The draw is played in nine countries: the UK, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland.

To win the jackpot, players need to match five main numbers from one to 50, plus two Lucky Star numbers from one to nine.

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