24 Fascinating Websites About The National Lottery
If you have ever bought a lottery ticket and watched the lottery show on television or checked your numbers the next day to see if you got lucky, you'll know the incredible pull the lottery can have on you.
Perhaps it isn't surprising then that there are so many websites online that deal with this subject and offer a lot more information on many aspects of the UK National Lottery. So whether you want a good site that will tell you what the latest winning numbers are, or you want to find out where the charitable part of the money you pay for your tickets goes, check out the following websites to see what you think of them.
The Official National Lottery website
No matter what you want to find out about the National Lottery, you should be able to get it here. This is the official site and as such contains a huge amount of data about recent draws and who was lucky enough to win a share of the jackpot for each one. You can also get the results for all the main lottery draws, including EuroMillions, Thunderball and Daily Play.
You can also buy your lottery tickets through the site if you open an account online, which is quick and easy to do. There is a range of instant win games you can take part in online as well, including some familiar titles such as Crazy Golf, Cluedo and Scrabble. Needless to say the site could get quite addictive if you try some of these games every time you visit to check the main draw results.
The news section is worth a look since any recent additions to the site will be mentioned here. You'll also be able to read stories of winners who have scooped a big prize by trying their hand at one of the online games. There is also a section which looks into the good causes helped by everyone who buys lottery tickets. A recent story revealed how a city school was able to transform its surroundings with a grant from the lottery funds.
And if you are hoping that the jackpot winners' luck will rub off on you, why not read about some of the people who have managed to hit the jackpot in recent weeks? These stories are always good to read, and they give an interesting insight into how some peoples' lives are changed by winning a huge amount of money.
All in all this is an outstanding site, as you would expect from the official site of the lottery. You can visit it by going to www.national-lottery.co.uk, but be warned - those instant play games look quite addictive!
Lottery.co.uk
This is a professional looking and very efficient site, which contains many more useful features than you may at first think. It also has a nice lottery themed appearance, with coloured balls representing the various parts of the menu that are listed down the left hand side of the page.
The results from all the main National Lottery draws are available to read on the relevant page, and you can view up to six months worth of past results – which is the length of time your ticket is valid for once you have bought it. Rollovers are easily indicated with a red R next to the appropriate set of results.
The stats page is well worth a look since it reveals the number of times each ball has appeared in the results, as well as other data which might help you to select the numbers on your next ticket. There is also a number generator for the most indecisive people among you, and a comprehensive information page that will answer most (if not all) of the questions you might have about playing the Lotto.
You will also find links to a vast number of articles on this page, which are well worth a look at if you want to know more about various aspects of playing the lottery. These go into a lot of depth and cover a vast range of subjects, and make for an interesting read if you are struggling with picking this week's numbers.
You can visit the site at www.lottery.co.uk – but expect to be there for some time, as it has plenty to offer.
Lottery.Merseyworld.com
If you need a site that presents the latest winning numbers for each of the main lottery draws in the UK every time you visit, then pay http://lottery.merseyworld.com a visit. You'll see them all displayed on the home page, and while the site has a more basic feel than some others included in this article, it is still worth a look because it has a number of intriguing pages included on it.
The ‘perms' page is a great way of guaranteeing yourself a win on the lottery if certain numbers are drawn. You simply enter the relevant information you want to include and hit the button to receive a list of the ticket combinations you need to buy. It's a good tool if you want some help in choosing particular number combinations.
There are also a number of other fascinating pages including the Numerical Analysis page, which gives you plenty of links to information regarding number combinations, the most popular balls drawn, and so on. If you believe in the power of keeping track of the numbers then this is the page for you.
The other page which is of particular interest as it helps reveal the size of this site (which is somewhat larger than you might think) is the one on background information. If there is something you need to know and you can't find it elsewhere it could well be linked to from this page.
All in all this is a great site which could put people off a little for its basic appearance, but which contains a wealth of information that could have you picking the winning numbers in a future draw – with any luck!
BBC.co.uk/lottery
If you live in the UK and you fancy a chance at being in the audience for one of the National Lottery live television shows, then you should definitely pay the BBC's website a visit.
The lottery pages are a part of the regular BBC website, but you will see details of the upcoming lottery show dates and times, together with who is presenting and guest starring on it. The draw results from each of the main lottery draws (six in all, including the EuroMillions draw) are shown on the page, and there is also a link through to the main National Lottery site if you need more information.
But the main reason for including this website is that you can apply for tickets to be in the audience for a lottery show. This is a great experience, and since the tickets are free it's a great excuse to go to London for a good night out. You are not guaranteed to get tickets but if you apply from time to time you might be lucky. And who knows, you might even see your numbers come up live in the studio.
To see the lottery pages of the BBC website, visit www.bbc.co.uk/lottery.
BigLotteryFund.org.uk
It's always good to see websites that give you information about the latest lottery draws and help you decide what numbers to play in future. But there is another important side to the National Lottery which sometimes gets forgotten, and that's the thousands of charities and good causes which receive money from a portion of the total revenues generated by all the lottery tickets bought in the UK.
One site that aims to tell you more about such causes is www.biglotteryfund.org.uk. This is split into a number of different sections allowing you to see how many people have benefited in your local area, as well as the latest ideas and funding proposals that are in the works.
There is also plenty of information that will be of use if you are thinking of applying for funding yourself, and there are numerous case studies and words of advice to help you if you decide you do want to find out about making changes in your local area. Watch out for the current programmes feature too, as this reveals the current funding plans that you can apply for.
It is an outstanding site and it reminds you that even if you aren't lucky enough to win the lottery this week, someone out there will be benefiting from a portion of the money you paid for your ticket. It's good to hear about successful funding from recent months as well as looking towards the future and the difference the Lottery can make.
LotteryFunding.org.uk
This is a similar website to the Big Lottery Fund site reviewed above, but it has several unique sections that make it well worth a look if you want to find out more about where your money goes.
First off there is a question and answer section which sheds some light on what you should do if you want to apply for funding. There is also a fascinating section which reveals where some of the billions of pounds of Lottery funding have gone in recent years.
There is also a comprehensive funding search feature that allows you to find the most appropriate body to which you should apply for funds if you have an idea or group that may benefit from receiving a lottery grant.
The www.lotteryfunding.org.uk website is relatively small compared to some sites but it is indispensable if you want to know more about how the charitable part of the cost of a lottery ticket is spent, and where it goes. Well worth a look.
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