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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Caroline Mortimer

National Lottery jackpot rolled over to £57.8m after record breaking prize goes unclaimed

The biggest ever Lotto jackpot in UK history has gone unclaimed yet again - meaning it will now roll over to £57.8m on Saturday. 

The National Lottery website crashed on Wednesday afternoon as operator Camelot saw an estimated 200 tickets being purchased every second in the hour before sales closed at 7:30pm.

The high prize on offer is a result of 14 consecutive rollovers after new rules introduced in October increased the number of balls in the draw. 

The new rules - which increased the number of balls from 49 to 59 -  mean your chances of winning have decreased from one 14 million to one in 45 million. 

Although the new rules have not been popular with many players Camelot has said it increases the likelihood of winning some of the smaller cash prizes. 

But the Lotto can only roll over till it exceeds £50m - meaning this Saturday’s draw will definitely produce a winner. 

If no one matches all six numbers the prize will be shared between all the players who matched five balls and the bonus ball. 

The previous largest jackpot was £42m which was shared between three separate ticket holders in January 1996. 

The largest amount ever won by an individual was £20.1m which won by Iris Jeffrey in 2004. 

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