‘We have more chance of nailing a blancmange to the ceiling!’ Furious punters threaten to boycott National Lottery after branding Camelot rule changes an ‘absolute con’
- Players are angry at a sweeping set of rule changes which have just come in
- The Lotto Millionaire Raffle, worth £1million twice a week, has been ditched
- There are also changes to the rollover system and the way balls are chosen
Disgruntled punters have branded the National Lottery an ‘absolute con’ after a sweeping series of rule changes.
Among the alterations was the abolition of the Lotto Millionaire Raffle – which gave out a £1million payout twice a week.
Rollovers were also changed to mean they can only happen five times in a row before the prize has to be won.
Players must now match five balls plus the bonus ball to win the £1million. Matching five balls without the bonus ball will see them win £1,750, while four balls bags £140.
Changes to the rollover mean there it will only continue for a maximum of five drawers before the prize has to be won
Furious lottery players vented their frustration at the draw’s organisers after the announcement, with some labelling the changes a ‘disgrace’.
One person tweeted: ‘We have more chance of nailing a blancmange to the ceiling (than winning).’
Another commenter said: ‘It used to be possible to at least win SOMETHING. It has got worse over the years but now it is ridiculous.
‘With a standing order, the payouts never quite kept pace with the costs but in the last 6 months I haven’t won a penny.
‘This is my last month of standing order as it’s clearly a rip-off. Bye.’
But a spokesperson for the National Lottery said there were bigger cash prizes on offer.
Twitter users slammed the company as they believe the changes will make jackpots harder to win
They told the Sun: ‘The recent enhancements made to Lotto mean bigger cash prizes and more Jackpot winners!
‘We’ve listened to feedback from people (players, non-players, retailers) and have, in turn, returned Lotto back to its roots.
‘We want lots of people to play a little, rather than a few playing a lot, it’s our guiding principle.
‘Around 60% of UK adults play our games and encouraging Responsible Play is at the heart of everything we do.’
Camelot chief executive Nigel Railton said: ‘It was clear from the review that we needed to create a more appealing and balanced range of games that offers something for everyone.’