2023 the year of big, big wins and lucky builders

In yet another stunning year for big wins, 757 players won prizes of £50,000 or more. The luckiest job category among National Lottery millionaires was builders and the number 37 was drawn more often than any other number.

Meanwhile, an incredible 6 EuroMillions jackpots were won by UK players in 2023. The year’s biggest EuroMillions jackpot was a whopping £111MMillion which was taken home by an anonymous ticket holder in June.

Oh, and 2023 was also the year we found out how a doner kebab helped make one of our players a National Lottery millionaire (keep reading for the juicy details).

Thanks to you, our players, an astonishing £48BNBillion has been raised for National Lottery good causes since the first draw was held in 1994. Almost £1.9BNBillion was raised for good causes between April 2022 and March 2023 – the equivalent of more than £30MMillion every week.

By playing The National Lottery you’re helping support projects in communities right across the country.

Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery, said, “The National Lottery continues to make more and more big winners – and this year smashed through the 7000 millionaire mark. Whether it is winners or funding good causes, lives are being changed every day – all with a little pink ticket.”

Drilling down into the numbers we found the nation’s builders have cemented their place as the luckiest job in terms of millionaire making. In equal second place are carers/social work/charity and teachers. Accelerating into equal fourth place were professional drivers who pulled up next to health service workers.

Were you born under a lucky star? If you look to the skies for inspiration then it may be that the luckiest star sign from 2023 can guide you to jackpot joy. It was good news for the nation’s Taureans as they topped the star chart. Next was Gemini, Leo and then Virgo.

And what about those lucky numbers? We already mentioned 37 was the luckiest number, appearing 18 times in millionaire making wins. The next luckiest numbers were 42, 22, 12, 20 and 23. The least drawn balls were 18, 25, 38 and 40 all of which were drawn just 5 times. In terms of the Lotto Bonus Ball the numbers 28 and 50 came top of the list by appearing 5 times each.

When it came to EuroMillions the luckiest number was 34 – it rolled out a whopping 19 times in the process of setting up massive wins in 2023. It was followed by 21, 33, 35 and 44. The luckiest of the Lucky Stars was number 10 followed by ball 3.

2023 gave us plenty of reminders of the vital role The National Lottery plays in supporting good causes right across the country. When England’s fantastic women’s football team came so close to lifting the World Cup in the summer, it was a great time to reflect on the more than £50MMillion of funding made possible by National Lottery players that has been invested into football in ways which benefit the women’s and girl’s game.

In March, more than 500 venues took part in National Lottery Open Week by throwing open their doors and providing free entry and special offers to our players. More great offers will be available during Open Week in 2024.

National Lottery players also played an important role in helping mark the 75th anniversary of Windrush. Funding made possible by you, our players, helped support more than 100 community groups across the UK to celebrate and remember the Windrush pioneers.

There was also a right royal celebration in 2023 – the King’s Coronation – and our players helped get the party started by supporting community events right across the UK.

Speaking of celebrations, you can watch the year’s biggest party – The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash – at 6pm on 31st December 2023 on ITV1 and ITVX. Jam-packed with performances by big-name entertainers including Take That and Paloma Faith, it’s also a chance to hear the stories of the people who do amazing things with National Lottery funding.

Back in January, The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals gave theatres a boost with a special free event for 10,000 people at Manchester’s AO Arena. The incredible show was broadcast to the nation on BBC1. Our Big Night of Musicals returns in just a matter of weeks with the show being broadcast across the BBC early in the New Year.

National Lottery players have benefitted from all the support they provide to good causes across the country during 2023. Earlier this year more than 51,000 players claimed a £25 theatre voucher that enabled them to see performances at one of more than 200 theatres to celebrate the difference they have made to the arts. In addition more than 175,000 National Lottery Days Out vouchers were claimed by players enabling them to enjoy a variety of venues and attractions across the country.

We heard some incredible stories from our winners in 2023. David Lawrence from Leatherhead told us he plans to build a crazy golf course in his back garden after winning £1MMillion on Lotto in September. You can find out how he plans to use his course to ‘putt’ others first here.

Meanwhile, childhood sweethearts Craig and Karen Mitchell were on holiday in Scotland when they scooped a £1MMillion EuroMillions jackpot. Find out how they celebrated their incredible win here.

A chance encounter with 2 money spiders led to a life-changing National Lottery win for Doris Stanbridge. The 70-year-old grandmother won on Set For Life and banked the top prize of £10,000 a month every month for 30 years in August. Find out how the creepy-crawlies inspired Doris to play.

Meanwhile, bus driver Steve Goodwin celebrated winning £1MMillion on a National Lottery Scratchcard in May. Find out why he credits a doner kebab for his incredible good fortune.

Neil Leighton from Hereford said it was an accident when he won £1MMillion on an Instant Win Game from The National Lottery in November. Find out how this happiest of accidents happened and why Neil has a locomotive in his sights.

Happy New Year to all our players!

30th December 2023

Source: Camelot

Amount given to Good Causes taken from April 2022 – March 2023