Free Lottery Odds Calculator
Curious how likely you really are to win? Pick a popular lottery or enter your own numbers to instantly calculate the exact odds of matching the jackpot.
Calculate Your Lottery Odds
Choose a preset lottery or enter your own pool size and pick count to see exactly how many combinations exist, and your real chance of matching the jackpot.
How Lottery Odds Are Worked Out
The maths behind those huge jackpot numbers
The Number Pool
Every lottery draws from a fixed pool of numbers, for example 1 to 59. The bigger the pool, the more possible combinations exist, and the longer the odds of matching them all.
Numbers Drawn
This is how many numbers are picked from the pool to form a winning line, commonly 5 or 6. Order doesn’t matter, so the calculator uses combinations rather than permutations.
Bonus Balls
Games like EuroMillions add a second, separate pool of bonus numbers, such as Lucky Stars, that must also be matched. Because the two draws are independent, their odds are multiplied together.
Total Combinations
The calculator works out the total number of unique combinations possible, then expresses your odds of winning the jackpot as “1 in” that number.
Lottery Odds Calculator
Pick a lottery preset or enter custom numbers
How to Work Out Any Lottery’s Odds
You can calculate the odds for any lottery in the world, not just the presets, by finding a few simple details about the draw.
Find the Main Pool Size
Check the official rules of the lottery for the range of numbers players choose from, for example 1 to 59, and enter the total count into the pool size field.
Enter How Many Numbers Are Drawn
Most lotteries draw 5 or 6 main numbers. Enter this figure so the calculator can work out how many unique combinations are possible.
Add Any Bonus Ball Details
If the lottery includes a separate bonus draw, enter its pool size and how many bonus numbers are picked. Leave these at 0 if there’s no bonus draw.
Read Your Odds
The calculator instantly shows the total combinations possible and your odds of matching every number as a simple “1 in X” figure.
Popular UK Lottery Odds Compared
Approximate jackpot odds for some of the UK’s most popular lottery games, for comparison.
| Lottery | Numbers Drawn | Approx. Jackpot Odds |
|---|---|---|
| National Lottery Lotto | 6 from 59 | 1 in 45,057,474 |
| EuroMillions | 5 from 50 + 2 from 12 | 1 in 139,838,160 |
| Thunderball | 5 from 39 + 1 from 14 | 1 in 8,060,598 |
| Set For Life | 5 from 47 + 1 from 10 | 1 in 15,339,390 |
| Comparison | Odds vary hugely between games; smaller pools and fewer picks mean far shorter odds. | |
Lottery Odds FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about how lottery odds work.
Lottery odds are calculated using combinations, which count how many different ways you can choose a set of numbers from a larger pool regardless of order. The odds of matching every number are one divided by the total number of possible combinations.
The odds of matching all 6 main numbers in the UK National Lottery Lotto, choosing from 59 numbers, are approximately 1 in 45,057,474. This makes the jackpot extremely difficult to win despite tickets being cheap to buy.
Buying more tickets does improve your odds proportionally, but because the base probability is so small, doubling your tickets still leaves your overall chance of winning extremely low. Ten tickets in a 45 million to 1 draw still means roughly 1 in 4.5 million odds.
Games like EuroMillions require you to match a separate pool of bonus numbers, such as Lucky Stars, in addition to the main numbers. Because both sets of numbers must match independently, the combined odds are multiplied together, making the jackpot far harder to win.