We are a postcode-themed website. How could we not mention The Postcode Lottery? Below is some useful information that we have collected on the Postcode Lottery. We aimed to collect facts, figures, etc. Read ahead and enjoy!
The UK Postcode Lottery is a subscription-based lottery game that aims to support various charities and good causes throughout the United Kingdom. It was launched in 2005 by the Dutch company Novamedia, which also operates similar lotteries in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany.
The lottery is unique in that participants enter with their postcodes, and the winners are determined based on these postcodes rather than individual ticket numbers.
How it Works
Players sign up for a monthly subscription, providing their postcode as their lottery “ticket.” For each subscription, the cost is £10 per month and draws take place daily, weekly, and monthly. The winning postcodes are chosen through a random selection process, and the more people from a particular postcode who participate, the higher the prize pool for that area.
Prizes and Distribution
The Postcode Lottery offers various cash prizes ranging from £10 to £3 million. The lottery features multiple draws, including:
- Daily Prizes: Every day, winning postcodes are drawn, and each participating ticket within that postcode wins £1,000.
- Weekly Prizes: Every Saturday and Sunday, one postcode is drawn, and each ticket in that postcode wins £30,000.
- Monthly Prizes: On the last day of each month, one postcode sector (the first half of a postcode) is drawn, with varying cash prizes for all participating tickets in that sector. One lucky postcode within that sector wins a significant cash prize, typically £3 million, which is divided among the players.
Rules and Eligibility
To participate in the Postcode Lottery, players must:
- Be at least 16 years old.
- Be a resident of the United Kingdom (excluding the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man).
- Have a valid UK postcode.
- Pay a £10 monthly subscription fee.
Players can have up to three subscriptions per postcode, and each subscription must be paid for separately. If a player decides to cancel their subscription, they must do so before the 20th of the month to avoid being charged for the following month.
Charitable Contributions
The Postcode Lottery is committed to supporting charities and good causes, donating a minimum of 32% of the ticket price directly to various organisations. Since its inception, the lottery has raised over £750 million for more than 9,000 charities and projects in the UK and around the world. Beneficiaries include environmental, educational, health, and community projects, among others.
Funding for Charities
The Postcode Lottery has raised significant funds for numerous charities and good causes, thanks to the contributions of its players. Below are examples of six organisations that have benefited from the lottery (*April 2023):
- Alzheimer’s Society: The Postcode Lottery has raised £4,322,500* to date for the Alzheimer’s Society, supporting their work in providing care, funding research, and raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
- Breast Cancer Now: Players have contributed £9,032,265* to Breast Cancer Now, enabling the charity to fund vital research and support services for those affected by breast cancer.
- Carers Trust: The Postcode Lottery has raised £3,650,000 for Carers Trust, an organisation dedicated to providing support and services for unpaid carers in the UK.
- Dementia Adventure: Dementia Adventure has received £3,059,135* from players, allowing the charity to provide innovative and supportive services for people living with dementia and their carers.
- Maggie’s: With £22,894,991* raised to date, Maggie’s has been able to offer free practical, emotional, and social support to people with cancer and their families and friends.
- Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): Players have raised £8,397,448* for the RNIB, supporting their work in providing services and support for blind and partially sighted people in the UK.
These examples illustrate the substantial impact that the Postcode Lottery has had on a wide range of charities and good causes, both in the UK and around the world. Source: https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/good-causes
Neighbour Participation and Prize Information
While there is no direct way to determine the exact number of your neighbours participating in the Postcode Lottery, you can get an idea of their involvement by looking at the prizes won in your area. To do this, use the Postcode Search on the People’s Postcode Lottery website and input your postcode. A map displaying previous winning postcodes in your vicinity will appear.
Checking Your Postcode’s Winning History
About 60% of UK postcodes participate in the Postcode Lottery, and it is estimated that around 80% of entrants may win some prize. To check if your postcode has ever won, search for it on the winner’s map. You will see nearby winning postcodes along with the prize amount and draw date.
Playing Postcodes and Fairness
Only UK postcodes can participate in the Postcode Lottery, and players must enter using the postcode of their current residence. To ensure fairness, a Random Number Generator (RNG) is used to select a winning postcode for each draw.
Notable Postcode Wins
In March 2023, neighbours in the TS5 7 postcode area of Middlesbrough won a shared prize of £10.2 million. However, the largest prize in Postcode Lottery history was awarded in December 2022, when over 700 residents in the town of Goring, Sussex, won a combined £16.9 million. Individual prizes reached up to £379,000, depending on the number of tickets held by each player.
Luckiest Postcodes
While winners are chosen at random, some postcodes have experienced a higher number of wins, which can be considered the “luckiest” postcodes. However, this is purely coincidental. According to data from Lottery.co.uk’s Postcode Lottery statistics, which covers wins since January 6, 2011, the top 10 luckiest postcodes and their wins per 100,000 people are:
- EX – Exeter (82.9 wins per 100,000 people)
- TF – Telford (82.5 wins per 100,000 people)
- SY – Shrewsbury (78.9 wins per 100,000 people)
- DL – Darlington (77.3 wins per 100,000 people)
- LL – Llandudno (77.2 wins per 100,000 people)
- TA – Taunton (77.0 wins per 100,000 people)
- LA – Lancaster (76.1 wins per 100,000 people)
- TQ – Torquay (74.3 wins per 100,000 people)
- SA – Swansea (72.4 wins per 100,000 people)
- HR – Hereford (70.8 wins per 100,000 people)
Empower Local Communities and Transforming Lives
The Postcode Lottery in the United Kingdom has been a driving force for positive change, not only by offering players the chance to win substantial cash prizes but also by raising essential funds for various charities and good causes.
Through the contributions of its players, the lottery has supported a wide range of organisations, including those focused on healthcare, social support, and environmental conservation. With millions of pounds raised to date, the Postcode Lottery continues to empower communities and transform lives by making a significant impact on the well-being of countless individuals and families across the nation.