Brand new EuroMillions HotPicks game and extra Thunderball draw will help drive in-store sales
– Huge opportunity for retailers to kick off 2018 with a bang with January game launches –
– Changes will offer further choice and value to players, and help drive sales and footfall –
– Independent retailers can win a share of £50,000 through EuroMillions HotPicks incentive –
Camelot has announced that it will launch a new game called EuroMillions HotPicks and introduce a Tuesday Thunderball draw in January 2018 – creating three extra sales opportunities every single week.
EuroMillions HotPicks is a variation on the existing Lotto HotPicks game. It will be played on the same days as EuroMillions (Tuesdays and Fridays) and will use the main EuroMillions numbers drawn. The game will cost £1.50 (compared to £2.50 for EuroMillions), offer bigger prizes for matching fewer EuroMillions numbers and have a top prize of £1 million.
Camelot will also introduce a Tuesday Thunderball draw – in addition to the existing Thunderball draws on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The game will remain at £1 and continue to offer the best chance of winning £500,000 on a £1 National Lottery game.
The changes were announced as part of Camelot’s wide-ranging strategic review, which will enable the operator to get The National Lottery back into growth and raising as much money as possible for Good Causes. Camelot is also planning to make improvements to its flagship Lotto game in 2018 – details will be announced nearer the time.
To support the launch of EuroMillions HotPicks, Camelot is giving independent retailers the chance to win a share of £50,000. To be in with a chance to win, retailers should go to nationallotteryallstars.co.uk, where they will be able to learn more about EuroMillions HotPicks and find out how to take part in the incentive. Twenty independent retailers will walk away £1,000 richer, two retailers will win £5,000 and one lucky retailer will scoop an amazing £20,000.
James Pearson, Head of Retail at Camelot, said: “We’re really excited about these additions to our portfolio of National Lottery games, which will help drive in-store sales and footfall. Part of our new strategy is about ensuring we’re offering something for everyone, with prizes and prices to suit different needs and pockets.
“Our retailer partners know that Thunderball players are a loyal bunch who really value smaller, more frequent wins. So, the new Tuesday draw will ensure there is always a Thunderball draw taking place alongside our other draws.
“And brand new EuroMillions HotPicks will also add choice and value. Customers can choose to play it along with EuroMillions, or they can play it as a standalone game. It will appeal to both EuroMillions players and existing Lotto HotPicks players, who will be excited to try this variation of the game they love.”
Retailers will receive a face-to-face visit and call from a Camelot representative before January to tell them more about how they can make the most out of the changes.
Tickets for EuroMillions HotPicks and the new Tuesday Thunderball draw will go on sale on Thursday 25 January. The first EuroMillions HotPicks draw will take place on Friday 26 January and the first Tuesday Thunderball draw will take place on Tuesday 30 January.
In addition, from this Thursday (30 November), Thunderball will go into ‘countdown’ mode – which means that Thunderball players will begin to be limited on the number of weeks in advance they can play the game ahead of 25 January. Retailers should look out for further information about the countdown on their National Lottery terminals.
Notes to Editors:
- Camelot UK Lotteries Limited is the licensed operator of The National Lottery® and is committed to raising money for National Lottery Good Causes designated by Parliament. Camelot is not responsible for distributing or awarding these funds.
- On average, Camelot generates around £30 million each week for National Lottery-funded projects. In total, £37 billion has now been raised and more than 525,000 individual grants have been made across the UK – the equivalent of around 185 life-changing projects in every community.
- The National Lottery has so far awarded over £65 billion in prizes and created more than 4,750 millionaires or multi-millionaires since its launch in 1994.
- National Lottery retailers earn 5% commission for each draw-based game sold and 6% on each Scratchcard sold – as well as 1% on certain prizes paid out in-store. On average, National Lottery retailers earned over £6,500 in commission per store in 2016/17. To date, National Lottery retailers have earned over £6.1 billion in total sales commission.
- Camelot runs the most cost-efficient major lottery in Europe, with around 4% of total revenue spent on operating costs.
- The UK National Lottery is ranked just 62nd in the world in terms of per capita spend, despite being the sixth largest lottery in the world by sales – clear evidence of Camelot’s longstanding commitment to being a responsible operator (Source: La Fleur’s 2017 World Lottery Almanac).
- For further information on Camelot, The National Lottery and its games, please visit: www.camelotgroup.co.uk and www.national-lottery.co.uk.
- Players of all National Lottery games must be aged 16 or over.
