Lotto jackpot swells to all-time high of £46.5m

The country's Lotto jackpot swelled to a new high of £46.5m ($68.95m, €6.31m) after nobody got the six numbers right in the round on 30 December, leading to the 13th consecutive rollover. The previous highest jackpot was £42m in 1996.

The next round of the jackpot is on 2 January. The Times said the odds of winning the jackpot were 45 million to one after organisers in October added another ten numbers to choose from. Ladbrokes said the Loch Ness Monster had a greater chance of being spotted in the Thames compared to the odds of winning the lottery. The bookies' spokesman Alex Donohue said: "There's probably more chance of Elvis selling the ticket than it landing the jackpot."

A national spokeswoman for Camelot, the lottery organiser, told The Daily Mail that millionaire-making records have been broken in what has been a life-changing 2015 for National Lottery players.

She said: "Our 341 new millionaires have helped propel our running total to over 4,000 millionaires, a landmark milestone we celebrated in October. Every player in 2015 has helped National Lottery-funded projects across the UK. Over 29,000 projects have received grants this year helping to change lives in local communities."

Lottery players' chances of winning were slim as Camelot, the organiser, increased the number of balls from 49 to 59 which invited all-round criticism. It reduced the chances of winning from one in 14 million to one in 45 million. But Camelot brushed aside the allegations saying the 'enhancements' would provide a better chance of winning, says the Daily Mirror.

The bonus number in the round on 30 December was 23 and the winning numbers were 31, 47, 55, 59 and 22.

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