A shake-up of the Lotto this summer could produce more millionaires than ever before, with new figures revealing how many winners live in each area of the UK. So far this year, a total of 140 Lotto players have become millionaires, with a new one being created every 48 hours.
More than half of those came after the launch of the revamped Lotto game in June, where players were given two chances to win on the same ticket. Organisers said they anticipate this could lead to a doubling of the number of new Lotto millionaires each year.
Cardiff leads Wales in all-time winners
Lotto data stretching back to the launch of the lottery in 1994 revealed that Birmingham leads the way in the UK with 234 recorded winners. Belfast came second with 202, while Glasgow took third place with 178. The figures encompass both winners who went public as well as those who chose to remain anonymous.
Notably, Cardiff features prominently in eighth place, underlining Wales' strong participation in the national lottery over the decades.
The top postcode areas with the highest number of Lotto winners are:
- B - Birmingham - 234
- BT - Belfast - 202
- G - Glasgow - 178
- S - Sheffield - 171
- L – Liverpool - 166
- M - Manchester - 163
- NE - Newcastle - 154
- CF - Cardiff - 144
- PE - Peterborough - 142
- LE - Leicester - 127
Lucky postcodes per head of population
Larger postcode areas will naturally have more winners simply because of higher populations. Comparing the totals with the estimated adult population provides a clearer picture of how "lucky" a particular area truly is.
When assessed this way, Motherwell leads the table. Its historical total equates to one millionaire for every 4,156 adults - roughly 2.41 millionaires per 10,000 adults. Watford ranks second and Liverpool third, with smaller postcode areas such as Dumfries and Llandrindod Wells also featuring in the top 10.
The top 10 postcode areas for millionaires relative to their adult population are:
- ML - Motherwell
- WD - Watford
- L - Liverpool
- DG - Dumfries
- RM - Romford
- DH - Durham
- LD - Llandrindod Wells
- AL - St Albans
- SR - Sunderland
- HU - Hull
Kathy Garrett, Winners Experience Lead at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: "One of the things we love most about The National Lottery is seeing luck turn up in every corner of the UK.
"From big cities to small towns, we've celebrated thousands of life-changing wins over the years, and these figures show that there is no single postcode for luck."
Recent winners and higher-tier prizes
Manchester tops the millionaire table for the past three years, with 30 recorded since 2023. Liverpool follows with 29 and Birmingham with 27. Belfast, Portsmouth, Leicester, Glasgow, Nottingham, Peterborough and Swansea also appear in the recent top 10.
The figures also shed light on areas where players have scooped prizes below £1 million, yet still substantial enough to be life-changing. The 'Higher Tier' winner count encompasses any prize worth more than £50,000 but less than £1 million, recorded separately from the millionaire totals.
The data reveals that Liverpool and Romford are the only areas to feature on both lists, while other parts of Scotland also rank among the most fortunate locations for big Lotto wins, even if not quite at millionaire level.
The areas with the most Higher Tier winners per head of population:
- TD - Galashiels - 1 in 792
- RM - Romford - 1 in 793
- SR - Sunderland - 1 in 815
- TS - Cleveland - 1 in 839
- PH - Perth – 1 in 846
- DD - Dundee - 1 in 893
- L - Liverpool - 1 in 906
- NE - Newcastle - 1 in 920
- ME - Medway - 1 in 926
- DN - Doncaster - 1 in 928
An interactive tool allows users to see exactly how many Lotto millionaires there are from their postcode area, and how 'lucky' their town is compared to the rest of the country.
