Lotto fever sweeps Britain

Millions of Britons have rushed to buy tickets for this Saturday's Lotto draw in anticipation of the first-ever triple rollover.

18:40 29 May 2004

Millions of Britons have rushed to buy tickets for this Saturday's Lotto draw in anticipation of the first-ever triple rollover.

The promised prize money of at least 21.5m has prompted a huge rise in sales with many expected to tune in for tonight's televised draw.

The Lotto operator Cameot reports that tickets for the main draw were being sold at a rate of 4m per hour at lunchtime and the prize fund could rise beyond the anticipated figure.

No-one picked the winning six jackpot numbers in the last three draws leaving tonight's jackpot at an astonishing amount.

It is the first time the prize has gone unclaimed for so long in the 879 draws made over 10 years.

Despite 131 rollovers and 14 double rollovers occurring over the years, the lucky winner of tonight's jackpot would claim the biggest single win on the game since the Lottery was launched.

The previous record for a single ticket winner was 17.8m.

However, the odds remain stacked against all players of the game. The chances of landing the jackpot are one in 14 million.