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Do You Win Anything for 1 Number on Set for Life?
No: matching one main number on Set for Life wins nothing, whether or not your Life Ball matches as well. Prizes start at two main numbers, which pay £5, or £10 if the Life Ball comes up too.
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Where the prizes start
A Set for Life line costs £1.50 and has five main numbers from 1 to 47 plus one Life Ball from 1 to 10. The official game procedures list eight prize tiers, and every one of them needs at least two of your five main numbers to be drawn. A line that gets one main number, or none, falls outside all eight tiers.
The Life Ball works as an upgrade rather than a prize of its own. It lifts a line that has already reached a tier into the next one up, so two main numbers become two main numbers plus the Life Ball. On a line with one main number there is no tier for it to lift, which is why one number and the Life Ball together still pays nothing. The same goes for the Life Ball on its own.
The lowest prize tiers
These are the bottom three paying tiers, with the amounts and the approximate odds per line given in the official game procedures, plus the one-number result for comparison.
| Numbers matched | Prize | Odds per line |
|---|---|---|
| 3 main numbers | £20 | 1 in 198 |
| 2 main numbers + Life Ball | £10 | 1 in 134 |
| 2 main numbers | £5 | 1 in 15 |
| 1 main number, with or without the Life Ball | No prize | Not a prize tier |
Set for Life is a fixed-prize game, so each paying tier above has a set amount in the official prize table rather than a share of a fund; the rules allow prizes to be capped only in very rare cases, for example when popular number combinations are drawn and there are more winning lines than the prize money can cover. Above these, the tiers rise to £30, £50 and £250, then to £10,000 a month for one year for five main numbers, and £10,000 a month for 30 years for five main numbers plus the Life Ball.
How often a line wins anything
The official odds of a line winning any Set for Life prize are 1 in 12.4. Put the other way, most lines win nothing in a given draw, and a one-number result is part of that large group. Each line has the same chance in each draw whichever numbers are on it, and no prize is guaranteed.
If you are checking a ticket, count how many of the five main numbers were drawn first, then look at the Life Ball. Fewer than two main numbers means the line has not won, whatever the Life Ball shows.
Frequently asked questions
Does 1 number win anything on Set for Life?
No. The lowest prize needs two main numbers, so one main number wins nothing.
Does 1 number and the Life Ball win anything?
No. The Life Ball only moves a line up from a tier it has already reached, and the first tier needs two main numbers.
Does the Life Ball on its own win a prize?
No. A line needs at least two main numbers before the Life Ball makes any difference.
What is the smallest Set for Life prize?
£5, for two main numbers without the Life Ball. With the Life Ball, two main numbers pay £10.
Related guides: how much a Set for Life ticket costs, UK lottery ticket prices by game and buying lottery tickets on a Sunday.
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