What Is a Must Be Won Draw?
This is an independent, informational guide for UK readers and is not affiliated with the organisations mentioned. It is provided for general information only.
A Must Be Won draw is a Lotto draw in which the jackpot has to be paid out rather than rolling over again. It is held after the jackpot has rolled over five times; if nobody matches all six numbers, the jackpot rolls down and is shared among the lower prize tiers instead.
Why a Must Be Won draw happens
The UK Lotto jackpot can only roll over five times in a row. The draw after the fifth rollover is a "Must Be Won" draw, where the top prize has to be paid out rather than rolling over again.
Special Must Be Won draws are also sometimes held with a guaranteed jackpot.
How the rolldown works
If someone matches all six main numbers, they win the jackpot as normal. If nobody does, the jackpot "rolls down" and is shared among players in the lower prize tiers instead.
That means everyone who wins any prize in a rolldown gets a bigger payout than usual.
The Match 2 bonus
In a rolldown, players who match just two main numbers receive a fixed £5 on top of their usual free Lucky Dip.
So a Must Be Won draw is generally a good one to play in, because the prize money is guaranteed to be paid out one way or another.
Special Must Be Won draws
As well as the draw after a fifth rollover, the National Lottery sometimes runs special Must Be Won draws with a guaranteed jackpot, advertised in advance.
In every case, the defining feature is that the top-prize money must be paid out in that draw.
A Must Be Won draw is one of the more player-friendly features of the game, because the top-prize money has to be paid out one way or another, boosting the lower tiers if there is no jackpot winner. Even so, the odds of any single line winning are exactly the same as in any other draw, so it is the prize structure that changes, not your chance.
What triggers a Must Be Won draw?
It is held the draw after the jackpot has rolled over five times, so the top prize must be paid out.
What happens if nobody wins a Must Be Won jackpot?
The jackpot rolls down and is shared among winners in the lower prize tiers, boosting those prizes.
Do Match 2 winners get more in a rolldown?
Yes — they receive a fixed £5 in addition to the free Lucky Dip they would normally get.
Is a Must Be Won draw a good one to play?
The prize money is guaranteed to be paid out, and lower-tier prizes are boosted in a rolldown, though the odds of any single line winning are unchanged.
Related guides: What is a rollover?, Matching 2 numbers, How the lottery works
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