Should there be a cap on lotteries? The UK’s biggest-ever prize went to one lucky ticket holder yesterday. Here are some imaginative ideas of how they might want to spend it.
Richer than Adele with one simple jackpot
Should there be a cap on lotteries? The UK's biggest-ever prize went to one lucky ticket holder yesterday. Here are some imaginative ideas of how they might want to spend it.
The ticket-holder was in a daze. The winning numbers in the EuroMillions draw had just been announced: seven figures picked at random had been translated into a life-changing sum of money. Once the ticket had been validated, a cheque would be issued - for £184,262,899.10. There was no doubt about it: a dream come true!
Since the EuroMillions lottery was launched in 2004, fifteen playersMost of them have chosen to remain anonymous. in the UK have won over £100m. Players from 13 different European countries take part in the draws, and there was an even bigger jackpot last year: £185,548,000 won by someone in France.
The chances of picking the five main numbers (between 1 and 50) and two lucky stars (from a choice of 12) is 1 in 139,838,160.
The latest winner has been catapulted into the list of the richest people in Britain - £50m ahead of Adele, £110m ahead of Harry Styles and £160m ahead of Stormzy. Not bad for filling in a piece of paper.
What could such an enormous sum of money pay for?
1: Sharing dough Thirteen loaves of Hovis wholemeal bread for every person living in povertyThere are estimated to be 14 million. in the UK.
2: Med beds Building 35 new hospitals in India with 100 beds each.
3: Deluge refuge Eighteen weeks' emergency accommodation for 25,000 people made homeless by flooding in New South WalesThere were devastating floods around the city of Lismore earlier this year..
4: Water shortage Thirteen 1.5 litre bottles of Evian water for every person living in Chad, the country with the highest proportionAround one death in seven. of deaths from unsafe water in the world.
5: Peckish pachyderms Caring for and feeding 455 rescued elephants for five years.
6: Tartan toastiness Loft insulation for a quarter of the houses in ScotlandThere are estimated to be 2.8 million altogether..
7: Muzzling gas-guzzlers Replacing every Range Rover Sport bought in Europe in the past seven months with an electric Fiat 500.
8: Free fries Six fish and chip lunches, plus an extra bag of chips, for every school pupil in the UK.
9: Streaming scheme A month's Netflix subscription for every household in the UK, Finland and Luxembourg.
10: Lolly lolly One Chupa Chups lollipop for every school child in the world aged 10 to 14.
11: Homing Harry Security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, if they returned to the UK, for 46 years.
12: Outrageous wages Chelsea'sThe team's most expensive players, Romelu Lukaku and N'Golo Kante, earn £18.2m and £15.08m a year respectively. wage bill for one year and one week, or Manchester City'sKevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish each earn £13m a year. for one year and two months.
Should there be a cap on lotteries?
Yes: The winning amount, £184,262,899.10, is a crazy amount of money, and will probably not change the winner's life for the better. A sum like £20m would be a far more sensible figure, and make it possible for many more people to win.
No: Eye-watering prizes are needed to keep people playing the lottery. It would be unfair to put a limit on people's dreams: after all, £184,262,899.10 would be peanuts to Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk.
Or... There should be a rule that winners have to give a proportion of their winnings to good causes. Seeing the difference it makes to others would encourage them to give away even more to charity.
Keywords
Fifteen players - Most of them have chosen to remain anonymous.
Living in poverty - There are estimated to be 14 million.
New South Wales - There were devastating floods around the city of Lismore earlier this year.
Highest proportion - Around one death in seven.
Houses in Scotland - There are estimated to be 2.8 million altogether.
Chelsea's - The team's most expensive players, Romelu Lukaku and N'Golo Kante, earn £18.2m and £15.08m a year respectively.
Manchester City's - Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish each earn £13m a year.
Richer than Adele with one simple jackpot
Glossary
Fifteen players - Most of them have chosen to remain anonymous.
Living in poverty - There are estimated to be 14 million.
New South Wales - There were devastating floods around the city of Lismore earlier this year.
Highest proportion - Around one death in seven.
Houses in Scotland - There are estimated to be 2.8 million altogether.
Chelsea’s - The team’s most expensive players, Romelu Lukaku and N'Golo Kanté, earn £18.2m and £15.08m a year respectively.
Manchester City’s - Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish each earn £13m a year.