Lotto and EuroMillions attract the headlines, but the National Lottery runs two other draw-based games that many players overlook. Thunderball and Set For Life are built on different principles from the big two — fixed prizes rather than shared pools, shorter odds of winning something, and in one case a prize paid monthly for three decades rather than as a lump sum. This guide compares the two side by side.
Thunderball
Thunderball launched in 1999 and has been revised a few times since. The current format:
- Choose five main numbers from 1 to 39.
- Choose one Thunderball from 1 to 14.
- Draws take place four times a week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- The top prize is a fixed £500,000 for matching all five numbers plus the Thunderball.
Every prize tier in Thunderball pays a fixed amount. There is no jackpot pool and no rollover. If ten people match all six, all ten receive £500,000.
| Match | Prize | Odds (per line) |
| 5 + Thunderball | £500,000 | 1 in 8,060,598 |
| 5 | £5,000 | 1 in 620,046 |
| 4 + Thunderball | £250 | 1 in 47,415 |
| 4 | £100 | 1 in 3,647 |
| 3 + Thunderball | £20 | 1 in 1,437 |
| 3 | £10 | 1 in 111 |
| 2 + Thunderball | £10 | 1 in 135 |
| 1 + Thunderball | £5 | 1 in 35 |
| Thunderball only | £3 | 1 in 29 |
Because matching the Thunderball alone returns a prize, the overall odds of winning something are about 1 in 13 — noticeably better than Lotto’s 1 in 9.3 once you exclude the free Lucky Dip. The small prizes are what keep many players engaged, though it is worth noting that £3 for a £1 line is a small return relative to how often it happens.
Set For Life
Set For Life launched in March 2019 and takes a different approach to the top prize.
- Choose five main numbers from 1 to 47.
- Choose one Life Ball from 1 to 10.
- Draws take place twice a week: Monday and Thursday.
- The top prize is £10,000 every month for 30 years.
The second tier pays £10,000 a month for one year. Lower tiers are one-off cash amounts.
| Match | Prize | Odds (per line) |
| 5 + Life Ball | £10,000/month for 30 years | 1 in 15,339,390 |
| 5 | £10,000/month for 1 year | 1 in 1,704,377 |
| 4 + Life Ball | £250 | 1 in 73,045 |
| 4 | £50 | 1 in 8,116 |
| 3 + Life Ball | £30 | 1 in 1,782 |
| 3 | £20 | 1 in 198 |
| 2 + Life Ball | £10 | 1 in 134 |
| 2 | £5 | 1 in 15 |
The overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 12.4.
The annuity question
A Set For Life top prize is worth £3.6 million over 30 years. Paid as a lump sum today it would be worth less in present-value terms, but the annuity has appeal: it removes the risk of spending a windfall quickly, which is a documented problem for some lottery winners, and it provides a predictable income. The rules cover what happens if a winner dies during the term — the remaining payments are made to their estate — but check the current terms, as details can change.
The annuity is not inflation-linked. £10,000 a month in 2056 will buy less than £10,000 a month today. That is a real consideration for anyone comparing it with a lump sum.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Thunderball | Set For Life |
| Main numbers | 5 from 39 | 5 from 47 |
| Extra ball | 1 from 14 | 1 from 10 |
| Draws per week | 4 | 2 |
| Top prize | £500,000 lump sum | £10,000/month × 30 years (£3.6m total) |
| Top prize odds | ~1 in 8.1m | ~1 in 15.3m |
| Second prize | £5,000 | £10,000/month × 12 (£120,000) |
| Prize structure | All fixed | All fixed |
| Rollovers | None | None |
| Any-prize odds | ~1 in 13 | ~1 in 12.4 |
| Launched | 1999 | 2019 |
Which suits which player
Neither game is “better” — they offer different prize shapes at different odds.
- Thunderball suits players who want frequent draws, a realistic (by lottery standards) chance at a life-improving rather than life-transforming sum, and a fair number of small wins along the way. Four draws a week also means four opportunities to spend, which cuts both ways.
- Set For Life suits players attracted by the security of a guaranteed income. The top-prize odds are almost double Thunderball’s, but the total value is more than seven times higher.
Both games avoid the rollover dynamics of Lotto and EuroMillions. There is never a reason to buy extra lines “because the jackpot is big” — the prize is the same every draw.
Playing sensibly
Fixed prizes make expected value easy to calculate, and in both games it is well below the ticket price, as it must be for the lottery to fund good causes and operate. The smaller wins in Thunderball, in particular, can create a feeling of regular success that does not reflect the overall balance. Keeping a note of what you have spent against what you have won over a few months is a useful exercise.
Related reading on site: Lotteries section; “How Lotto Odds Compare”.
Every National Lottery game is a game of chance. Play within your means.
