Lottery players could get £5 for matching just two numbers under new rules

National Lottery players could win £5 for matching just two numbers under new rules.

The mass cash payouts will apply to certain “must be won” draws after the jackpot rolls over five times and no-one matches all six main numbers to win it outright, said operator Camelot.

The new Lotto rules mean lower-tier winners can collect £5 along with their usual “lucky dip” re-entry card from November 7.

“We know an unexpected extra fiver – which could be spent on a box of chocolates, a book or magazine, or to treat a friend to a coffee – can really put a smile on someone’s face,” said commercial director Neil Brocklehurst.

Separate changes include so-called “big September” draws, kicking off with a £20 million “must be won” draw on September 5.

It will be followed by two EuroMillions draws, one guaranteeing 20 UK millionaires on September 18 and one offering a mega jackpot of more than £100 million on September 25, said Camelot.

There are normally between 950,000 and 1.3 million ticket-holders who match two numbers in a Lotto “must be won draw”, it added.