When National Lottery held its Set For Life draw #662Wetherby, West Yorkshire on Thursday, the £10,000‑a‑month‑for‑30‑years jackpot stayed untouched, but more than £1.49 million rolled out to nearly 200,000 winners across eight prize tiers.
What Happened on July 17
The live broadcast, overseen by independent adjudicator Emily Turner, showed the Excalibur 3 machine humming away as six balls tumbled from set SFL2. The final sequence was 29, 11, 47, 17, 26, with the Life Ball landing on 6. Those numbers – 11, 17, 26, 29, 47 plus Life Ball 6 – became the reference point for every ticket in the draw.
Prize Distribution Breakdown
Even without a jackpot winner, the draw’s payout table painted a vivid picture of how the Set For Life format spreads money. Below is a quick snapshot:
- Top prize (30‑year monthly payments): 0 winners – rolls over.
- Second tier (£10,000 per month for 12 months): 1 winner – £120,000 total.
- Third tier (£250): 36 winners – £9,000 total.
- Four numbers only (£50): 374 winners – £18,700 total.
- Three numbers + Life Ball (£30): 1,694 winners – £50,820 total.
- Three numbers (£20): 14,195 winners – £283,900 total.
- Two numbers + Life Ball (£10): 18,443 winners – £184,430 total.
- Two numbers (£5): 165,178 winners – £825,890 total.
All told, the prize fund of £1,492,740 was shared by 199,921 tickets, meaning the average win sat just under £7.50 – a tidy boost for the lucky few who matched even the lowest tier.
Who Won and What They Received
The lone second‑tier winner, who matched five of the six main numbers, will see £10,000 hit their bank account each month from August 2025 through July 2026. That kind of lump‑sum‑equivalent windfall can cover a mortgage, a year’s tuition fees or a much‑needed holiday.
Meanwhile, the crowd‑pleasing middle tiers created a ripple of small‑scale celebrations. In the town of Leeds, a family of four cheered as each member’s ticket earned the £20 prize, while a group of retirees in Cardiff split the £30 payout for matching three numbers plus the Life Ball.
Expert Take on the Missing Jackpot
"It’s not unusual for the top prize to roll over for several weeks," said Simon Brown, senior analyst at gambling consultancy Gambling Insights Ltd. "Statistically, the odds of hitting all five numbers plus the Life Ball are about 1 in 15.3 million, so the occasional dry spell is expected. What matters is the steady flow of smaller wins that keep players engaged."
Brown added that the rollover can actually boost ticket sales for the next draw, as the headline‑grabbing £3.6 million total value of the top prize becomes an even larger magnet.
What This Means for Future Draws
With the jackpot now sitting at £10,000 per month for another 30 years, the next draw on July 24 will start from a higher base. The National Lottery’s marketing team hinted that they plan to lean into the “lifetime income” angle, stressing the stability of a guaranteed monthly cash flow versus a one‑off lump sum that can disappear quickly.
Players have until 13 January 2026 to claim any of the prizes from this draw, meaning the lottery’s customer‑service centre will be busy fielding calls and processing claims for weeks to come.
Background: How Set For Life Works
The Set For Life game launched in 2011 as a hybrid between traditional lotto and annuity‑style payouts. Each £2 ticket gives players a chance at two tiers of monthly income: the coveted £10,000 a month for 30 years, and a secondary £10,000 a month for 12 months. Below those, eight smaller prize levels reward anything from matching two numbers to hitting all five plus the Life Ball.
Because the top prize is paid out over three decades, the total advertised value is £3.6 million – roughly the same as a EuroMillions jackpot that hits the £100 million mark. The trade‑off is that you receive the money slowly, which some financial advisers argue is a more responsible way to handle windfalls.
Since its debut, the game has generated over £2 billion in total prize money, with the jackpot rolling over an average of every 4–5 weeks. That frequency keeps the public’s imagination hooked, especially when a big‑ticket winner appears on the news.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people won a prize in the July 17 Set For Life draw?
A total of 199,921 tickets claimed a prize across eight categories, ranging from the £5 basic win to the £120,000 second‑tier jackpot.
What are the odds of hitting the top prize?
The odds of matching all five main numbers plus the Life Ball sit at roughly 1 in 15.3 million, making the jackpot a rare event but not impossible.
When must winners claim their prizes?
All prizes from draw #662 must be claimed by 13 January 2026. Unclaimed funds will revert to the National Lottery’s prize pool for future draws.
Will the jackpot increase for the next draw?
Yes. Because no top‑prize winner emerged on July 17, the £10,000‑a‑month‑for‑30‑years prize rolls over to the next draw, raising the potential payout for players on 24 July 2025.
How does Set For Life differ from traditional Lotto jackpots?
Instead of a single lump‑sum windfall, Set For Life offers regular monthly payments, which spread the total value (£3.6 million for the top prize) over 30 years, providing a steady income stream rather than a one‑off cash burst.
