Daily lottery faces competition

Vernons to launch rival game to new daily lottery draw

A new daily lottery faces competition from a rival which promises better chances of hitting the jackpot.

Gaming giant Vernons plans to introduce a once-a-day draw to compete with Camelot's Daily Play game launched on Monday.

The two draws both aim to attract players by offering better odds of winning smaller prizes.

Camelot's Daily Play draw offers players a one-in-eight chance of winning cash, against odds of one in almost 14m of hitting the National Lottery jackpot.

Vernons claims its Florida 4 game will offer a 20% chance of winning.

Camelot's Daily Play is the company's latest attempt to reverse falling ticket sales.

Free tickets

The £1 Daily Play takes place at 2030 BST every day except Sunday.

Players pick seven numbers from 27 or opt for a "Lucky Dip".

We have never been afraid of competition and we will be happy to compare our sales figures after a year of being in the market Camelot spokesman

Those who match four numbers win £5, five numbers - £30, six numbers - £300, and all seven wins a £30,000 jackpot.

Those who fail to match any number to the winning combination will be entitled to a free "Lucky Dip" ticket.

Camelot says players can claim free tickets until they match one number or more.

The Florida 4 game launched on 7 October on the Vernons website, uses numbers from a daily draw in the US.

Players choose between one and four numbers out of 36.

Those who pay £1 and select one number win £5 if it is among four numbers drawn.

Good causes

The prize money increases the more numbers the player picks, up to a jackpot of £30,000 for matching all four.

Vernons spokesman Peter Ammundsen said: "Frankly, the National Lottery daily draw game looks poor value".

A Camelot spokesman said: "We have never been afraid of competition and we will be happy to compare our sales figures after a year of being in the market".

He said 28p from every ticket goes to good causes.

A Methodist Church spokeswoman fears the new draw plays on superstitions about "lucky" numbers.

Rachel Lampard, Methodist secretary for parliamentary and political affairs, said: "The introduction of a daily draw using the same format means that some people may feel that they have to play every day in order not to miss out on winning if "their" numbers come up".