Since it launched in March 2019, Set For Life has quietly become one of the National Lottery’s most talked-about games — not because of eye-watering single jackpots like EuroMillions, but because it dangles something different: a guaranteed £10,000 a month, paid out for decades. So how many Brits have actually landed it, how does the game work, and who are the biggest winners so far?
How many people have won?
More than 95 individuals had claimed the top prize in Set For Life — £10,000 a month for 30 years — with that total covering winners from 2019 through mid-2025. Around 18 jackpot winners were recorded in 2020, roughly 20 in 2021, and about 17 in 2022, putting the typical annual haul somewhere between half a dozen and twenty top-tier winners.
That’s just the headline prize. Millions more players win smaller amounts every week — a typical Set For Life draw can see well over 150,000 winners across all the prize tiers, most taking home modest sums of a few pounds for matching two or three numbers. One notable Monday draw in 2025 saw more than 216,000 people win a prize, with over £8 million paid out that single night, and two separate players landed the jackpot in the same draw — a rare double worth a combined £7.2 million.
How Set For Life works
Players choose five main numbers between 1 and 47, plus one “Life Ball” from 1 to 10. Draws are held twice a week, on Monday and Thursday evenings, and each entry costs £1.50 per line.
The prize structure is what sets the game apart:
- Match all 5 numbers + Life Ball: £10,000 every month for 30 years (£3.6 million total)
- Match all 5 numbers (no Life Ball): £10,000 per month for one year (£120,000 total)
- Smaller matches: fixed cash prizes ranging from £5 up to £250 depending on how many numbers are matched
Crucially, the top two tiers can’t be cashed out as a lump sum. Neither the 30-year prize nor the one-year prize can be taken as a single payment — both are paid strictly in monthly instalments. Should a winner die before their term ends, payments can continue to a named beneficiary or the winner’s estate.
The odds
Set For Life is considerably easier to win outright than the National Lottery‘s bigger games. The odds of landing the jackpot stand at roughly 1 in 15,339,390 — far shorter than the 1 in 45,057,474 chance of scooping the Lotto jackpot, or the 1 in 139,838,160 odds attached to EuroMillions.
Notable winners
Most Set For Life winners choose to stay anonymous or keep a low profile, but a handful have shared their stories publicly over the years.
| Winner | When | Prize tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vicky Mitchell (Halifax) | August 2019 | 30 years | One of the earliest known winners, playing a Lucky Dip ticket; continued working after winning the lottery and used winnings on savings and European trips |
| Laura Hoyle & Kirk Stevens (Hucknall, Notts) | March 2021 | 30 years | Won during the third Covid lockdown; the moment was filmed and went viral after Laura queried whether she could really quit her job |
| Sam Gray (Whitley Bay) | May 2022 | 1 year | A 46-year-old bank worker who used part of her winnings to fund a family holiday and help a dog shelter |
| James Briggs & wife Sally (Walsall) | August 2023 | 1 year | Discovered their win a month after the draw and put the money towards home improvements |
| Joanne Jobson (Hartlepool) | Early 2024 | 30 years | 51-year-old carer who scooped the full prize |
| Adrian Brennan | January 2025 | 1 year | Won £10,000 a month for a year |
| James Evans (Derbyshire) | February 2025 | 30 years | Left his landscaping job and is now spending time on the ski slopes |
| Olivia Love (Glasgow) | May 2025 | 1 year | A 36-year-old mum now building a business as a wedding content creator |
| Sandra Hall (Stoke-on-Trent) | 2025 | 30 years | A 61-year-old carer who chose to keep working after her win |
| Two anonymous winners | February 2025 | 30 years each | A rare double jackpot win worth a combined £7.2 million |
The bigger picture
Set For Life sits alongside Lotto and EuroMillions as one of six National Lottery games, a franchise that has run in the UK since its first draw on 19 November 1994. Unlike those games’ record-breaking lump sums — EuroMillions’ UK record stands at £209.3 million and Lotto’s at £66 million — Set For Life was designed to appeal to players who prefer steady, salary-style income over a single life-altering cheque. With draws twice a week and roughly a dozen or more jackpot winners minted most years, the format has clearly found its audience: proof that not every lottery dream has to arrive all at once.