Saturday evening’s National Lottery Lotto draw, typically a moment of excitement for millions across the UK, instead left players scratching their heads and refreshing their screens as a rare technical fault brought the live broadcast to a halt. The glitch, which occurred on October 25, 2025, just as the much-anticipated bonus ball was due to drop, prompted widespread confusion, a flurry of online outage reports, and a scramble by lottery officials to restore order—and trust—in one of Britain’s best-loved games of chance.
At around 8pm, viewers tuned in to the live stream as usual, expecting to see the full set of numbers drawn for the quadruple rollover jackpot, estimated at a whopping £10.5 million. But the proceedings took a turn when, after the main six balls were revealed, the bonus ball failed to appear. Instead, screens flashed a message: “Due to a technical fault we cannot stream this live draw. Please check National-Lottery.co.uk later for the draw results.” The broadcast cut out abruptly, and the bonus ball was left in limbo. As reported by BBC and other major outlets, the glitch left many ticket holders uncertain about their fate and eager for answers.
Online fault reporting service Downdetector registered a dramatic spike in problem reports at the moment of the draw, with over 200 people logging outages shortly after 8pm. Social media quickly lit up with frustrated comments from players. One user wrote on X, “Here we go again another lottery draw another technical fault this is happening nearly every draw and is totally unacceptable.” Another posted on Facebook, “There was a problem with the National Lottery Draw so hopefully we’ll get an update later on who won both draws.”
The National Lottery operator, Allwyn, responded swiftly, issuing a statement to reassure the public: “Due to the bonus ball not dropping during tonight’s Lotto draw, we have paused the draw. It will resume as soon as possible with an alternative draw machine and under the supervision of an independent adjudicator. We expect to complete tonight’s Lotto draw and publish the verified results on national-lottery.co.uk later this evening and apologise for the delay.” The company emphasized that the integrity of the draw was paramount and that the process would be overseen by an independent adjudicator to ensure fairness.
For many, the delay was a test of patience. The Lotto draw is usually conducted at 8pm, with the Thunderball draw following at 8:15pm. But on this particular Saturday, both draws were thrown off schedule. The Thunderball live stream also failed, with results posted around 8:35pm—about 20 minutes later than usual. The winning Thunderball numbers were eventually confirmed as 9, 11, 13, 28, 34, with the Thunderball itself being 13.
As the hours ticked by, anticipation mounted. Players were left to check the National Lottery website repeatedly, where the official results page initially stated “coming soon.” The verified Lotto numbers were finally published after 10:45pm, ending the suspense. The winning numbers for the main Lotto draw were: 4, 9, 28, 40, 42, 59, and—after much delay—the Bonus Ball was confirmed as 55. The Thunderball jackpot for the night stood at £500,000, while the Lotto’s quadruple rollover prize remained the evening’s headline figure.
This technical hiccup came on the heels of a similar incident just weeks earlier. On October 10, 2025, the EuroMillions draw also suffered a technical fault, prompting further questions about the reliability of the lottery’s broadcast systems. On Friday, October 24, the EuroMillions draw had no jackpot winners, with the main numbers being 07, 08, 25, 31, 45 and Lucky Star numbers 07, 12. The next EuroMillions jackpot was estimated at a staggering £54 million, ensuring that interest—and scrutiny—would remain high.
For many regular players, the National Lottery is more than just a game; it’s a weekly ritual, a moment of hope. The UK National Lottery, which first launched on November 19, 1994, has seen its fair share of memorable moments. The biggest ever Lotto winner took home £35 million in April 2016, while January of the same year saw two ticket-holders each claim £33 million. The main Lotto game’s largest jackpot before that was £42,008,610 in January 1996, split between three lucky winners. Even the New Year’s Eve draw in 2016 made headlines when a single ticket scooped £26.4 million.
Behind the scenes, the National Lottery’s impact runs much deeper than the headline-grabbing jackpots. Of every pound spent by players, 50% goes directly to the prize fund, 28% is allocated to good causes, 12% is collected by the government as duty, 5% rewards the retailers who sell tickets, and 5% covers the operating costs. This means that every ticket, win or lose, helps fund vital projects across the UK—from sports facilities and heritage sites to health initiatives and community programs.
Still, technical faults like Saturday night’s can shake public confidence, especially when they disrupt the flow of information and leave players in the dark. The National Lottery operator’s commitment to transparency—resuming the draw with a new machine, under the watchful eye of an independent adjudicator—was meant to reassure players that fairness and accuracy would not be compromised. As Allwyn stated, “We expect to complete tonight’s Lotto draw and publish the verified results on national-lottery.co.uk later this evening and apologise for the delay.”
For those who anxiously awaited the outcome, the delay was more than a minor inconvenience. With £10.5 million on the line, every minute felt longer. Yet, once the numbers were confirmed, the familiar anticipation returned: Who would be the next big winner? Would the jackpot roll over yet again? And could future draws avoid the technical snags that have recently plagued the system?
As the dust settles, the National Lottery faces renewed pressure to ensure smoother operations, especially with ever-increasing jackpots and the public’s trust at stake. For now, though, the numbers are in, the suspense is over, and the nation’s hopefuls can finally check their tickets—just a little later than planned.
