Lottery, Bingo & Number Games
Lottery rollover
When a lottery prize is not won or claimed, the money is added to the prize fund of a future draw rather than being kept by the operator.
- Also called
- Rollover
- Applies to
- Lottery draws, especially progressive-jackpot lotteries
- UK legal definition
- An unallocated prize added to prizes in a subsequent lottery; prizes carried to the next draw of the same lottery are excluded2
- Regulation
- Under the Gambling Act 2005, customer lotteries must not include a rollover; society and local authority lotteries may use them only within prize limits13
Key points
- If no one wins a prize or a prize goes unclaimed, that money is carried into a later draw, making the jackpot larger1.
- A rollover is defined by mechanism, not by a fixed amount; the term describes the carry-forward, not the size of the prize1.
- In UK law, a rollover is specifically an unallocated prize added to a later draw, but prizes carried to the next draw of the same lottery are excluded from that definition2.
- Rollovers may continue until the jackpot is won or the game’s rules stop the carry-forward4.
How a rollover works
When a lottery draw produces no winner for a prize tier, or a winning ticket is not claimed, the prize money does not disappear. Instead, it is added to the corresponding prize fund in the next draw.1 This can increase the jackpot significantly over successive draws, a feature common in progressive-jackpot lotteries. The rollover continues until the prize is won or the lottery’s rules cap the carry-forward.4
Where this term is used
Related terms
Sources
- Lottery submissions guidance - Common terms and ... gamblingcommission.gov.uk Defines rollover and explains how unclaimed prizes are carried forward in UK lotteries.
- Gambling Act 2005 - Promoting a lottery legislation.gov.uk Provides the statutory definition of rollover under the Gambling Act 2005.
- Gambling Act 2005 - Legislation.gov.uk legislation.gov.uk Specifies the prohibition of rollovers in customer lotteries and the conditions for society lotteries.
- Socioeconomic correlates of the lottery rollover effect in ... tandfonline.com Describes the rollover effect and how rollovers continue until a jackpot is won.
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.