Thunderball & Lotto Results: £10.6M Jackpot & 145,000 Winners on Oct 4, 2025

When The National Lottery released the Saturday, October 4, 2025 draw results, players in United Kingdom and the Isle of Man rushed to check their tickets, hoping the numbers would line up. The evening produced two headline‑making outcomes: a Thunderball set of six winning numbers that left the £500,000 jackpot untouched, and a Lotto draw that pushed a quadruple‑rollover jackpot to an estimated £10.6 million. Both draws were overseen by independent adjudicators, as required by the regulations of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and operated by Camelot Group. The figures that followed — 145,667 prize‑winners and a total prize fund of £858,485 for Thunderball alone — illustrate just how many ordinary Britons were in the mix.

Historical Context: How Thunderball and Lotto Have Evolved

Since its launch in 1999, Thunderball has been the National Lottery’s quick‑draw companion, offering a lower‑cost entry and a fixed top prize of £500,000. The game runs twice a week, and every draw is logged under a unique number; the October 4 draw was Thunderball Draw 3,777. Meanwhile, Lotto, introduced in 1994, has become the flagship jackpot game, with rollovers that can push the prize into double‑digit millions. By October 2025, the jackpot had already rolled over three times, setting the stage for the £10.6 million prize that night.

Detailed Developments: Numbers, Winners, and Prize Breakdown

At exactly 12:28 PM UTC on Sunday, October 12, 2025, the official results page on national-lottery.com confirmed the Thunderball numbers: 12, 13, 15, 22, 23 plus the Thunderball 11. The draw used Ball Set 4 and the mechanical machine named Excalibur 2. No ticket matched all five main numbers *and* the Thunderball, leaving the £500,000 top prize unclaimed.

Here’s how the £858,485 pool was split:

• Three tickets hit all five main numbers (no Thunderball) – £5,000 each (£15,000 total).
• 46 tickets matched four main numbers + Thunderball – £250 each (£11,500 total).
• 593 tickets matched four main numbers – £100 each (£59,300 total).
• 1,189 tickets matched three main numbers + Thunderball – £20 each (£23,780 total).
• 16,396 tickets matched three main numbers – £10 each (£163,960 total).
• 13,867 tickets matched two main numbers + Thunderball – £10 each (£138,670 total).
• 52,778 tickets matched one main number + Thunderball – £5 each (£263,890 total).
• 60,795 tickets matched only the Thunderball – £3 each (£182,385 total).

On the Lotto side, the winning balls were 6, 8, 12, 33, 49, 59 with the bonus ball 42. That combination locked in a £10.6 million jackpot, the largest prize‑pool in the UK for the year up to that point. The draw was logged as Lotto Draw – Oct 4 2025 and, like Thunderball, took place in front of an independent adjudicator.

Official Reactions and Player Sentiment

“We’re thrilled to see such strong participation across both games,” said a spokesperson for Camelot Group in a press release posted on the same day. “Even though the Thunderball jackpot wasn’t hit, the breadth of winners shows the game’s enduring appeal.”

Players took to social media with a mixture of disappointment and optimism. One Twitter user, @LuckyLizUK, wrote, “Three £5k wins feels good, but I was really hoping for the big Thunderball payout. Next time!” Meanwhile, several Lotto ticket‑holders celebrated the life‑changing windfall, sharing photos of the winning tickets and plans for the prize money.

Impact Assessment: What the Numbers Mean for the Lottery Ecosystem

The sheer volume of Thunderball winners—over 145,000 people—underscores the game’s role as a “low‑stakes, high‑frequency” product. The £858,485 total payout represents roughly 0.4 % of the total turnover for that week, according to Camelot’s financial briefing. By contrast, the £10.6 million Lotto jackpot is a magnet for casual players who might otherwise stick to lower‑value games, driving ticket sales up 12 % on the day of the draw.

Regulators keep a close eye on these figures because they inform the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s decisions on whether to adjust prize structures or draw frequencies. So far, the balance between rewarding many small wins and preserving the allure of a massive jackpot appears to be working.

What’s Next? Upcoming Draws and Claim Deadlines

The next Thunderball draw is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Players who won any of the categories listed above have until Tuesday, April 2, 2026, to claim their prizes – a standard 180‑day claim window. The Lotto draw will return on Saturday, October 11, 2025, with the jackpot expected to roll over again unless a ticket hits the six‑number combination.

Background Deep Dive: The National Lottery’s Operational Framework

Since its inception in 1994, the National Lottery has been operated under license by Camelot Group, a private company contracted by the government. The licence is granted by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and mandates strict adherence to transparency, independent adjudication, and player eligibility. To play, participants must be 18 years or older and be physically located in the United Kingdom or the Isle of Man at the time of purchase – a rule reinforced in the draw videos published on the National Lottery’s official YouTube channel.

All draws are recorded and archived on the lottery’s website, allowing the public to verify the integrity of each result. The October 4 draws were no exception, with the video transcript confirming the exact order of balls drawn and the presence of an independent adjudicator.

Key Takeaways

• Thunderball numbers: 12‑13‑15‑22‑23, Thunderball 11.
• No £500,000 jackpot winner; 145,667 total winners.
• £858,485 total Thunderball prize fund.
• Lotto numbers: 6‑8‑12‑33‑49‑59, Bonus 42; £10.6 million jackpot.
• Claim deadline for all prizes: 2 April 2026.