Noel Edmonds at the helm for record-busting £57.8m Lotto jackpot draw

Updated

TV star Noel Edmonds will push the button for tonight's record £57.8m Lotto jackpot draw - more than two decades after presenting the first National Lottery show.

In a statement issued by Camelot, the Deal Or No Deal host wished Lotto players the best of luck amid an "unprecedented" level of interest in its highest ever main prize.

Edmonds, who presided over the first ever draw in November 1994, said: "I'm absolutely delighted to be taking part in tonight's Lotto's record breaking draw.

"I was honoured to be asked to host the first National Lottery draw and I'm proud to be pushing the button tonight on such a historic occasion.

"The life-changing jackpot has to be won so I'd like to wish every National Lottery player the best of luck."

Camelot expects to be selling more than 400 tickets per second in the last hour before sales close at 7.30pm.

And after 14 rollovers, new rules stipulate tonight's jackpot must be won or shared out.

New rules, which come into play when a jackpot passes £50 million, dictate that if no players match all six numbers, the prize will be shared between winners in the next tier where there is at least one winner - most likely those who have just five main numbers and the bonus ball.

The recent run of rollovers follows the number of balls in the draw increasing from 49 to 59 in October, reducing the odds on a player's six numbers coming up from around one in 14 million to one in 45 million.

Tonight's prize eclipses the previous highest jackpot of £42 million shared by three winners in 1996.

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