Blackpool Footballers Hope To Help Nation Score With EuroMillions

A EuroMillions frenzy is set to hit the UK as an estimated £82 million Mega Jackpot is unveiled, and to celebrate, The National Lottery has enlisted the help of Premier League footballers.

Blackpool FC was asked to choose their lucky numbers for the draw on Friday 1^st October and called on its players to take part in an alternative penalty shoot out with Lottery balls.

The team took to the pitch at Bloomfield Road and the first six balls which hit the back of the net were chosen as the clubs' lucky numbers.

Jason Euell said: "We've had a great start to the season and we're enjoying playing top flight football for the first time in 39 years.

"The National Lottery is hoping we will be able to share some of our good fortune with the nation and we were only too happy to help. Hopefully luck will be on our side at the weekend and we'll get a good result against Liverpool on Sunday.

"There is no greater feeling than scoring a goal, but I'm sure the £82 million EuroMillions' jackpot would come pretty close."

A National Lottery spokesperson said: "The UK has had an unbelievable run of luck on the EuroMillions in the past twelve months, banking over £297 million, and we are keeping our fingers crossed the Blackpool players will help continue this winning streak.

"Hopefully October will see another huge addition to our Rich List, and with £82 million to play with, you could share your wealth with all your friends and family, and still have plenty left to change your life beyond your wildest dreams."

According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2010, if you won the entire £82 million jackpot you would be richer than the original 007 himself, Sir Sean Connery (£80m). You would be a little way short of pop legends Robbie Williams (£85m) and George Michael (£90m).

Amazingly £82m worth of £50 notes laid from end to end would cover 255km - that's roughly one trip from Blackpool to Birmingham, and seven and a half times the distance from Dover to Calais. If stacked they would be approximately 180 metres high, which is nearly the size of the Blackpool tower - that's just under twice the height of Big Ben and over three times the height of Nelson's Column.

If no-one matches all five main numbers and two Lucky Star numbers to win the jackpot, then it will roll to the following Friday's draw (Oct 8). With nine countries now playing - the UK, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Portugal and Switzerland - EuroMillions is the world's biggest multinational lottery game by total population eligible to play.

EuroMillions offers a greater range of prizes than any other National Lottery draw, with 12 prize levels in total. In the UK it also includes the Millionaire Raffle which guarantees to create a millionaire on these shores every week. It costs £2 to play and tickets are available from over 28,500 National Lottery retailers across the UK, online at www.national-lottery.co.uk and via mobile phones using the Play by Text service.