There's never been a better day to play the lottery, mathematically speaking

In Saturday's draw the 'expected value' of a ticket is greater than its cost. Don't get too excited: the odds of hitting the jackpot with six balls are still 1 in 45m

Buying a ticket for today's national lottery draw makes mathematical sense for the first time in its history.

The jackpot - which will be around 58m - is the largest since the lottery began in 1994. But that's not what makes today's draw unusually interesting.