Lottery rollover: Statistician says odds of winning 'less than ever'

The chances of winning the National Lottery jackpot are "less than ever", a statistician has claimed, ahead of Wednesday's draw for a record £50.4m.

Rob Mastrodomenico, founder of the consultancy Global Sports Statistics, said the increased number of balls from 49 to 59, had increased the number of rollovers but also reduced the odds of people selecting winning numbers.

The previous largest jackpot was £42m, which was shared between three separate ticket holders in January 1996.