New research has identified London as the UK's unluckiest region for People's Postcode Lottery wins, with six of the ten worst-performing postcode districts located in the capital. The findings, compiled by Bingotastic, rank postcode districts by the number of wins per 1,000 active postcodes, and Western Central London (WC) came in last place overall.
Blackpool crowned Britain's most fortunate location
At the opposite end of the scale, Blackpool emerged as the nation's luckiest spot. The FY postcode district recorded 357 victories across 7,392 active postcodes, delivering a success rate of 48.30 wins per 1,000 postcodes. The broader Blackpool region contains just over two GP practices per 1,000 active postcodes, according to the Blackpool JSNA Profile and Doogal, meaning residents are statistically more likely to secure a lottery win than find a doctor's surgery locally.
The Outer Hebrides secured second place with 47 wins across 980 postcodes, delivering a win rate of 47.96 wins per 1,000 postcodes. Sheffield took third, recording the highest total number of wins anywhere in the top 10 with 1,547 wins across 34,494 active postcodes, producing a win rate of 44.85 wins per 1,000.
London's poor performance detailed
London's WC postcode district, encompassing Western Central London, witnessed merely 12 victories across 2,544 postcodes, resulting in a win rate of 4.72 per 1,000 postcodes. East Central London (EC) fared little better, registering 23 wins across 3,569 postcodes, equivalent to 6.44 wins per 1,000 postcodes.
West London claimed third from bottom with 12.25 wins per 1,000 postcodes, while North West London followed with 15.43. South West London, North London and East London also feature in the bottom 10, meaning six of the ten unluckiest postcode districts are located in the capital. Kingston upon Thames, Llandrindod Wells and Watford round off the bottom of the rankings.
Top 10 and human stories behind the wins
Cardiff secured fourth spot with 1,048 wins across 23,402 postcodes, while Motherwell claimed fifth with 442 wins across 9,871 postcodes. The margin between the two is negligible, with Cardiff logging 44.782 wins per 1,000 postcodes compared with Motherwell's 44.778. Preston, Stoke-on-Trent, Southend-on-Sea, Paisley and Inverness complete the top 10.
Andrew Palmer, founder of Bingotastic, reflected on the research: "The most interesting part of this study wasn't reading who came out on top or bottom, but reading the stories behind some of the wins. You have people winning money at some of the toughest moments in their lives. One woman found out that she had won £144,000 a day after major surgery, while another had received his late wife's £30,000 prize just days after passing away."
He continued: "Then you read what these people want to do with their money, and it is heartwarming. Rarely is it anything outrageous, but something like helping their children, retiring a little earlier, or taking the family on a holiday that they have been putting off for years."
The research, which was ordered to showcase the most and least fortunate locations across the UK, used the quantity of wins per 1,000 active postcodes to avoid inherently benefiting larger postcode districts. The findings highlight a stark contrast between the fortunes of Blackpool and London, with the capital's residents historically experiencing the poorest winning postcode performance.
