Thunderball results: Here are the winning numbers for August 17

The 3,123rd Thunderball draw took place on Wednesday and had a whopping 111,694 winners that shared the prize fund amounting to £618,290.

The winning numbers were 7,14,20,25 and 39. The Thunderball for this draw was 5.

The Lotto website provided a breakdown of all prizes and reported that while there was no winner of the coveted £500,000 awarded for matching 5 numbers plus the Thunderball, there was one lucky winner of £5,000 for matching the 5 numbers. There were also 17 winners that shared the £4,250 for matching 4 balls plus the Thunderball, amounting to £250 per winner.

There were 310 winners for the match 4 category and shared the £31,000 prize, winning £100 per player.

How do you play Thunderball?

Players are required to pick five main numbers from 1 to 39 and one 'Thunderball' number from 1 to 14 for an entry fee of £1 per line to be eligible for the Thunderball jackpot draw. Prizes are won by matching the Thunderball number or at least three main numbers alone. The prize increases with the more numbers matched and the fewer players you have to share the prize fund with.

They say the odds of winning the top prize of £500,000 are only 1 in 8,060,598. Nevertheless, it continues to be one of the more popular national lottery games as you only need a matching Thunderball to win a prize. Also, as the top prize is limited to £500,000 and it's played four days a week- on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the player pool is smaller and your chances of qualifying for at least one of the smaller prizes are higher.

Thunderball tickets may be bought in person at approved UK premises or online at accredited sites. As of April 2021, only those 18 years old and above may purchase scratchcards or play Lotto, Thunderball, EuroMillions or Set For Life.

Thunderball purchases made on the website or app cannot be cancelled once the "confirm pay slip" prompt has been accepted.