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The Saturday draw pulled in sales of £55.2m compared with sales of £44.3m in the previous Saturday's draw and £44.6m on April 27, just before the Lotto advertising campaign broke.

Last Saturday's draw was buoyed by Camelot's £72 m ad campaign, which features TV ads starring Billy Connolly, as well as radio, press and poster advertising.

The campaign also included an 18 million-piece door drop of tickets and a special offer allowing ticket buyers automatic entry in three £4m bonus draws on Saturday.

Four winners shared the main draw jackpot of £8.5m, while the bonus draws produced six winners, one taking home £4m and five winning £800,000.

Camelot, which renamed the game to differentiate it from the National Lottery brand, must maintain its improved sales performance if it is to fend off critics who have condemned the lottery operator for its sales dip in recent years.