Glitch hits Lottery ticket sales
The lottery website carried a message about the glitch
Customers have been unable to buy tickets for the National Lottery after problems with the network's communication system.
Lottery operator Camelot said the difficulties affected those buying in-store or via its website.
Camelot apologised to players and said engineers were working to resolve the "network issue".
It reassured people who had already bought their tickets that the draws would go ahead as usual.
A message on the lottery website on Saturday evening said: "Our Draw Games are closed. Why not try our exciting Instant Win Games?"
Camelot's spokesman said the problem had been "intermittent in retailers up and down the country" on Saturday.
The glitch had resulted in either slower than normal transactions or retailers being unable to perform transactions at all, he added.
