The launch of the Monday lottery was delayed by four hours yesterday after the company's website crashed under the weight of users trying to log on. 

The opening draw was supposed to take place at 8pm UK time, but lottery operator Chariot extended the time to midnight to give other players a chance to take part. 

The launch was the culmination of three years' work from the initial idea. It was set up as a rival to the National Lottery and the idea was to offer better odds than its competitor. 

"It would have 27 times better odds of winning a jackpot, two draws instead of one, a jackpot winner every week, better smaller prizes and five times more of a player's £1 going to charity than on the National Lottery," says the Monday website.

Monday will give 30p from every £1 spent to 70 partner charities, and players can choose which charity to donate to from a list of five candidates each week.