EuroMillions

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A map of the countries that participate in EuroMillions. Blue are the original countries and red are the next countries that joined.

EuroMillions is a pan-European lottery, launched by Camelot on Saturday February 7, 2004. The first draw took place on Friday February 13, 2004 in Paris. The UK, France and Spain were involved initially, but lotteries from Austria, Belgium, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland subsequently joined the draw on 8 October 2004.

Draws are held every Friday evening, and take place in Paris. Tickets cost €2 per play in most countries above. In the UK, it is the equivalent in Pound Sterling, rounded to the nearest 10p (although it has been fixed at £1.50 since the draw began). In Switzerland it is the equivalent in Swiss franc, rounded to nearest 10c (although it has been fixed at 3.20 CHF since the draw began). Prizes, aside from the jackpot, are sized according to participation per country.

1 How to play
2 Prize structure
3 Notable wins
4 Distribution of revenue
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] How to play

Select 5 main numbers which can be any integer from 1 to 50
Select 2 lucky star numbers which can be any integer from 1 to 9

During the draw, 5 main and 2 lucky star numbers are then drawn at random from two draw machines containing numbered balls. The machines containing 50 balls is called Stresa, and the one containing nine is the Paquerette

[edit] Prize structure

Main numbers	Lucky stars	Odds	% of prize fund[1]
2	1	1 in 39	24.0%
1	2	1 in 103	10.1%
3	0	1 in 367	4.7%
2	2	1 in 538	4.4%
3	1	1 in 551	5.1%
3	2	1 in 7,705	1.0%
4	0	1 in 16,143	0.7%
4	1	1 in 24,215	1.0%
4	2	1 in 339,002	1.5%
5	0	1 in 3,632,160	2.1%
5	1	1 in 5,448,240	7.4%
5	2	1 in 76,275,360	22.0%

The odds of winning any prize at all are 1 in 24.
16% of the prize fund is allocated to a "Booster Fund" which can be used to boost the jackpot prize.
The figures for estimated prize are just a guide, and the actual amount varies according to the total in the prize fund and the number of winners for each prize. (Estimated prizes as per reverse of UK playslip)
If the Jackpot is not won, it rolls over until the following week. However, if the jackpot is not won on the twelfth successive week (i.e., eleven rollovers), then the jackpot prize is "rolled down" by distributing it between winners of the next level instead of rolling it forward again.[2]
- Note: An exception to this rule would have been on 3 February 2006, which, if the jackpot had not been won, the jackpot would have been carried over for a thirteenth week (at which point it would have rolled down, if not won on 10 February).
New rules introduced on January 4, 2007 and taking effect February 9, 2007 limit the number of consecutive draws to eleven, with the jackpot rolling down to lower prize levels in the eleventh draw if the jackpot is not won. The new rules also introduced "Event Draws" also referred to as "Superdraws", in which there will be a guarantee of the minimum amount which is available to pay prizes in the Match 5 and 2 Lucky Stars Prize Category; if an Event Draw isn't won it will be rolled down. [3] The first Event Draw will be February 9, 2007 for €100m (£66m, 165m sfr) to celebrate the Euromillions third birthday.

[edit] Notable wins

On February 9, 2007, a Belgian man won the EuroMillions prize of €100 million ($132 million or £67.9 million) with a ticket bought in a newspaper shop in Tienen. This is the biggest lottery win in Belgium and the second-biggest individual win in EuroMillions history.

By 17 November 2006, after rolling over 11 times, the EuroMillions jackpot reached €183 million ($241 million or £124 million). No ticket matched all the winning numbers for the 12th draw, so the jackpot was divided among the 20 tickets that matched 5 numbers and 1 lucky star. Each such ticket was worth €9.6 million ($12.6 million). That is 5% of the jackpot plus the regular match 5 +1 prize. 7 of the 20 tickets were sold in the United Kingdom, 4 in France, 3 each in Portugal and Spain, 2 in the Republic of Ireland, and 1 in Belgium.

On 31 March 2006, after rolling over 6 times, the EuroMillions prize of €75,753,123 ($100,175,909) was won by one Belgian man, the second biggest win ever in Belgium, and the third-biggest prize won by a single person.

On 3 February 2006, after rolling over 11 times, the EuroMillions prize of €180 million ($238 million) was won by three ticket holders, two in France and one in Portugal. The three winners won €60 million ($79 million) each.[4]

On 31 July 2005, after rolling over 9 times, the EuroMillions prize of €115 million ($152 million) was won on a ticket purchased in Garryowen, Limerick, Ireland. The winner was Dolores McNamara, mother of six; she remains the biggest individual winner in Euromillions history. She claimed the prize on 4 August at the Irish National Lottery's headquarters in Dublin. [5]