Perhaps you’re considering to participate in the EuroMillions lottery. This lottery is incredibly popular all over Europe. It offers many prizes, including very high Jackpots. In total it has 13 prizes, including the Jackpot. It could be that you still have some questions about the EuroMillions lottery. Hopefully this information will help you make a good decision.
Number of participating countries
The EuroMillions lottery is organized on the European continent. Nine countries participate at this moment, namely France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Great-Britain, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The Netherlands doesn’t take part in the lottery, but it’s still possible to buy an EuroMillions ticket as a Dutch resident. You can purchase the ticket in Belgian stores or search for ‘EuroMillions’ tickets online. The ticket sale usually ends at 20.30 on the evening of the draw. You have some time to use them actually, because the lottery tickets are valid until 90 days after the draw date.
What are the National Lotteries for Euro Millions?
All stores were you can purchase a ticket are part of the National Lottery. For Dutch people a visit to a National Lottery Belgium store is the most easy. Always check before if a store is part of the National Lottery. Otherwise your ticket is not reliable. The national lotteries of every country:
– United Kingdom: National Lottery
– Belgium: Nationale Loterij
– Spain – Loterías y Apuestas del Estado
– France: La Française des Jeux
– Switzerland: Loterie Romande en Swisslos
– Austria: Oesterreichische Lotterien
– Ireland: An Post National Lottery Company
– Luxembourg: Loterie Nationale Luxembourg
When is the draw (live) on television?
Make sure that you’re in front of the television every Tuesday or Friday evening. Then the EuroMillions draw takes place, very exciting! It always takes place in the beautiful French capital Paris. An overview of the television channels on which you can watch the EuroMillions draw, including the time:
Belgium: VRT Één – 22:30 CET
United Kingdom – BBC1 – 22:30 GMT
Austria – ORF2 – 22:35 CET
France – TF1 – 23:25 CET
Ireland – RTE Eén – 21:00 GMT
Luxembourg – Télé Lëtzebuerg – RTL Lux 22:05 CET
Spain – TVE2 – 22:00 CET
Portugal – TVI – 21:00 CET
Switzerland – RTS Deux – 22:45 CET
High pay out ratio
The fact that the payout ratio of this lottery is quite high makes it even better. Of the total revenue about 91,40 % is being used for prizes. About 32 % of the total revenue is meant for the Jackpot. You’re the lucky winner when you have five numbers and two bonus numbers that correspond with the draw. These numbers are coming from a range of 1-50 and the bonus, that has a 1-11 range, is called the ‘Lucky Star’. Since September 2016 the lottery has added a 12th star. This means that the Jackpot money of EuroMillions has increased.
What is the Super Draws?
Sometimes the excitement about EuroMillions during the so called ‘Super Draws’. During this great event a Jackpot of 100 million euros, about 80.000.000 pounds, is guaranteed! However, this doesn’t say that there will a Jackpot hit immediately. It could also happen a week later, but with an even bigger prize. The maximum prize money of EuroMillions is about 190 million euros.
What is the Millionaire Maker?
In Great Britain there’s also an extra game involved called the ‘Millionaire Maker’. It’s only meant for United Kingdom players. A special draw takes place in which someone can win 1 million pounds. The extra lottery is free and makes MegaMillions even more exciting. You can win extra money with an extra code on your ticket. Until October 2014 it was called ‘Millionaire Raffle’. However, the people behind the lottery thought that Millionaire Maker sounded better. This lottery definitely creates millionaires. The biggest Jackpot hit ever took place in the United Kingdom in 2012. Adrian and Gillian Bayford were the lucky winners of an astonishing 190.000.000 euros!
What is the minimum age to join this lottery?
All players of EuroMillions have to be 18 years or older. However, players from the United Kingdom are an exception to this rule. Young and old has the chance to win millions of euros. The chance of winning the Jackpot is not very high though, about 1:116.531.800. There is a no limit at the number of times the EuroMillions Jackpot can be won. So if it doesn’t happen this time, maybe next. Your chance of winning a EuroMillions prize is much higher than the Jackpot, 1:13 to be precisely.
When was the first EuroMillions draw?
EuroMillions was established in 2004, and has grown into one of the most popular lotteries in Europe. This transnational lottery is organized in countries like the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Austria, Belgium, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. People from countries like Andorra, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and the Isle of Man participate as well. So at the weekly draw in Paris on Tuesday and Friday people all over Europe are excited!
How does EuroMillions work?
The rules of EuroMillions are really simple. When you purchase a lottery ticket you need to make a number combination from a range of 1 to 50. Also pick 2 extra numbers out of a 1-12 range. You can either choose the numbers manually, or choose ‘easy pick’. In that case the numbers for the draw are generated randomly. One of the great things about EuroMillions is that every adult person around the globe can participate. You can purchase the lottery tickets easily online.
Jackpot money increases
On Tuesday and Friday at 21.00 CET and 20.00 GMT it’s time to put your television on for the EuroMillions draw! It’s very exciting to see the 50 standard balls and 12 special balls that are drawn. After someone has won the Jackpot, the prize money starts again at 17 million euros. Obviously there’s no Jackpot hit every time. In that case the prize money is increased with 12 million dollars. So this lottery is definitely worth trying!
What are the prrize categories and taxes?
EuroMillions has many prize categories. They are divided between standard balls and special balls. For example, you can end up in prize categories like 1+2B, 3+0PB, 4+2PB, 5+1PB and 5+2PB. You win when the standard balls match with the special balls. The exact amount of the secondary prizes isn’t known beforehand because it depends on the winning tickets that are sold and the complete prize pool. You always receive your EuroMillions money ‘lump sump’, which means that the total amount of money is transferred to your account. However, winners of more than 2500 euros do need to pay a federal tax of 20 percent.