EuroMillions is the lottery most people think of when they picture a nine-figure jackpot. It is a transnational game played across nine European countries, including the UK, and its structure differs from Lotto in several important ways — from the numbers you pick to how the jackpot is capped. Here is how it works.
The countries involved
EuroMillions launched in February 2004 with three founding members: the UK, France and Spain. Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland joined later that year. Each country’s national lottery operator sells tickets and pays prizes locally, but the prize pools are combined across all participants. That pooling is the reason the jackpots dwarf those of any single-country lottery.
How a line works
A EuroMillions line has two parts:
- Five main numbers from 1 to 50.
- Two Lucky Stars from 1 to 12.
To win the jackpot, all seven must match. Draws take place on Tuesday and Friday evenings in Paris, and results are published shortly afterwards. Lines cost more than a Lotto line, reflecting the larger prize pool.
Prize tiers and odds
There are 13 prize tiers. The table shows the match required and the approximate odds per line.
| Tier | Match | Approximate odds |
| 1 | 5 + 2 Lucky Stars | 1 in 139,838,160 |
| 2 | 5 + 1 Lucky Star | 1 in 6,991,908 |
| 3 | 5 | 1 in 3,107,515 |
| 4 | 4 + 2 | 1 in 621,503 |
| 5 | 4 + 1 | 1 in 31,076 |
| 6 | 3 + 2 | 1 in 14,126 |
| 7 | 4 | 1 in 13,812 |
| 8 | 2 + 2 | 1 in 986 |
| 9 | 3 + 1 | 1 in 707 |
| 10 | 3 | 1 in 314 |
| 11 | 1 + 2 | 1 in 188 |
| 12 | 2 + 1 | 1 in 50 |
| 13 | 2 | 1 in 22 |
The chance of winning any prize on a single line is about 1 in 13. All tiers except the jackpot are pari-mutuel: a fixed percentage of the prize fund is allocated to each tier and shared among that tier’s winners across all countries, so the amounts vary from draw to draw. A tier 13 win might be worth £2 to £4; a tier 3 win can be anything from £20,000 to over £100,000 depending on how many players share it.
Rollovers and the jackpot cap
When nobody matches all seven numbers, the jackpot rolls over to the next draw. Unlike Lotto, there is no fixed number of rollovers; the jackpot instead grows until it reaches a cap.
The cap has been raised several times since launch. When the jackpot reaches it, the following rules apply:
- The jackpot stays at the cap for a limited number of consecutive draws.
- Any money that would have increased the jackpot instead flows down to the next prize tier that has winners.
- If the final capped draw produces no tier-1 winner, the jackpot is shared among the winners of the highest tier that does have winners.
Because the cap figure changes, check the official National Lottery site for the current amount before writing or quoting it.
| Feature | EuroMillions | UK Lotto |
| Numbers | 5 from 50 + 2 from 12 | 6 from 59 |
| Draw days | Tuesday, Friday | Wednesday, Saturday |
| Jackpot odds | ~1 in 139.8m | ~1 in 45.1m |
| Rollover limit | Cap-based | 5 rollovers then Must Be Won |
| Prize tiers | 13 | 6 |
| Lower tiers | Shared pool | Mostly fixed |
UK Millionaire Maker
Every EuroMillions line bought in the UK automatically includes a Millionaire Maker code — a combination of letters and numbers printed on the ticket. In each draw, one code is selected at random and its holder wins £1 million regardless of the main numbers. This is a UK-only add-on funded from UK ticket sales; other countries run their own equivalents. The odds depend on how many tickets are sold, but are typically in the low millions to one — considerably shorter than the jackpot.
Superdraws and special events
Several times a year the participating lotteries announce a Superdraw, in which the jackpot is set to a large guaranteed amount — often €130 million or more — irrespective of the rollover sequence. Superdraws are announced in advance and reliably increase ticket sales. Occasionally the UK also runs special Millionaire Maker events in which multiple codes are drawn, guaranteeing many £1 million winners on a single night.
Claiming and tax
UK winners claim through the UK operator and, as with all UK lottery prizes, the winnings are tax-free. The 180-day claim deadline applies. Prizes won in other EuroMillions countries are subject to those countries’ rules, including tax in some cases — so a ticket bought while on holiday abroad is handled differently from one bought at home.
Playing sensibly
The jackpot odds are roughly three times longer than Lotto’s, and the ticket costs more. The larger jackpots and Millionaire Maker offset that in a way players find attractive, but the fundamental picture is unchanged: the expected return on a ticket is well below its cost, and the game is entertainment rather than investment. Two lines a week for a year is a modest outlay; a habit of buying many lines when the jackpot is high is where spending can escalate unnoticed.
Related reading on site: “How Lotto Odds Compare: UK Lotto vs EuroMillions vs Other Lotteries”; Lotteries section.
Lotteries are games of chance. The odds are long; play for enjoyment, not as a financial plan.
