Euromillions FAQ
- What is Euromillions?
- Which countries participate in the Euromillions draw?
- How much can I win with Euromillions?
- What are my odds?
What is Euromillions?
Euromillions is a pan-European lottery that has been taking place since 13 February 2004. It is a double pool lottery, which means that the winning combination is obtained from 2 seperate drawings.
A Euromillions draw consists of 5 main numbers (from 1 to 50) and 2 "lucky stars" (1 to 9).
To win something, a player will need to guess at least 3 numbers out of 7 (5 numbers + 2 stars) correct.
Playing Euromillions costs 2 euro per entry.
The Euromillions draw takes place every Friday evening in Paris, France.
Which countries participate in the Euromillions draw?
Currently the following countries participate: Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
How much can I win with Euromillions?
Price money for rank 1 (5 main numbers + 2 lucky stars) is at least 15 million euro. The price money is rolled over to the next draw if there are no winners. This system allows for astronomous sums of money to be won if there are no winners for several consecutive weeks. The biggest jackpot so far was 126 million euro, won by a Spanish 25-year old woman after the jackpot had rolled over 6 times. If nobody has won for 11 consecutive weeks, the price money is rolled down to the lower ranks.
What are my odds?
Starting 10 May 2011 there are 2 weekly draws: one on Tuesday and one on Friday. Another big change was that since that date stars are drawn from a pool of 11, instead of the old 9.
Before 10 May 2011
The odds of winning something in Euromillions - which means having at least 3 out of 7 numbers correct - are 1 in 24.
The odds of having all 7 numbers correct are 1 in 76 millions.
The odds for every rank are as follows:
| Main numbers |
Lucky stars |
Probability of winning | % of prize fund | Expected winnings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraction | Decimal | ||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 in 39 | 0.0256 | 24.0% | € 9 |
| 1 | 2 | 1 in 103 | 0.00971 | 10.1% | € 10 |
| 3 | 0 | 1 in 367 | 0.00272 | 4.7% | € 17 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 in 538 | 0.00186 | 4.4% | € 23 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 in 551 | 0.00181 | 5.1% | € 28 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 in 7,705 | 0.00013 | 1.0% | € 77 |
| 4 | 0 | 1 in 16,143 | 0.0000619 | 0.7% | € 113 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 in 24,215 | 0.0000413 | 1.0% | € 242 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 in 339,002 | 0.00000295 | 1.5% | € 5,085 |
| 5 | 0 | 1 in 3,632,160 | 0.000000275 | 2.1% | € 76,275 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 in 5,448,240 | 0.000000182 | 7.4% | € 403,169 |
| 5 | 2 | 1 in 76,275,360 | 0.0000000131 | 32.0% | € 15,000,000 |
source: wikipedia | |||||
Since 10 May 2011
The new situation since 10 May 2011 is as follows:
The odds of winning anything are 1 in 13.
Because of the larger pool for the stars, the odds of winning the jackpot have decreased significantly: 1 in 116,531,800.
| Main numbers |
Lucky stars |
Probability of winning | % of prize fund | Expected winnings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraction | Decimal | ||||
| 2 | 0 | 1 in 23 | 0.0438 | 18.0% | € 4 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 in 46 | 0.0219 | 17.6% | € 8 |
| 1 | 2 | 1 in 156 | 0.0064 | 6.5% | € 10 |
| 3 | 0 | 1 in 327 | 0.0031 | 3.7% | € 12 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 in 654 | 0.0015 | 2.2% | € 14 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 in 821 | 0.0012 | 2.3% | € 19 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 in 11,771 | 0.000085 | 0.5% | € 59 |
| 4 | 0 | 1 in 14,387 | 0.000070 | 0.7% | € 101 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 in 28,773 | 0.000035 | 0.7% | € 201 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 in 517,919 | 0.0000019 | 0.8% | € 4,143 |
| 5 | 0 | 1 in 3,236,994 | 0.00000031 | 1.6% | € 51,792 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 in 6,473,989 | 0.00000015 | 4.8% | € 310,751 |
| 5 | 2 | 1 in 116,531,800 | 0.0000000086 | 32.0% | Jackpot |