Which EuroMillions Countries Allow Private Claims?
The good news if you are concerned about publicity around a lottery success is that all nine participating EuroMillions nations allow you to stay anonymous if you win the jackpot. Wherever you play the game, you can collect your prize without alerting anyone to your good fortune if you would prefer.
In Portugal, Spain and France, the town in which the ticket was purchased is often published, but winners details are withheld if they so request. In the UK, if players opt for total anonymity, the National Lottery does not even reveal the area in which the successful play was made.
The only time UK geographical information is made public without the express permission of a winner is when the prize has gone unclaimed for a significant length of time and the lottery launches a publicity campaign to find the ticket holder. This was the case with a £63.8 million (€79 million) EuroMillions jackpot win on a ticket bought in the Stevenage and Hitchin area of Hertfordshire for the 8th June 2012 draw, which eventually expired without a claim in the December of the same year.
Partial Publicity
Players in the UK can opt for partial publicity if they wish, allowing details such as their age, occupation and general location to be reported. In Ireland and Belgium, anonymous jackpot winners often give an interview to lottery officials but without revealing identifiable information.
The winning Irish syndicate from the draw on Friday 29th December talked about their plans to set up a business, buy a new house and head off to the sun for a holiday. A Belgian father of four, who claimed a €168 million (£153.3 million) EuroMillions jackpot in October 2016, mentioned his love of Robert De Niro films and cooking fish.
Go Public or Stay Anonymous?
Choosing whether to reveal your big EuroMillions win to the rest of the world or to keep it quiet is a tough decision to make and both options have pros and cons.
Colin and Christine Weir, who won Britain’s biggest ever lottery jackpot of £161.6 million (€185 million) in July 2011, have talked publicly about how they didn't think they could keep their good fortune a secret without lying to friends and family. On the flipside, some public winners talk with regret about how their decision led to them receiving begging letters or unwanted attention from distant relatives hoping to gain a slice of their fortune.
Read the Publicity page to help you work out the best option for you, should you win Friday’s £44 million (€50 million) top prize. You can buy tickets at authorised retailers in each of the participating countries, or you can join an online EuroMillions syndicate right now.