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EuroMillions FAQs
Find answers to the most frequently asked EuroMillions questions below. These FAQs cover a range of topics, so select a category to see all the relevant queries. If you have a question that has not been answered, you can Contact Us for assistance and you will receive a response as soon as possible.
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Show/Hide All FAQsPlaying EuroMillions
Top ^EuroMillions draws take place on Tuesday and Friday evenings at approximately 8pm. Results are available from 8:15pm onwards.
Anyone can play EuroMillions as long as they are aged 18 or over. You do not have to be a resident or citizen of any of the participating countries to take part. It is even possible to take part from other nations around the world by using online lottery services.
Ticket sales for both Tuesday and Friday EuroMillions draws close at 7:30pm on the evening of the draw. Ticket sales for the next draw re-open once the night's results have been processed.
Choose five main numbers between 1 and 50 and two Lucky Star numbers between 1 and 12.
Tickets can be purchased online or from any authorised retailer for up to eight consecutive draws, including both the Tuesday and Friday evening draws, covering a period of up to four weeks.
Please note that it is not possible to purchase tickets in advance for a particular draw if you are not also purchasing a ticket for the preceding draw. For example, if you want to purchase a ticket for a Friday evening draw being held in three weeks' time, you would either have to purchase your ticket after the preceding Friday evening draw had taken place OR purchase tickets for all Friday evening draws up to and including the draw you had a particular interest in.
Visit the How to Play page for more information.
The UK Millionaire Maker is a free additional game which is included on every EuroMillions ticket sold in the UK. For every line of EuroMillions numbers purchased, a unique code is printed onto the ticket which is entered into the raffle draw for the chance to win a £1 million prize.
Visit the UK Millionaire Maker page for more information.
The Ireland Only Raffle is a supplementary game that everyone in Ireland is automatically entered into at no extra cost. For each line of EuroMillions numbers purchased, you receive one raffle code.
Ten codes are drawn on the night and, should your code match one of the winning combinations exactly, you will win €5,000!
Promotional draws take place from time to time where more money is offered. This usually involves one of the 10 winning tickets being randomly selected to receive an extra €1 million.
For more information, visit the Ireland Only Raffle page.
Yes. Players in the UK have the option to pre-purchase EuroMillions tickets up to four weeks in advance for one or both of the weekly draws which are held on Tuesday and Friday evenings. This means that players can pre-purchase tickets for up to eight draws and the ticket will include one unique UK Millionaire Maker code for each line of EuroMillions numbers purchased. Although the code is the same for each draw, it is entered into every draw for which a EuroMillions ticket has been purchased and has exactly the same chance of winning as any other raffle code.
The price of a single EuroMillions ticket can be seen below:
- Austria: €2.50
- Belgium: €2.50
- France: €2.50
- Ireland: €2.50
- Luxembourg: €2.50
- Portugal: €2.50
- Spain: €2.50
- Switzerland: CHF3.50
- UK: £2.50
The European Millionaire Maker works in the same way as UK Millionaire Maker, but is held on special occasions and is played by ticket holders in all nine countries that participate in EuroMillions. Each EuroMillions line will have a unique raffle code printed alongside it and this must be matched to the code drawn in order to win a prize of £1 million. Codes will be generated at random and consist of four letters and five numbers (for example, ABCD12345). The first letter of the code will correspond to the country from where the ticket was purchased:
- Austria: A, N, O or W
- Belgium: B
- France: F
- Ireland: I
- Luxembourg: L
- Portugal: P
- Spain: E
- Switzerland: R or S
- UK: H, J, M, T, V, X or Z
Read more at the European Millionaire Maker page
Claiming Prizes
Top ^The way you claim a EuroMillions prize depends on the country the ticket was purchased in, whether it was purchased online or in-store and the amount won.
You win prizes for matching a minimum of two main numbers. You need to match all five main numbers and both Lucky Stars to win the jackpot.
View all available EuroMillions prize tiers.
The prize for matching two numbers in the most recent draw on Tuesday 29th October 2024 was £2.70 / €3.70. Please note that this amount will change from draw to draw as EuroMillions prizes are calculated on a pari-mutuel basis.
The majority of the countries that participate in EuroMillions do not levy a tax on prize money. The following countries, however, do tax winnings:
- Portugal: Winnings above €5,000 are taxed at 20 percent.
- Spain: Prize money over €40,000 is taxed at 20 percent.
- Switzerland: A tax of 35 percent is taken from any prize over CHF1 million.
Although prize money is not directly taxed in other countries, there may be other tax implications. In the UK, for example, large gifts of money or assets may be subject to Inheritance Tax. For more information, visit the Taxes page.
Depending on the country you have purchased your ticket in, the claim period for prizes will vary.
- Austria: 3 years
- Belgium: 90 days
- France: 60 days
- Ireland: 90 days
- Luxembourg: 60 days
- Portugal: 90 days
- Spain: 3 months
- Switzerland: 180 days
- UK: 180 days
If prizes are not claimed within the deadline stated above, the winnings will be forfeited and can no longer be claimed.
The whole claims process only takes a few days if you win a major prize such as the jackpot. In the UK, once you have contacted the National Lottery to stake your claim, the next step is to have a meeting with their advisors. They will recommend you open a private bank account with a bank that has specific experience of dealing with lottery winners. The money can then be transferred within the next 48 hours.
You have the choice over whether to stay anonymous or go public if you win the EuroMillions jackpot. All the participating countries allow their big winners to stay private if they wish and the majority of players do remain anonymous. However, some big winners, such as the Thwaites and the Weirs from the UK, have decided to go public.
Jackpots
Top ^The EuroMillions jackpot starts at a guaranteed €17 million (approximately £15 million).
The largest jackpot ever won is €240 million. This happened in December 2023 when a ticket holder from Austria won the jackpot after it had reached its cap.
EuroMillions rollover rules allow for the jackpot to keep growing until it reaches its cap of €250 million. It can then stay at that level for a maximum of five draws. The fifth draw is a 'Must Be Won' draw, in which the jackpot money will be shared by ticket holders in the next winning tier if nobody matches all the numbers.
The cap has previously been allowed to go up by €10 million each time the maximum jackpot has been won or rolled down, but it cannot go any higher than €250 million.
Superdraws are special event draws with a guaranteed jackpot of €130 million (around £100 million dependent on the exchange rate at the time of the draw) regardless of the jackpot on offer in the preceding draw. If no ticket holders win the EuroMillions Superdraw jackpot, the jackpot will roll over to the following draw. These draws can take place at any point throughout the year.
Playing Abroad
Top ^Yes. EuroMillions tickets are sold in a total of nine countries - Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Tickets can be purchased online or from an authorised lottery retailer in any of the participating countries.
Visit the How to Play EuroMillions page for more information.
You do not have to live in one of the participating countries to buy a ticket, so there are no EuroMillions eligibility issues if you are a foreigner. For example, if you are a tourist in the UK, the rules are exactly the same for you as anyone else. You can play as long as you are over the age of 18.
No. You must claim a EuroMillions prize in the country where the ticket was purchased. Each country has its own system for registering tickets and its own terminals. A EuroMillions ticket purchased in one country cannot be validated in another country. If you win a prize in France, for example, you must claim it in France.
You can play EuroMillions online abroad, even if you are not in one of the participating countries. Sign up for an online service that provides you with the opportunity to pick your numbers, regardless of your geographical location. You’ll be able to add funds to your account and purchase entries, and any prizes will be paid straight into your online account. See the Playing Abroad page for more details.
General
Top ^It's important to remember that you cannot win a EuroMillions prize if you have not bought a ticket. This rule applies in all nine EuroMillions countries. Here is some advice on what to do if you receive a notification that you have won a lottery prize:
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I have not bought a ticket:
If you have not bought a EuroMillions ticket and have received a notification stating that you have won a prize, it is definitely a scam.
You should never respond to any lottery-related messages that you don't believe are legitimate. Furthermore, no official lottery operator would ask you to respond to an email with personal or financial details. If you have sent any financial information to a potential scammer, you should contact a fraud agency immediately for further advice.
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I have bought a ticket in-store:
If you bought a ticket at a retailer without having to register any of your personal details, there is no way that the lottery operator knows who you are, so they cannot notify you if you have won. In this instance, any notification that you have won a prize can be treated as a scam.
Some countries require or allow players to provide personal details to purchase lottery tickets. If this applies to you then it is possible that you will receive a notification informing you that you have won. You should check the results of the draw yourself to confirm that you have won, and then follow the instructions on the back of your ticket to initiate the claim.
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I played online:
If you played online then it is very likely that you will receive an email notification when you win a prize. If you’re unsure about the authenticity of the email, visit the lottery provider’s website (don’t click any links in the email) to log in and check the results.
Visit the Scams page to learn more about lottery scams and find out what to do if you think you have been the target of one.
The odds of winning the EuroMillions jackpot are 1 in 139,838,160 and the overall odds of winning a EuroMillions prize are 1 in 13. To view the odds for each prize tier, visit the Odds of Winning page.
Below is a list of countries that broadcast EuroMillions results with the channel and time of each broadcast:
Country | TV Channel | Broadcast Time |
---|---|---|
Austria | ORF2 | 22:25 CET |
Belgium | La Une VRT Één |
From 22:30 CET From 23:00 CET |
France | TF1 | 23:25 CET |
Ireland | RTE One | From 21:00 GMT |
Luxembourg | Télé Lëtzebuerg RTL Lux |
22:05 CET 00:15 CET After Draw |
Portugal | TVI | From 21:00 CET |
Spain | TVE2 | 22:00 CET |
Switzerland | RTS Deux | 22:45 CET |
UK | Online | From 22:30 GMT |
Yes, UK residents can still play EuroMillions. For more information, visit the Brexit page.
Prizes in the UK are paid out in GBP (£), whereas in other participating countries prizes are paid out in Euro (€), with the exception of Switzerland, which pays out prizes in Swiss Francs (CHF).
In the UK, each EuroMillions ticket includes automatic entry into the UK Millionaire Maker draw at no extra cost. Other participating countries offer their own supplementary games, but these may be optional and may carry an additional cost.