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PlayJackpot Cap to Increase
Following October's lottery fever that saw an anonymous UK ticket holder win £170 million after a record-breaking 22 rollovers, changes are now being made to prizes, including the jackpot cap.
The current cap - set in January 2012 - is €190 million, however under the new format planned for February, the cap will increase to €200 million straight away, with the potential to increase even further in future. This change is likely to result in the game’s biggest-ever jackpot being offered at some point, eclipsing the record €190 million that is jointly held at the moment by four previous winners.
Under the new rules, the jackpot cap would be increased to €200 million from 1st February. When that cap is reached, it can go four more draws before a Must Be Won draw is held, with any additional prize money rolling down to the next prize tier, similarly to how it works now.
However, after the cap has been reached and the jackpot has rolled down or been won, it will be increased by €10 million for future draws, so it will be able to hit €210 million the next time. When that cap is met, it will be increased by €10 million again, and so on until it reaches the absolute maximum value of €250 million.
EuroMillions could therefore boast the biggest jackpot ever seen in Europe, surpassing the €209 million won by a player in the Italian SuperEnalotto game earlier this year.
Under the current jackpot cap, the top prize is fixed at €190 million until someone wins or four draws have passed - the money then has to be won in the fifth draw at €190 million. Take a look at how the jackpot cap works currently.
Jackpots Will Grow Bigger More Frequently
It has also been revealed that there will be more big jackpots and they will grow more quickly. The cost of playing will not change and the number matrix will stay the same, but there is set to be a tweak to the way in which prizes are allocated.
Currently, 43.2 percent of the prize fund is given to the jackpot for the first six draws in a rollover series, before going down to 27 percent. These percentages are set to increase. With more money going to the jackpot, it will be able to climb faster. The National Lottery estimates that jackpots will reach £100 million after eight rollovers, rather than 11 rollovers currently.
To compensate for more of the prize fund going to the jackpot, other prize tiers will have to receive a lower portion than they do at the moment. The table below shows how much of the EuroMillions Prize Fund is currently allocated to each prize category, and how much will be allocated from 1st February:
| Prize Category | Current Prize Fund % | New Prize Fund % | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match 5 + 2 Lucky Stars | 43.2% for draws 1 to 6 in a rollover series; 27% for draw 7 onwards | 50% for draws 1 to 5 in a rollover series; 42% for draw 6 onwards | +6.8% draws 1 to 5; -1.2% draw 6; +15% draw 7 onwards |
| Match 5 + 1 Lucky Star | 3.95% | 2.61% | -1.34% |
| Match 5 | 0.92% | 0.61% | -0.31% |
| Match 4 + 2 Lucky Stars | 0.45% | 0.19% | -0.26% |
| Match 4 + 1 Lucky Star | 0.48% | 0.35% | -0.13% |
| Match 3 + 2 Lucky Stars | 0.67% | 0.37% | -0.30% |
| Match 4 | 0.38% | 0.26% | -0.12% |
| Match 2 + 2 Lucky Stars | 1.75% | 1.30% | -0.45% |
| Match 3 + 1 Lucky Star | 1.85% | 1.45% | -0.40% |
| Match 3 | 3.50% | 2.70% | -0.80% |
| Match 1 + 2 Lucky Stars | 4.95% | 3.27% | -1.68% |
| Match 2 + 1 Lucky Star | 14.85% | 10.30% | -4.55% |
| Match 2 | 18.25% | 16.59% | -1.66% |
The amount of money allocated to the EuroMillions Reserve Fund is also set to change. Currently, 4.8% of the Prize Fund in draws 1 to 6 in a rollover run goes to the Reserve Fund, and 21% from draw 7 onwards.
Under the new structure, 10% would be allocated to the Reserve Fund in draws 1 to 5, then 18% from draw 6 onwards. This means that more money will go to the Reserve Fund in the early part of a rollover run, but less in the later draws, helping jackpots to increase quicker.
The cost of entry will stay at £2.50, but the way that entry fee is split will also change. Currently, £1.65 of that entry fee is for EuroMillions and £0.85 for the UK Millionaire Maker raffle; from 1st February the split will change to £1.74 for EuroMillions and £0.76 for the raffle.
More Superdraws On The Way
The number of Superdraws per year is also set to increase from 2020. There have been two a year since 2017, but there are set to be three of these special draws every year from now on.
Superdraws increase the jackpot to a guaranteed amount, regardless of its value in the preceding draw or whether or not it has just been won. The top prize can then roll over if it isn’t won, quickly creating some of the game’s largest jackpots.
The typical value of a Superdraw jackpot is €130 million, like in the most recent one on Friday 7th June. On that occasion, no tickets matched all the numbers on the night and a UK player won £123 million in the following draw.
More information about the EuroMillions changes will be published closer to the time, so keep checking back on Euro-Millions.com for the latest updates.
