Евромиллионы: Европейская лотерея

Lottery

EuroMillions is a transnational lottery that requires seven correct numbers to win the jackpot, which consists of 5 main numbers and 2 Lucky Star Numbers. It was launched on 7 February 2004 by France's Française des Jeux, Spain's Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and the United Kingdom's Camelot. The first draw was held on 13 February 2004 in Paris. Initially, only the UK, France and Spain participated, with the Austrian, Belgian, Irish, Luxembourgish, Portuguese and Swiss lotteries joining for the 8 October 2004 draw. Draws are held every Tuesday and Friday night at 21:00 CET in Paris. A standard EuroMillions ticket costs €2.50, £2.50 or CHF3.50 per line played. The draw machines are manufactured by French manufacturer Ryo Catteau, with the main number machine using their Stresa model, whilst the Lucky Star Number machine uses their Paquerette model. Ireland has an exclusive option called Plus, which adds €1.00 per line. As of February 2014, a non optional addition called "My Million" in France adds €0.50 per line, while in Portugal it is called "M1lhão" and represents €0.30 of the whole €2.50 bet. The cost of playing in the UK increased from £1.50 to £2.00 per line on 7 November 2009, due to the EUR/GBP exchange rate and automatic entry into its Millionaire Raffle. On 24 September 2016, the cost per line increased from £2.00 to £2.50 in the UK. On the same day, in Ireland and Spain it rose to €2.50 per line. From 24 September 2016, the number of lucky stars changed from a pool of 11 to a pool of 12 numbers, decreasing the jackpot winning odds from 1:117million to 1:140million. All prizes, including the jackpot, are tax free (except in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal, since 2013) and are paid as a lump sum.

The player selects five main numbers which can be any number from 1 to 50. The player selects two different lucky star numbers from a pool of 12 numbers. Draws take place at 20:45 every Tuesday and Friday in Paris. The results are published shortly after the draw on associated and independent websites around 20:45 UTC. To participate in the EuroMillions Lotto, tickets can be purchased from many outlets, namely at licensed stores and online websites. The gameplay changed on Tuesday, 10 May 2011 with a second weekly draw and the number of "lucky stars" in the Paquerette machine increasing from 9 to 11. A prize for matching two main numbers and no lucky stars was also introduced on the same date. On Saturday, 24 September 2016, the number of "lucky stars" increased again, from 11 to 12.

The game is currently available to players in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, France (including overseas regions and collectivities), Ireland, the Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Entrants must be at least 18 years old. There is no restriction on the nationality of buyers; non residents are eligible to participate as long as they meet the age requirement.

The participating national lotteries in the EuroMillions game have each established a EuroMillions Trust account. This is used for the settlement of all amounts due, and for holding amounts in respect of future prizes. This trust arrangement protects the participating lotteries between them from a default from one of the national companies, and ultimately the players' interests.

Chris and Colin Weir won the EuroMillions and pledged to donate their prize money to good causes. However, cybercriminals started using their names in their email scams to fool the general public and ultimately cheat them of money.

In June 2007, the Irish National Lottery introduced "Plus," an add on to the main EuroMillions game available only to Irish players. For an extra €1 per line, players can enter their five main EuroMillions numbers in an additional draw for a fixed, non rolling jackpot of €500,000. Players can also win fixed prizes of €2,000 for a Match 4 and €20 for a Match 3. The odds of winning the Plus jackpot are 1 in 2,118,760.

Since November 2009 at least one UK player every week has won a guaranteed £1,000,000. With the introduction of the Tuesday EuroMillions Draw on Tuesday 10 May 2011 there were 2 Millionaire Raffle winners each week. Changes to Euromillions in September 2016 meant that two guaranteed Millionaire Raffle winners were made per draw, or 4 per week across the two draws. According to the Euromillions website, the chances of winning the UK Millionaire Maker game on a Tuesday can be estimated as 1 in 3,570,000 with a standard £14m jackpot. On a Friday, it can be calculated as approximately 1 in 5,080,000 again with a baseline £14m jackpot. Winning in this game depends entirely on the number of the payslips sold so the odds fluctuate. The odds may also fluctuate during a super draw or a special event in the UK Millionaire Raffle. Prices per line in the UK increased by 50p to £2.00. The 50p was added due to weak exchange rates between the pound and the euro and to cover the expense of the new Millionaire Maker. On 24 September 2016 the price per line in the UK was increased by an additional 50p to £2.50. In January 2019, the number of guaranteed winners in the UK Millionaire Maker game reverted to one.