The EuroMillions was initially formulated by the national lotteries of France, Spain and the United Kingdom and was launched in February 2004. The initial Euro Millions lottery draw occurred on February 13th 2004 in Paris. The UK, France and Spain were the only three countries involved from the outset but lotteries from Austria, Belgium, the Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland also became involved in October 2004.
The EuroMillions lotto or the European lotto, as it is frequently branded, gathers the stakes of the 9 participating European countries presenting a considerable Euro lotto jackpot. With the amount of nations joining the EU increasing, this will undoubtedly lead to new nations participating in the Euro Millions lotto. A rise in the number of people partaking in the EuroMillions lotto will lead to a continuing increase of the already considerable Euro Millions lottery jackpots.
How To Play
Every participant chooses 5 main numbers from 1 to 50 and 2 揕ucky Star?numbers from 1 to 9. During the draw, 5 main and 2 lucky star numbers are then pulled out at random from two draw machines containing numbered balls.
Euro Millions Prize Breakdown
The likelihood of scooping the top Euro Millions prize is a far-off 1 in 76 million but the chances of winning any prize is a fairly decent 1 in 24. If the jackpot is not won in a given week, it is carried forward to the next week which leads to an ever growing EuroMillions prize fund. New rules introduced during February 2007 limit the amount of successive 搑ollovers?to eleven, with the jackpot rolling down to lower prize levels in the eleventh draw if the prize is not won.
The new rules also established Euro lottery "Super Draws" which happen twice each year and offer jackpots in the region of ?00 million. The difference with 揝uper Draws?is that the jackpot must be won the night of the draw; as a result, if no ticket holder manages to match all the numbers drawn then the jackpot will be paid out to the next tier in the prize structure.
Notable Euro Millions Wins
?On 8 February 2008, the 揝uper Draw?jackpot of €130 million was won by 16 people who matched the 5 main numbers and 1 揕ucky Star?number.
?On the 10th of August, a forty year old former Royal Mail postal officer from Scotland scooped a EuroMillions jackpot of €52.6 million. Up to now, this is the largest lottery win yet in the United Kingdom.
?On the 17th of November 2006, after rolling over 11 times, the EuroMillions jackpot reached €183 million and was split between twenty lucky ticket purchasers.
EuroMillions Playing Options
As a rule, to participate in the EuroMillions lottery you would have to be a citizen of one of the nine participating member countries. However, with the introduction of lottery ticket sales agents you can now obtain your desired number of EuroMillions tickets on the internet in spite of where you live around the world. If you are looking for a boost in your Euromillions odds, you may also consider signing up to one of e-Lottery抯 Euro Millions syndicates. As a player in a EuroMillions syndicate you receive a 36 times better prospect of obtaining the jackpot in comparison to all those people purchasing tickets in the normal manner. With e-Lottery there are very few geographic barriers to becoming a member and as a result the existing membership is made up of men and women from no less than 133 countries around the world.