EuroMillions
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EuroMillions is a pan-European lottery, launched by the Française des Jeux in France, the Loterias y Apuestas del Estado in Spain and Camelot in the United Kingdom on Saturday February 7, 2004. The first draw took place on Friday February 13, 2004 in Paris. Initially only the UK, France and Spain were involved, but lotteries from Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Switzerland subsequently joined the draw on 8 October 2004.
Draws are held every Friday night, and take place in Paris. A standard EuroMillions ticket costs €2.00 per line played, or €3.00 if one plays with the "Plus" option (available only in the Republic of Ireland). This is the standard price in all the countries mentioned above. In the UK, it is the equivalent in pounds Sterling, rounded to the nearest 10p (although it has been fixed at £1.50 since the draw began). In Switzerland it is the equivalent in Swiss francs, rounded to the nearest 10c (although it has been fixed at 3.20 CHF since the draw began). Prizes, aside from the jackpot, are sized according to participation per country.
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[edit] How to play
- Select five main numbers which can be any integer from 1 to 50
- Select two lucky star numbers which can be any integer from 1 to 9
During the draw, five main and two lucky star numbers are then drawn at random from two draw machines containing numbered balls. The machines containing fifty balls is called Stresa, and the one containing nine is the Paquerette
[edit] Who can play
- Any person 18 or over, may differ in some countries. 16 in the UK.[1]
- Syndicated online lottery vendors exist for users who do not have access to kiosks.
[edit] Prize structure[2]
| Main numbers | Lucky stars | Odds | Probability of winning | % of prize fund |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 in 39 | 0.0256 | 24.0% |
| 1 | 2 | 1 in 103 | 0.00971 | 10.1% |
| 3 | 0 | 1 in 367 | 0.00253 | 4.7% |
| 2 | 2 | 1 in 538 | 0.00186 | 4.4% |
| 3 | 1 | 1 in 551 | 0.00181 | 5.1% |
| 3 | 2 | 1 in 7,705 | 0.00013 | 1.0% |
| 4 | 0 | 1 in 16,143 | 0.0000619 | 0.7% |
| 4 | 1 | 1 in 24,215 | 0.0000413 | 1.0% |
| 4 | 2 | 1 in 339,002 | 0.00000295 | 1.5% |
| 5 | 0 | 1 in 3,632,160 | 0.000000275 | 2.1% |
| 5 | 1 | 1 in 5,448,240 | 0.000000182 | 7.4% |
| 5 | 2 | 1 in 76,275,360 | 0.0000000131 | 32.0% |
| Booster fund | 6.0% |
The booster fund is available to contribute to the jackpot, for example to boost the initial jackpot in a sequence of growing jackpots. The amount utilised each week is determined in advance by the participating lotteries.
- The odds of winning any prize at all are 1 in 24.
- The odds of getting none of the 50 main balls but getting both lucky stars is approximately 1 in 62. This quirk of probability means that it is less likely than getting 2 main balls and one lucky star (1 in 39). However, there is no prize for only getting 2 lucky stars.
- 16% of the prize fund is allocated to a "Booster Fund" which can be used to boost the jackpot prize.
- The figures for estimated prize are just a guide, and the actual amount varies according to the total in the prize fund and the number of winners for each prize. (Estimated prizes as per reverse of UK playslip)
- If the Jackpot is not won, it rolls over until the following week. However, if the jackpot is not won on the twelfth successive week (i.e., eleven rollovers), then the jackpot prize is "rolled down" by distributing it between winners of the next level instead of rolling it forward again.[3]
- Note: An exception to this rule would have occurred on 3 February 2006[citation needed], which, if the jackpot had not been won, the jackpot would have been carried over for a thirteenth week[citation needed] (at which point it would have rolled down, if not won on 10 February 2006)[citation needed]. This exception occurred due to the timing of the introduction of the roll-down rule.
- New rules introduced on January 4, 2007, that took effect on February 9, 2007 limit the number of consecutive draws to eleven, with the jackpot rolling down to lower prize levels in the eleventh draw if the jackpot is not won.
- The new rules also introduced "Event Draws" also referred to as "Superdraws", in which there will be a guarantee of the minimum amount which is available to pay prizes in the Match 5 and 2 Lucky Stars Prize Category; if an Event Draw isn't won it will be rolled down.[4] The first Event Draw was held on February 9, 2007 for €100m (£66m, 165m sfr) to celebrate the Euromillions third birthday. A second "Superdraw" took place on February 8th 2008 for €130 Million (£95 Million) to celebrate the Euromillions fourth birthday.
[edit] Notable wins
On 31 August 2007, a French guitarist Vaccaro Joseph (alias Jimmy) won (€39 million, £29.1 million). He immediately resigned from his job as a statistician at LUXGSM.
On 10 August 2007, Angela Kelly, a 40-year-old former Royal Mail postal administrator from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, won a EuroMillions jackpot of €52.6 million (£35.4 million). This is the largest lottery win ever in the United Kingdom.[5]
On 31 March 2006, after rolling over six times, the EuroMillions jackpot of €75,753,123 (£56,608,222; $100,175,909) was won by one Belgian man, the second biggest win ever in Belgium, and the third-biggest prize won by a single person.
On 9 February 2007, a Belgian man won the EuroMillions jackpot of €100 million ($132 million or £67.9 million) with a ticket bought in a newspaper shop in Tienen. This is the biggest lottery win in Belgium and the second-biggest individual win in EuroMillions history.
On 31 July 2005, after rolling over nine times, the EuroMillions jackpot of €115 million (£85 million; $152 million) was won on a ticket purchased in Garryowen, Limerick, Ireland. The winner was Dolores McNamara, a 45-year-old mother of six; she remains the biggest individual winner in Euromillions history. She claimed the prize on 4 August 2005 at the Irish National Lottery's headquarters in Dublin.[6]
On 3 February 2006, after rolling over eleven times, the EuroMillions jackpot of €180 million (£134 million; $238 million) was won by three ticket holders, two in France and one in Portugal. The three winners won €60 million ($79 million) each.[7]
By 17 November 2006, after rolling over eleven times, the EuroMillions jackpot reached €183 million ($285 million or £124 million). No ticket matched all the winning numbers for the twelfth draw, so the jackpot was divided among the twenty tickets that matched five numbers and one lucky star. Each such ticket was worth €9.6 million (£7.1 million, or $12.6 million), i.e., 5% of the jackpot plus the regular match 5 +1 prize. Seven of the twenty tickets were sold in the United Kingdom, four in France, three each in Spain and Portugal, two in Ireland, and one in Belgium.
On 8 February 2008, the superdraw jacketpot of €130 million was won by 16 people with 5 numbers and 1 lucky star. There was no winner with all 5 numbers and both lucky stars. Each of the 16 winners got about €8.6 million each.
[edit] Distribution of revenue
In the UK, the total Euromillion revenue is broken down as follows:[8]
| Breakdown of UK Euromillions revenue | |
|---|---|
| 0.5% | in profit to Camelot |
| 4.5% | in operating costs |
| 5% | in commission to the retailers. |
| 12% | to the Government (Lottery Duty) |
| 28% | for the Good Causes |
| 50% | to winners |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Home | The National Lottery
- ^ How are EuroMillions prizes calculated?. National Lottery. Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
- ^ Changes to EuroMillions Game Procedures. National Lottery. Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
- ^ 'EuroMillions' Game Played Interactively - Game Procedures. National Lottery. Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
- ^ Post worker scoops £35m jackpot. BBC News (2007-08-15). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
- ^ Lottery winner claims £77m cheque. BBC News (2005-08-04). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
- ^ Three winners scoop EuroMillions. BBC News (2006-02-03). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
- ^ Correspondence with help at national-lottery.co.uk, 8 November 2007.
