EuroMillions - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

EuroMillions is a transnational lottery

Lottery

A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...

, launched on 7 February 2004 by France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

's Française des Jeux, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

's Loterías y Apuestas del Estado, and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's Camelot

Camelot Group

Camelot GroupCamelot is a private limited company, its entire share issue is owned by a single shareholder, as detailed above. are the operators of the UK National Lottery. Camelot Group was awarded the National Lottery franchise in 1993 and was re-awarded the franchise in 2001 and again in 2007...

. The first draw was held on Friday 13

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...

February 2004 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. Initially, only the UK, France, and Spain participated, with the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n, Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

, Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

and Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

lotteries joining for the 8 October 2004 drawing.

Draws are held every Tuesday and Friday night at 20:45 CET

Central European Time

Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...

(19:45 GMT

Greenwich Mean Time

Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...

/WET

Western European Time

Western European Time , defined legally as Greenwich Mean Time in the United Kingdom, is the time zone covering parts of western and northwestern Europe, and includes the following countries and regions:...

) in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. A standard EuroMillions ticket costs €

Euro

The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

2.00, £

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

2.00 or CHF

Swiss franc

The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...

3.00 per line played. This increases to €3.00 if one plays with the "Plus" option, currently only available in Ireland and Portugal. The cost in the UK increased from £1.50 to £2.00 per line on 7 November 2009 as a result of the EUR

Euro

/GBP

Pound sterling

exchange rate

Exchange rate

In finance, an exchange rate between two currencies is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another. It is also regarded as the value of one country’s currency in terms of another currency...

remaining closer to 1.0000 than to 0.7500 and the inclusion of entry in the Millionaire Raffle.

All prizes, including the jackpot, are tax-free

Tax exemption

Various tax systems grant a tax exemption to certain organizations, persons, income, property or other items taxable under the system. Tax exemption may also refer to a personal allowance or specific monetary exemption which may be claimed by an individual to reduce taxable income under some...

(except in Switzerland) and are paid as a lump sum

Lump sum

A lump sum is a single payment of money, as opposed to a series of payments made over time .The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development distinguishes between "price analysis" and "cost analysis" by whether the decision maker compares lump sum amounts, or subjects contract prices...

Play

The player selects five main numbers which can be any integer from 1 to 50;
The player selects two different lucky star numbers from a pool of 11 numbers.

The gameplay changed on Tuesday 10 May 2011 with a second weekly draw and the number of "lucky stars" in the Pacquerette machine increasing from 9 to 11. A prize for matching two main numbers and no lucky stars was also introduced on the same date.

Who can play

Any person 18 or over who resides in a participating country. The minimum age differs in some countries, eg it is 16 years in the UK.
The game is currently available to players in Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Prize structure

As of Tuesday May 10, 2011 the structure of the draw was changed, with the Lucky Star being drawn from a pool of 11 numbers instead of the old 9. The prize structure as of Tuesday May 10, 2011 is as follows:

Main numbers	Lucky stars	Probability of winning		% of prize fund	Expected winnings (euro Euro The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,... )	Expected winnings (Sterling Pound sterling The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence... )
Main numbers	Lucky stars	Fraction	Decimal	% of prize fund
2	0	1 in 23	0.0438	18.0%	€ 4	£2.70
2	1	1 in 46	0.0219	17.6%	€ 8	£5.40
1	2	1 in 156	0.0064	6.5%	€ 10	£6.90
3	0	1 in 327	0.0031	3.7%	€ 12	£8.20
3	1	1 in 654	0.0015	2.2%	€ 14	£9.80
2	2	1 in 821	0.0012	2.3%	€ 19	£12.80
3	2	1 in 11,771	0.000085	0.5%	€ 59	£40.10
4	0	1 in 14,387	0.000070	0.7%	€ 101	£68.60
4	1	1 in 28,773	0.000035	0.7%	€ 201	£137.20
4	2	1 in 517,919	0.0000019	0.8%	€ 4,143	£2,824.30
5	0	1 in 3,236,994	0.00000031	1.6%	€ 51,792	£35,303.90
5	1	1 in 6,473,989	0.00000015	4.8%	€ 310,751	£211,823.60
5	2	1 in 116,531,800	0.0000000086	32.0%	Jackpot	Jackpot
Booster fund				8.6%

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 13
The odds of getting none of the 50 main balls but getting both lucky stars is approximately 1 in 95. This means that it is less likely than getting 2 main balls and one lucky star (1 in 46). However, there is no prize for only getting 2 lucky stars.
As of 10th May 2011, 8.6% of the prize fund is allocated to a "Booster Fund" which can be used to boost the jackpot prize.
The figures for the 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 to the following week.
Effective November 7, 2009 new rules were put in place regarding rollovers.
- Prior to this date the Jackpot could rollover up to 11 times. If there were no jackpot winner(s) in this rollover, then the jackpot would be distributed to the next prize level with winners.
- The new rules introduce the Jackpot Pool Cap. When the Jackpot first reaches or exceeds €185,000,000, the Jackpot will remain at €185,000,000 and any additional prize money rolled over will be added to the jackpot pool for the next lower prize level containing at least 1 winner (5 main numbers + 1 Lucky Star or possibly even just 5 main numbers). After breaking the Jackpot of €185,000,000 the Jackpot Pool Cap grows up to €190,000,000.
- If the €190,000,000 Jackpot is still not won, the Jackpot will continue to be €190,000,000 for each subsequent draw until it is won, and again any additional prize money will be added to the jackpot pool for the next lower prize level containing at least 1 winner.

EuroMillions Trust

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.

Super Draws & Event draws

Super Draws and Event draws are special drawings when the Jackpot is set to a guaranteed amount (often €100 million or €130 million at times), regardless of the expected Jackpot. The difference being that a Super Draw jackpot will roll over to the next drawing if not won but an Event Draw jackpot will be distributed amongst the winners in the next lower tier (ie match 5 + 1).

The first Super draw of 2011 took place on Tuesday 10 May to mark the introduction of the second weekly Euromillions draw and changes to the game format (11 lucky stars instead of 9 and a new "match 2 main numbers and no lucky stars" prize tier).

Prior to that there were Super draws on

4 Oct 2011 (€100 million);
10 May 2011 (€100 million);
1 October 2010 (€100 million);
5 February 2010 (€100 million);
18 September 2009 (€100 million);
6 March 2009 (€100 million);
26 September 2008 (€130 million);
8 February 2008(€130 million);
28 September 2007(€130 million);
9 February 2007(€100 million).

(This is a change to the game rules as of April 4 2011 when the Event Draw was added. To date, there is yet to be an Event Draw.)

Notable wins

Date	Prize money	Winner	Other details
7 October 2011	€117.705.979 or £101,203,600.70	1 UK ticket	Won £101m EuroMillions jackpot by Dave and Angela Dawes from Wisbech (Cambridgeshire).
13 September 2011	€162.256.622 or £141,872,754.94	1 French ticket	Anonymous
12 July 2011	€185,000,000 or £161,653,000	1 UK ticket	Won £161m EuroMillions jackpot by Colin and Chris Weir from Largs Largs Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic.... 33 miles from Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... .
13 May 2011	€121,019,633 or £105,892,179	1 Spanish ticket	Won by 30-year-old baker Francisco Delgado Rodríguez from Pilas (Seville).
08 October 2010	€129,818,431 or £113,019,926	1 UK ticket	Anonymous.
14 May 2010	€100,037,101 or £84,451,321	1 UK ticket
12 February 2010	€129,618,406 or £112,016,226	2 winning tickets (Spain and UK)	UK winners Nigel Page and Justine Laycock from Cirencester Cirencester Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural... won £56,008,113.20
6 November 2009	€102,199,675 or £91,141,671	2 winning tickets (both UK)	Two winners shared the jackpot prize, receiving £45.5 million each, the largest lottery prizes ever paid out in the UK at that time. One of the winning tickets was held by a syndicate of 7 people from Liverpool (each receiving £6.5 million); the other by a couple in Wales.
18 September 2009	€100 million or £89 million	1 French ticket	Syndicate of 15 players. Each member wins more than €6 million.
8 May 2009	€115,436,126 or £110 million	1 Spanish ticket	The jackpot had rolled over on six previous occasions. The winner was an unnamed 25-year old Spanish woman. This represented the largest ever jackpot to have been won by a single ticket holder in European history.
6 March 2009	€100 million	2 people	Two winners shared the jackpot prize, receiving €50 million each.
26 September 2008	€130 million	15 people	There was no winner with all 5 numbers and both lucky stars. The super-draw jackpot of was won by those people who had 5 numbers and 1 lucky star, winning a total of nearly €9.2 million each.
5 September 2008	€119 million	2 people	Two winners shared the jackpot prize, receiving nearly €60 million each.
8 February 2008	€130 million	16 people	There was no winner with all 5 numbers and both lucky stars. The super-draw jackpot of was won by those people who had 5 numbers and 1 lucky star, winning a total of over €8.6 million each.
28 September 2007	€130 million	14 people	There was no winner with all 5 numbers and both lucky stars. The super-draw jackpot of was won by those people who had 5 numbers and 1 lucky star, winning a total of over €9.8 million each.
31 August 2007	€39,5 million or £26.5 million	1 UK ticket
10 August 2007	€52.6 million or £35.4 million	1 UK ticket	The winner was Angela Kelly, a 40-year-old former Royal Mail Royal Mail Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide... postal administrator from East Kilbride East Kilbride East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation... , South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages.... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... , at the time won the largest lottery win ever in the United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... .
9 February 2007	€100 million or £67.9 million	1 Belgian ticket	An unnamed Belgian Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... man won the EuroMillions jackpot with a ticket bought in a newspaper shop in Tienen. This is the biggest lottery win in Belgium and the third-biggest individual win in EuroMillions history.
17 November 2006	€183 million or £124 million	20 people (7 British, 4 French, 3 Spanish, 3 Portuguese, 2 Irish, 1 Belgian)	The EuroMillions jackpot had rolled over eleven times. 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 ticket holder won 5% of the jackpot plus the regular match 5 +1 prize (a total of over €9.6 million or £7.1 million each). Seven of the twenty tickets were sold in the United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... , four in France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... , three each in Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... and Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... , two in Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... and one in Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... .
31 March 2006	€75,753,123 or £56,608,222	1 Belgian ticket	After rolling over six times, the EuroMillions jackpot was won by an unnamed Belgian man. This was the second biggest win ever in Belgium, and the third-biggest prize won by a single person.
3 February 2006	€183 million or £134 million	3 people (2 French, 1 Portuguese)	After rolling over eleven times, the EuroMillions jackpot was won by three ticket holders, two in France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... and one in Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... . They each received €60 million.
29 July 2005	€115,436,126 or £77 million	1 Irish ticket	After rolling over nine times, the EuroMillions jackpot was won on a ticket purchased in Garryowen Garryowen, Limerick Garryowen is a neighbourhood in Limerick, Ireland. Contrary to common misconceptions, Garryowen Football Club, a prominent Rugby Union club in Ireland's AIB League is not located in the neighbourhood of Garryowen but rather in the Dooradoyle area of the Limerick Suburbs. Garryowen is home to the... , Limerick Limerick Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the... , Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... . The winner was Dolores McNamara, a 45-year-old mother of six; she was the biggest individual winner in EuroMillions history until May 2009. She claimed the prize on 4 August 2005 at the Irish National Lottery's headquarters in Dublin.

Distribution of revenue

In the UK, the total Euromillions revenue is broken down as follows:

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

EuroMillions Plus (Ireland and Portugal only)

In June 2007, with the success of the main EuroMillions game, the Irish National Lottery launched EuroMillions Plus. For an extra €1 per line, players could enter the additional draw with the top prize each week of €500,000. Sales of the main EuroMillions in Ireland for 2006 were over €145 million; this success led to the introduction of 'Plus'. Portugal followed Ireland in the middle of 2009.

UK Millionaire Raffle

Since November 2009 at least one UK player every week has won a guaranteed million Pounds Sterling. With the introduction of the Tuesday EuroMillions Draw on Tuesday 10 May 2011 there are now 2 Millionaire Raffle winners each week.

On Christmas Eve 2010 (Friday, 24th December 2010) the UK Millionaire Raffle was increased to 25 winners in one evening, on Tuesday 7th June 2011, there were 15 winners.

The chances of winning the UK Millionaire Raffle game on a Tuesday can be estimated as 1 in 3,500,000. On a Friday, it can be calculated as 1 in 9,200,000. Winning in this game depends greatly on the number of the playslips sold.

Prices per line in the UK increased by 50 pence to £

Pound sterling

2.00. The 50 pence was added due to weak exchange rates between the Pound & Euro and to cover the expense of the new Millionaire Raffle.

Belgian Winner Profiles Scandal

In June 2009, a Belgian newspaper claimed the National Lottery made up the profiles it announces of the EuroMillions winners. The names of Belgian winners are not normally released, except for a summary profile such as "a woman in her forties with two children." The newspaper claimed these profiles were entirely made up for commercial reasons, to make them more identifiable to the majority of players. For example, one winner who was an elderly woman from Blankenberge was turned into "a family with three children from Gent." A high-placed former employee claimed he was ordered to make up the profiles, while the directors of the lottery claimed no such order was ever given. Simultaneously, there were claims that the National Lottery had covered up a major case of fraud in which sellers of tickets had swapped winning tickets for losing ones, keeping the earnings to themselves; though it was not clear whether this involved any winning EuroMillions tickets as well. The National Lottery admitted there was such a case of fraud, but said it was a very minor case only involving a single ticket worth 2.5 EUR.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Play

Who can play

Prize structure

EuroMillions Trust

Super Draws & Event draws

Notable wins

Distribution of revenue

EuroMillions Plus (Ireland and Portugal only)

UK Millionaire Raffle

Belgian Winner Profiles Scandal

See also

External links