Euromillions Facts For Trivia Nuts
As well as being the most popular lottery in Europe, Euromillions is also a hot topic in pub quizzes, after-dinner conversations and trivia games. To give you a head start in being able to demonstrate your passion for all things lottery, we’ve compiled a handful of Euromillions facts that never fail to raise a few eyebrows...
• The modern Euromillions lottery involves players from nine European countries, but when Euromillions was first launched on Friday 13 November, 2004, it only involved three countries: France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
• Although most people focus on the jackpot, Euromillions actually offers twelve prize tiers, giving players a 1 in 24 chance of winning something. Playing one ticket each week should therefore result in two wins per year, on average.
• The odds against winning the Euromillions jackpot are 1 in 76,275,360. You have less chance of winning this jackpot than many other lotteries because you need to get seven correct numbers on your ticket, rather than the more usual six. Of course, Euromillions jackpots tend to be much higher because of the sheer number of people who play across the continent.
• France is Europe’s luckiest country as far as Euromillions jackpot winners are concerned. The nation has had more top prize winners than any other participating country. Ce’st la vie!
• Euromillions benefits each country that participates, thanks to a large proportion of money raised going to good causes. In a very real sense, this means we all win even when we lose... though we often need to remind ourselves of that fact!
• The biggest Euromillions jackpot overall was €183,573,077 in February 2006. The prize was shared by three winners, each taking home €61,191,025.
• The biggest individual winner of a Euromillions jackpot was Dolores McNamara of Ireland. Dolores won €115,000,000 in July 1995, and she celebrated by swapping her modest bungalow for a mansion!
• A Euromillions jackpot cannot be rolled over more than eleven times. If the jackpot is not won on the twelfth week, the jackpot fund is redistributed to players qualifying for a second tier win by matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star number.