EuroMillions Lottery Guide: Countries, Rules, Odds, Prizes and Online Access
EuroMillions is a multinational lottery played through official national lottery operators in nine European countries. A standard line uses five main numbers from 1 to 50 and two Lucky Stars from 1 to 12.
Drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday in Paris. The standard jackpot starts at €17 million, the current jackpot cap is €250 million and the odds of matching all five main numbers plus both Lucky Stars are 1 in 139,838,160.
Although every participating country shares the same main EuroMillions draw, ticket prices, supplementary games, online-account rules, claim periods and taxation are handled nationally. There is no single official EuroMillions online store serving the whole world.
What is EuroMillions?
EuroMillions is based on one shared number drawing used by participating national lotteries.
The nine participating countries are Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
France, Spain and the United Kingdom were the original participating markets when EuroMillions launched in 2004. The other six countries joined later that year.
The important point for players is that EuroMillions is one shared draw but not one centralized retail operation. An entry bought through FDJ in France, for example, is administered by FDJ. A ticket issued in Spain is administered by SELAE. A UK National Lottery entry is governed by the UK's National Lottery rules.
How to play EuroMillions
Each standard EuroMillions line requires five different main numbers from 1 to 50 and two different Lucky Stars from 1 to 12.
Players can choose their numbers manually or use the random-selection option provided by the national lottery selling the entry. The order of the five main numbers does not matter, and the two Lucky Stars are drawn from a separate pool.
Matching all five main numbers and both Lucky Stars wins the jackpot.
What are Lucky Stars?
Lucky Stars are part of the main EuroMillions game. They are not an optional add-on and should not be confused with national supplementary games such as UK Millionaire Maker, France's My Million or Spain's El Millón.
Different combinations of main numbers and Lucky Stars create the game's 13 prize tiers.
When are EuroMillions drawings?
EuroMillions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday in Paris.
National lottery operators may show slightly different consumer-facing times because ticket-sale deadlines, drawing production, television broadcasts and publication of confirmed results are not the same event. Players should therefore use the official operator in the country where they are buying their entry for exact local deadlines.
There is no single Europe-wide ticket-sales cutoff.
How much does a EuroMillions ticket cost?
EuroMillions does not have one universal retail price across all participating countries.
Verified examples include:
Austria: €2.50 per standard line.
France: €2.50, including My Million participation.
Ireland: €2.50 per standard line.
Spain: €2.50 per standard line, with the national El Millón component associated with Spanish entries.
United Kingdom: £2.50 per line, including UK Millionaire Maker.
Prices in Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland should be checked directly with the relevant national operator before relying on a quoted amount. A country's price can also reflect an included national raffle or game, so prices should not simply be compared using currency conversion.
EuroMillions prizes and odds
EuroMillions has 13 main-game prize tiers.
Match 5 main numbers plus 2 Lucky Stars
Prize: Jackpot. Odds: 1 in 139,838,160.
Match 5 plus 1 Lucky Star
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 6,991,908.
Match 5 with no Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 3,107,515.
Match 4 plus 2 Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 621,503.
Match 4 plus 1 Lucky Star
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 31,075.
Match 3 plus 2 Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 14,125.
Match 4 with no Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 13,811.
Match 2 plus 2 Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 985.
Match 3 plus 1 Lucky Star
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 706.
Match 3 with no Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 314.
Match 1 plus 2 Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 188.
Match 2 plus 1 Lucky Star
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 49.
Match 2 with no Lucky Stars
Prize: Variable. Odds: approximately 1 in 22.
The overall chance of winning a main EuroMillions prize is approximately 1 in 13. Unlike most standard US Powerball lower prizes, EuroMillions prize amounts below the jackpot are generally variable. They depend on factors including sales, the number of winners in each prize category, common prize-fund rules and whether money is flowing down from a capped jackpot.
How the EuroMillions jackpot works
The normal EuroMillions jackpot currently starts at €17 million. If nobody matches all five main numbers and both Lucky Stars, the jackpot rolls into the next Tuesday or Friday drawing.
There is no fixed amount by which it must increase after each rollover. Sales and the game's prize-fund rules determine how quickly it grows.
What is the maximum EuroMillions jackpot?
The current EuroMillions jackpot cap is €250 million. When the jackpot reaches the cap, it cannot continue increasing indefinitely. Money that would otherwise have increased the jackpot can be redirected to the next prize category with winners.
The capped jackpot can remain available for a limited sequence of drawings. If nobody wins the jackpot by the final required capped drawing, the jackpot is distributed to winners in the highest prize tier achieved in that draw. This is commonly called a rolldown.
What is a EuroMillions Superdraw or MegaDraw?
EuroMillions can occasionally hold special draws with a higher guaranteed starting jackpot than the usual €17 million reset. These special events do not change the basic requirement to match five main numbers and two Lucky Stars to win the jackpot.
Because special-draw values are date-specific, an evergreen EuroMillions guide should not permanently display a current promotional jackpot as though it were a permanent game rule.
National EuroMillions games and raffles
The main seven-number EuroMillions draw is shared internationally, but several participating lotteries attach their own national game or raffle.
United Kingdom: Millionaire Maker
UK EuroMillions entries include a Millionaire Maker code that is checked separately from the five main numbers and two Lucky Stars.
France: My Million
Qualifying French EuroMillions entries include a My Million code. The national game is separate from the main EuroMillions number draw.
Spain: El Millón
Spanish EuroMillions entries are associated with El Millón, a national code-based prize available to qualifying entries issued in Spain.
Ireland: Ireland Only Raffle
Irish EuroMillions entries receive an Ireland Only Raffle code that is checked separately from the main EuroMillions numbers.
These national games should not be presented as though every EuroMillions ticket in Europe includes the same supplementary draw.
Is the EuroMillions jackpot paid as an annuity?
EuroMillions is generally operated as a lump-sum lottery rather than using the large advertised annuity structure familiar from US Powerball. The national operator that issued the winning entry administers the payment.
For players in countries using a currency other than the euro, the locally displayed jackpot can also be affected by currency conversion and national rules.
Can you buy EuroMillions online?
There is no single official EuroMillions website that sells tickets worldwide. Official online sales are handled by national lottery operators.
Examples include the UK National Lottery, FDJ in France, the Irish National Lottery and other official participating-country platforms. Eligibility is not uniform. A national operator can impose requirements relating to age, residence, account verification and physical location.
For example, official Irish online players must be Irish residents and physically located in Ireland when purchasing. UK National Lottery account users must be physically located in the UK or Isle of Man when using their accounts to buy games online.
An international website displaying EuroMillions results should not automatically be described as an official EuroMillions ticket seller.
Official ticket, courier or lottery bet?
Direct official purchase
The entry is issued by one of the participating national lottery operators or an authorized sales channel. That national operator is responsible for the resulting ticket and prize.
Lottery courier or ticket-ordering service
A service may arrange for a physical ticket to be purchased from an authorized retailer. Players should establish whether a genuine ticket is bought, who owns it, where the original is stored, what happens if it wins and which operator actually issued it.
Lottery betting
Some companies accept wagers based on the EuroMillions result without purchasing an official EuroMillions ticket for the customer. In that case, winnings are governed by the betting company's rules rather than being claimed from one of the official EuroMillions lotteries.
The three models are not interchangeable.
Can visitors buy EuroMillions tickets?
A visitor can generally buy a physical lottery ticket from an authorized retailer in a participating country, subject to the local age and sales rules.
The important issue is where the ticket was issued. A UK resident who buys a physical EuroMillions ticket in Spain has a Spanish-issued ticket. It does not become a UK National Lottery entry because the buyer lives in Britain.
Similarly, a tourist who buys a ticket in France should expect to follow FDJ's claim procedures if the ticket wins. Nationality and residence can still matter for tax, identity checks and payment arrangements, especially for large prizes.
Where are EuroMillions prizes claimed?
A EuroMillions ticket is normally administered by the national lottery operator that issued it. This makes the country of purchase important.
Verified claim periods include:
United Kingdom: 180 days after the draw.
Ireland: 90 days.
France: 60 days.
Spain: three months under the applicable Spanish rules.
Portugal: generally 90 days under the official prize information reviewed.
Luxembourg: up to the 60th day after the prize becomes available.
Switzerland through Loterie Romande: six months beginning on the day after the draw.
The current Austrian and Belgian deadlines were not sufficiently verified from primary sources during the research for this guide, so they should be checked directly with the relevant national lottery.
Are EuroMillions winnings taxed?
There is no single EuroMillions tax rule covering all nine countries. Taxation depends on the country, and a winner's residence can create additional obligations.
Spain
Spanish lottery prizes are exempt up to €40,000 per qualifying winning ticket or bet under the official rules reviewed for this guide. A 20 percent withholding applies to the amount above that threshold.
Portugal
Official Portuguese lottery information states that prizes above €5,000 are subject to stamp duty at a rate of 20 percent.
Rules in the other EuroMillions countries should be checked against the current national lottery and tax authority rather than summarized as a blanket claim that all EuroMillions winnings are tax-free. Receiving a lottery prize without a direct deduction also does not necessarily mean that later investment income, gifts, inheritance or cross-border obligations are tax-free.
What are the largest EuroMillions jackpots?
The current EuroMillions jackpot ceiling is €250 million. The research for this guide identified €250 million jackpot wins in Austria, Ireland and France during 2025.
Earlier record jackpots included €240 million in Austria in December 2023, €230 million in the United Kingdom in July 2022 and €220 million in France in October 2021.
Because record rankings can change, an evergreen game guide should focus on how the jackpot works rather than trying to act as a constantly updated record table.
Are EuroMillions rules changing?
France's gambling regulator authorized a modified EuroMillions product in July 2026. However, the participating national lottery operators had not, in the primary sources reviewed for this guide, confirmed the complete common-game changes, implementation date or country-by-country rollout.
Claims circulating about a €3 ticket, a €300 million jackpot cap, a new number matrix or a specific 2027 launch date should therefore not be treated as established EuroMillions rules until the relevant official operators publish them.
Common EuroMillions misconceptions
EuroMillions is not operated as one centralized European retail lottery. There is no official worldwide EuroMillions online checkout. Ticket prices are not identical in every participating country. Lucky Stars are part of the main EuroMillions entry, not a paid add-on. National games such as Millionaire Maker and My Million are separate from the shared seven-number draw. The jackpot cannot grow without limit: the current cap is €250 million. A ticket bought in one participating country does not become a ticket issued by another country's lottery. Online sites offering EuroMillions do not all provide official national-lottery tickets. Past winning numbers do not predict future EuroMillions draws.
Responsible play
EuroMillions is a game of chance. No prediction system, number pattern or strategy can guarantee a prize. Buying additional lines increases the amount spent and the number of combinations held, but it does not make any individual combination more likely to be drawn.
Players should use only legal services available in their location and treat lottery spending as entertainment rather than an investment.