The Odds of Winning The EuroMillions
The National Lottery EuroMillions game is a 5/50 lottery format. So the rule is to pick five numbers from 1 to 50. We compute the total combinations by using the Binomial Coefficient formula.
So there are 2 million possible ways to combine five numbers in EuroMillions. However, to win the jackpot, you are required to match the extra two lucky stars so that the actual odds become one is to 139.8 million.
If you think about your odds, you have a better chance of becoming the next Prime Minister of the U.K. In short; it is tough to win in the EuroMillions.
In perspective, on the average, you have 139.8 million attempts to win the jackpot. If you play 100 tickets every week, then you have 1.4 million weeks or 27,000 years to hit the jackpot.
Twenty-seven thousand years is such a long time. You’ve got to be very lucky to win.
The EuroMillions lottery is a random game. You cannot predict the next winning numbers.
So, if superstitions, hot numbers, lucky numbers, quick pick, and a random selection will not help, what will?
Mathematics remains the only tool.
Playing EuroMillions Around the World
EuroMillions is a lottery that can be played and enjoyed all around the world. Thanks to lottery concierge services like theLotter and lottery betting sites such as Jackpot.com, players from across the globe can regularly take part in EuroMillions draws.
The two systems of play allow you to win the same EuroMillions prizes, but the way in which they work differ slightly. While a lottery concierge service sees a representative purchase a ticket on your behalf, Lotto betting allows you to place a wager on the outcome of a draw. You will receive exactly the same amount of money as those playing with a physical ticket and the odds of winning remain exactly the same.
Details of how to take part in EuroMillions draws using both methods are listed below:
To play via a lottery concierge service:
- Register an online account. This process is safe and secure.
- Select your numbers (five from 1 to 50 and two Lucky Stars from a separate pool of 1 to 12).
- Confirm your selection and pay for your entry.
- A lottery representative will purchase a ticket on your behalf and save a copy of your entry in your online account.
- Once the draw has been made, any winnings will be transferred directly into your online account.
To play via a lottery betting site:
- Register an online account. This process is safe and secure.
- Select your numbers (five from 1 to 50 and two Lucky Stars from a separate pool of 1 to 12).
- Confirm your selection and pay for your entry.
- You will receive confirmation of your bet via email.
- Once the draw has been made, you will receive an email detailing any prizes you have won. Any winnings will be transferred to your online account.
Meet the Team
There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure that the website is up to date with accurate information for you. Meet the team who make it happen:
Sam Weren
Sam is our lottery expert content writer with 20+ years experience in the industry. He’s previously appeared on the BBC lottery programme and was a Lottery Guru for national newspapers including the Daily Mail.
Recent articles by Sam:
- Systems and Strategies
- Picking Lottery Numbers
Background:
Sam has been with us from the start providing invaluable expertise of the industry and countless cups of coffee. As a writer, Sam has a history in print publication, including the best-selling book ‘The National Lottery Book: Winning Strategies’.
Lewis Rutledge
Lewis is an experienced writer in several different areas, with an in-depth knowledge of how lotteries work.
Recent articles by Lewis:
- UK Player Wins £79 Million EuroMillions Jackpot
- Fourth EuroMillions Superdraw of 2020 Set for 20th November
- Which EuroMillions Country is the Most Successful?
Background:
Lewis’ background as a sports writer helped him to gain an understanding of odds and betting strategies, before he joined the team several years ago. He prides himself on his knowledge of all things EuroMillions, even trivia about the biggest winners!
George Morley
George has worked in the lottery industry for over seven years and has an in-depth knowledge on local and foreign lotteries.
Recent articles by George:
- £57.8M EuroMillions Jackpot Won in the UK
- EuroMillions Prizes Changing from 1st February 2020
- UK EuroMillions Player Wins £40 Million Jackpot
Background:
George joined Euro-Millions.com at the start of his professional career and specialises in Search Engine Optimisation. He is also certified in Google Analytics and plays a big part in day-to-day management of the site, such as running social media campaigns and being part of the results verification team.
Alex Kiam
Alex is a specialist author and money editor, who contributes his financial knowledge across the site and vets all news articles to guarantee accuracy.
Recent articles by Alex:
- Are EuroMillions winnings taxed?
- How to claim lottery prizes
- How to spend £100 million
Background:
Alex Kiam is our resident financial whizz and the go-to guy for anything involving numbers. Having previously published books such as ‘Understand Financial Risk and Analysis in a Day’, Alex regularly contributes towards helpful articles on Euro-Millions.com.
Jim Coulson
Jim is a freelance content writer, blogger and voiceover who loves finding interesting stories from the world’s favourite lotteries.
Recent articles by Jim:
- Can I Play EuroMillions and Claim Prizes in Another Country?
- Your Big Rollover EuroMillions Questions Answered
- Next European Millionaire Maker Draw Announced for 23rd February 2018
Background:
Jim writes articles about everything to do with EuroMillions, from information on the latest game rule changes to stories about the lottery’s biggest winners. He also provides the voiceover for some of the Euro-Millions.com videos found on this site.
Draw Deadlines
As EuroMillions is a pan-European lottery, the time at which the draw takes place will differ due to the numerous time zones across the continent. Draws are held in Paris at 21:00 (THIS), meaning that players in some of the participating countries face an earlier deadline by which to enter.
Here is a list of the different deadlines for buying EuroMillions tickets:
| Country | Draw Deadline |
|---|---|
| Ireland, Portugal, UK | 19:30 (Tuesday & Friday) |
| Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland | 20:30 (Tuesday & Friday) |
Please note, if you are playing through a lottery concierge service the cut off time for entry will usually be a couple of hours before the actual draw deadline.
Why Prizes Differ Between Currencies
The Euro is the base currency for EuroMillions as it is used by seven of the nine participating countries. When a jackpot is won in the UK the equivalent figure in pounds is paid out, based on the exchange rate on the day of the draw.
For non-jackpot prizes, the amount you receive in the UK is not worked out purely on the basis of the exchange rate. Instead, a formula is in place to take into account each country’s contribution to the game.
Each country that participates in EuroMillions contributes €1.10 into the Common Prize Fund, which is used to pay out prizes to all winners. Camelot’s contribution to the Common Prize Fund is the 50% of £1.74 from every EuroMillions ticket sold.
If, using the exchange rates on the day of a draw, Camelot’s contribution to the Common Prize Fund works out at less than €1.10, prizes paid out to UK players will be reduced to compensate for the shortfall. If, on the other hand, Camelot’s contribution amounts to more than €1.10, UK winners will receive comparatively bigger prizes than winners in other countries.
To put it simply, if £1.74 is worth less than €2.20, UK winners will receive smaller prizes than those in other countries. If £1.74 is worth more than €2.20, UK players will receive more. These rules ensure that prizes are always in line with how much each participating country contributes to the Common Prize Fund.
The Odd-Even Patterns Based On The Actual EuroMillions Results
Remember that in the list of the odd-even patterns above, we included the probability value. We use the probability value to determine how likely an event will happen in a given period.
In this case, we want to know the frequency of each odd-even pattern. To take things up a notch, we will compare our calculation against the actual results of the EuroMillions.
There are 1,276 draws in EuroMillions from April 16, 2004, to February 4, 2020. Therefore, we calculate the expected frequency by multiplying the probability by 1,276 draws.
Expected Frequency = Probability X 1,276
In the case of 3-odd-2-even with the probability of 0.3256621797655230, the expected frequency will be 416.
Doing similar computation with the rest of the odd-even patterns, we will come up with a completed comparison table below with accompanying graph:
As you see from the graph above, you should notice the agreement between probability prediction and the actual results of the EuroMillions game. The agreement proves that the EuroMillions game follows the dictate of probability principle.
- 3-odd-2-even is expected to appear 416 times – it occurred 461 times in the real draw.
- 4-odd-1-even is projected to appear 190 times – it appeared in 184 times in the actual draw.
- 0-odd-5-even is supposed to be drawn 32 times – it was drawn 31 times in the real draw.
Thanks to the power of probability. And you don’t need statistical analysis of the historical results to do such high-accuracy and high-precision prediction.
