EuroMillions Jackpot Hits €174 Million Plus 25 Guaranteed Millionaires on Friday

EuroMillions players across Europe have a bumper draw to look forward to on Friday 23rd February, thanks to a gigantic €174 million (£154 million) jackpot and the latest EuroMillions raffle draw. The European raffle guarantees to create a set number of millionaires every time it is drawn, and this week sees 25 awards of £/€/CHF1 million up for grabs.

European Raffle

Friday is the second time the EuroMillions raffle has been drawn, following its launch on Friday 28th October 2016. It is known by different names across the continent, including European Millionaire Maker in the UK, the EuroMillionaires Raffle Draw in Ireland and Pluies de millionnaires in France.

For each line played in the main draw, a code is generated that acts as entry into the continent-wide raffle. This code is usually shared with the local supplementary game of the country in which the ticket is purchased. In the UK, the UK Millionaire Maker code is also used for the European version, whilst the Portuguese M1lhao and Spanish El Millon combinations provide players in those countries with the opportunity to win one of the 25 European awards in addition to the €1 million country-specific prizes.

Odds of Winning a European Raffle Prize

Each EuroMillions raffle code has as much chance as any other of winning on the night, as only combinations generated for the draw are entered. Your odds of winning are determined by how many other players enter the draw. However, you would expect the larger nations with more players to pick up the majority of the awards. France is the biggest EuroMillions country in terms of population and led the way in the first EuroMillions raffle, with eight of the 25 successes.

As a result of this, both Belgium and Austria have a rule that, if none of their citizens is successful in the draw, their national lotteries create an extra €1 million prize, drawing one code generated in their country to find a winner. In October 2016’s draw, there was no Austrian winner, so this rule came into play.

EuroMillions Jackpot

Friday 23rd’s massive €174 million EuroMillions jackpot follows a run of 15 rollovers since the beginning of 2018. If you win the full amount on Friday, you will become the pan-European lottery’s fifth biggest winner since it started in 2004.

There have been three wins of €190 million so far; Adrian and Gillian Bayford of the UK in August 2012, a Portuguese player in October 2014 and a Spanish ticket holder in October 2017. The fourth-largest Euro amount won was the €185 million claimed by Colin and Christine Weir of the UK in July 2011. However, they won more than the Bayfords in Sterling (£161.6 million compared with £148.6 million), due to fluctuations in the exchange rate between game’s base currency, the Euro, and the pound. 

EuroMillions Tickets

EuroMillions tickets are available at retailers across the nine participating countries. You can also choose your EuroMillions numbers online for the opportunity to grab Friday’s nine-figure fortune. Good luck!