Euromillions Special Draw: 200 Million Euro Guaranteed Jackpot on December 1st

Euromillions has announced one of the biggest jackpots in its history: On Friday, December 1st, it will hold a special draw with a guaranteed first prize of 200 million euros; something like what happens with the special prizes of 130 million every Mega Draw, but with a much larger sum of money than what the famous European lottery is used to.

Thus, on Friday December 1st, regardless of the jackpot accumulated until the previous draw, a first prize of 200 million euros is guaranteed, a figure that has only been reached 5 times in the history of Euromillions, so we will undoubtedly be facing one of the biggest draws of this lottery.

As it happens with the Euromillions Mega Draw, the way of playing and the price of the tickets will be the same as for the rest of the Euromillions draws, so it will undoubtedly be a unique opportunity to play for a prize of this magnitude without additional costs. But not only that: it could also be the opportunity for the Euromillions jackpot to finally reach its current limit of 240 million euros. Let's see this in more detail:

The Euromillions limit: How it works and how to reach it

According to the current rules of the Euromillions draw, since February 2020 a limit system has been in place and is still in force. This system stipulated that the EuroMillions limit would start at 200 million euros, and would increase by 10 million euros as the limit was reached, up to a maximum of 250 million euros.

After the draw of July 19, 2022, in which the limit of 230 million at that time was reached, the Euromillions limit became 240 million euros, which is the current limit.

What does all this have to do with the special draw on December 1? A lot, since it could be the necessary impulse to reach the current limit. Why? Because, if nobody matched the winning combination of the December 1 draw, the Euromillions jackpot would continue to accumulate from 200 million, so it could easily reach 240 million euros in a couple of draws without a winner.

Once the limit of 240 million euros is reached, one of the most interesting rules of Euromillions starts to work, which is the 5-draw rule that works as follows: During the first 4 draws after reaching the jackpot, if there is no winner of the first prize, it remains at 240 million draw after draw, while the proceeds go to swell the prizes of the lower categories, reaching sums out of series for this type of secondary prizes.

And, in the 5th draw, if again there is no winner, the jackpot of 240 million would be distributed among the next category with winners. So, even if fewer numbers are matched, there is a chance of winning a multi-million jackpot.

What happens if the jackpot exceeds 200 million before the December 1 drawing?

In such a situation, the prize would follow its normal course, without being reduced to the announced amount. Therefore, technically, there would be no special drawing. However, we must keep in mind that the chances of this happening are tiny, since in the entire history of Euromillions it has only happened on 5 occasions, usually after a special draw that boosted the prize to its maximum limit.

The 5 biggest Euromillions prizes to date

As we mentioned, so far only 5 times in the history of Euromillions has reached or exceeded the figure of 200 million euros. These have been all the draws:

• €230 million: On July 19, 2022, an anonymous player from the United Kingdom won the jackpot of 230 million (195 million pounds sterling), having bought the only winning ticket of the draw.
• €220 million: On October 15, 2021, the Euromillions jackpot was won by a young woman from French Polynesia, who confessed that it was the first time she had ever played the lottery. Now that's beginner's luck!
• €215 million: On May 10, 2022, it was again a couple from the UK who claimed the million-dollar jackpot, which had been reached just after a Mega Draw without winners. Thus, Joe and Jess Thwaite from Gloucester pocketed some 184 million pounds.
• €210 million: On February 26, 2021, a single player from Switzerland scooped the record-breaking jackpot of €210 million. The player preferred to remain anonymous, so few other details are known about the winner.
• €200 million: On December 11, 2020, the €200 million figure was reached for the first time, and it was a player from the United Kingdom who also preferred to remain anonymous who took the entire prize (about £171 million), which had also been reached after a Mega Draw with no winners.

When will it be possible to buy the bets to participate in the raffle?

Now comes the most crucial moment: when will we be able to buy the bets to have the chance to win in the draw? Although Euromillions does not limit the sale of bets (players can buy as many as they wish and several players can choose the same combination of numbers), the reality is that many players prefer to secure their participation as soon as possible to avoid setbacks on the date or simply not to forget to buy their ticket.

Euromillions opens the sale of bets for each draw up to 2 weeks before it takes place. So, in this case, you will be able to buy bets for the special draw on Friday, December 1st, with a guaranteed prize of 200 million euros, starting on Friday, November 17th, just after the closing of the sales of the draw of the same day (approximately 1 hour before the draw, which will take place at 21:15h CET).

In summary: A unique opportunity in the history of Euromillions

The special draw of 200 million euros to be held on Friday, December 1st will undoubtedly be one of the most important draws in the history of Euromillions. Not only because of the huge amount at stake, which has only been reached 5 other times in the history of the draw, but also because of the possibility of increasing the jackpot until it reaches a new limit. So, stay tuned for November 17 to avoid missing out on the draw!