EuroMillions VS. Eurojackpot: Which one is the best for me?
Compare all the information about the two most famous lotteries in Europe: rules, prizes, odds of winning, draws and much more.
If you are thinking of trying your luck playing European lotteries, you have probably found among the recommendations two of the most popular lotteries on the continent, both played in more than one country at a time. We are talking about Euromillions and Eurojackpot, two international lotteries that offer some of the most attractive prizes in the whole continent. But what is the difference between the two, and which one is more convenient to play?
You have probably asked yourself these questions. The truth is that both EuroMillions and Eurojackpot are two of the most popular options for lottery players in Europe, so it is often difficult to understand the differences between the two. Both offer great prizes and are very exciting to play.
In this article, we will compare the EuroMillions and Eurojackpot lotteries in terms of their rules, odds, prizes and popularity, so that you can distinguish what their differences are and which one is best for you.
Drawing rules
The EuroMillions lottery is organized by a total of 9 European countries: Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Portugal and Spain. But it is also available to players from all over the world in its online format. To play, players must choose 5 numbers from 1 to 50 plus two lucky stars from 1 to 12. Drawings are held on Tuesday and Friday evenings in Paris.
On the other hand, the Eurojackpot lottery is organized by a total of 18 countries of the continent, coinciding in some with Euromillions: Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Like Euromillions, it is also possible to play it online from other countries. To play, players must choose 5 numbers from 1 to 50 plus two additional numbers from 1 to 12 called suns. Drawings are held on Tuesday and Friday evenings in Helsinki, Finland.
Therefore, we see that in terms of rules both draws are very similar, with a very simple game dynamics. Let's look at other differences.
Odds of Winning
In terms of odds, both lotteries offer relatively low chances of winning. Although until a few years ago Eurojackpot had better odds of winning the jackpot or first prize, since they changed their format in 2022 increasing the number of suns to 12, the odds of winning are equal to those of Euromillions, since in both cases it is necessary to match the same amount of numbers (50 + 2) among the same amount of options (50 and 12).
Therefore, the odds of winning the jackpot in both EuroMillions and Eurojackpot are 1 in 139,838,160.
Prizes
This is where the differences between the two lotteries begin to show, although both offer large sums of money to winners.
The EuroMillions jackpot starts at €17 million and can currently increase up to a maximum of €240 million, although in future draws its cap can vary up to €250 million. The Eurojackpot jackpot also starts at €17 million, but can increase up to a maximum of €120 million.
In total, EuroMillions offers 13 prize categories depending on the number of numbers matched, while Eurojackpot draws 12 prize categories in each draw, one less than EuroMillions.
However, this small reduction in the prize categories makes the distribution of the percentages higher in the case of Eurojackpot. This means that, for example, the second prize of Eurojackpot usually has a higher percentage of the jackpot compared to the second prize of EuroMillions. We will better illustrate this comparison in the following prize tables:
Euromillones prize table | ||||
Category | Numbers | Stars | Odds | % of the prize pool |
1 | 5 | 2 | 1 : 139,838,160 | 43,20% |
2 | 5 | 1 | 1 : 6,991,908 | 3,95% |
3 | 5 | 0 | 1 : 3,107,515 | 0,92% |
4 | 4 | 2 | 1 : 621,503 | 0,45% |
5 | 4 | 1 | 1 : 31,076 | 0,48% |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 : 14,126 | 0,67% |
7 | 4 | 0 | 1 : 13,812 | 0,38% |
8 | 2 | 2 | 1 : 986 | 1,75% |
9 | 3 | 1 | 1 : 707 | 1,85% |
10 | 3 | 0 | 1 : 314 | 3,50% |
11 | 1 | 2 | 1 : 188 | 4,95% |
12 | 2 | 1 | 1 : 50 | 14,85% |
13 | 2 | 0 | 1 : 22 | 18,25% |
Eurojackpot Prize Table | ||||
Category | Numbers | Suns | Odds | % of the prize pool |
1 | 5 | 2 | 1 : 139.838.159 | 36,00% |
2 | 5 | 1 | 1 : 5.959.013 | 8,50% |
3 | 5 | 0 | 1 : 3.107.514 | 3,00% |
4 | 4 | 2 | 1 : 621.502 | 1,00% |
5 | 4 | 1 | 1 : 31.0745 | 0,900% |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 : 14.124 | 0,700% |
7 | 4 | 0 | 1 : 13.810 | 0,600% |
8 | 2 | 2 | 1 : 984 | 3,10% |
9 | 3 | 1 | 1 : 705 | 3,00% |
10 | 3 | 0 | 1 : 313 | 4,30% |
11 | 1 | 2 | 1 : 187 | 7,80% |
12 | 2 | 1 | 1 : 48 | 19,10% |
It should be clarified that, in both lotteries, all prize categories are shared among all players who have matched the required amount of numbers to win. Therefore, the more people who play and match, the greater the division of prizes.
Popularity
Both lotteries are extremely popular throughout Europe, but EuroMillions is generally more popular than Eurojackpot. This is partly due to the fact that Euromillions has been in operation since 2004, while Eurojackpot started being played in 2012.
In addition, Euromillions offers larger jackpots than Eurojackpot, which attracts many players to participate in the lottery. However, Eurojackpot has gained popularity in recent years and continues to attract players from all over Europe, mainly in the countries that do not participate in EuroMillions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both EuroMillions and Eurojackpot are excellent choices for lottery players in Europe. Both lotteries offer great prizes and are very exciting to play. Moreover, the odds of winning are very similar in both cases. While EuroMillions is more popular and offers bigger prizes, Eurojackpot offers higher winning percentages on secondary prizes.