Starting in March 2012, EuroJackpot (sometimes listed as EuroJacpot) is a lottery involving many European countries. Presently Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden are the participating nations. Starting at a massive €10 million, the EuroJackpot is capped at an astonishing €90 million. If you want to have a chance at claming these massive payouts, all you need to do is select five numbers from 1 to 50, and then choose two additional numbers from 1 to 8, which are referred to as the “Euro Numbers”.
So why is EuroJackpot (or EuroJacpot) so exciting to play? There must be a reason as to why an increasing number of people from around the world want to get in on the action. By reading the following you can begin to understand why this lottery draw has become an in-demand pick for players around Europe.
Changes to EuroJackpot
In October, two huge and exciting things happened to EuroJackpot. The number of countries participating in EuroJackpot was increased to 17 with the addition of Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. This made EuroJackpot the largest pan-European lottery in the world. The next big change happened with the Euro Numbers. Instead of choosing two numbers from 1 to 8, it was increased to 1 to 10. With this tiny change, the odds of winning became smaller, but to make this worth it, EuroJackpot made the first and second prize divisions larger, so player now have even larger prizes at hand. When you break down EuroJackpot, it is clear that it now represents one of the most financially rewarding lottery games around.
The History of EuroJackpot
The first draw for EuroJackpot was held on March 23rd 2012, but EuroJackpot was initially conceived back in 2006 as a way of competing with the EuroMillions lottery, which is the other large pan-European lottery. After gaining support from countries such as Germany, Finland, Denmark, Slovenia, Italy, The Netherlands, and Estonia, EuroJackpot was officially launched in 2011. In late June 2012, Spain joined the lottery once ticket concession was granted to ONCE, the National Organization of Spanish blind people. At the beginning of February 2013, Croatia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden all joined the EuroJackpot club. Today, there is a potential reach of 245.6 million offline players in the participating countries. Regardless of where you’re from, EuroJackpot has done away with physical borders and allows people from all over the world to play through online means.
The Biggest EuroJackpot Winners
The largest EuroJackpot win of all occurred in Finland via the draw that happened on the April 4th 2014. Millions of Europeans and EuroJackpot fans from all over the world all purchased their tickets in hopes of winning the big one; however, a group of ten friends from Finland selected the correct lottery results in 10, 16, 28, 30 and 33, as well as the “Euro Numbers” 4 and 6 to scoop the big prize of more than €57 million.
Denmark’s largest EuroJackpot win occurred on the 26th of October 2012. The winning numbers were 7, 17, 18, 19, and 22, and the Euro Numbers were 4 and 5. One anonymous and lucky player selected this lotto result and won over €21 million in the process. The biggest prize won in Norway was €13 million. This happened on May 3rd 2013 where one lucky player correctly selected 14, 16, 28, 44, and 48, with Euro Numbers 3 and 7.
Even though the other countries involved in EuroJackpot have yet to secure record-breaking wins, they do manage to take out relatively smaller jackpot wins along, with the numerous secondary prizes. But as odds will be, there will come a day when they will join the list of largest EuroJackpot winners. Using statistical probability, it is no doubt only a matter of time before a large jackpot win occurs in such nations.
How to Play EuroJackpot
If you are already familiar with the formats of other lotteries, such as EuroMillions and Powerball, you’ll easily recognise EuroJackpot’s format of two sets of drums. All you need to do is select five numbers from 1 to 50 and an additional two ‘Euro Numbers’ from 1 to 10. The name of the game is to guess as many numbers correctly as possible. If you guess all seven numbers, the jackpot is yours, but there are 11 levels beneath the top prize that allow you to win also.
It is advisable to choose all of your EuroJackpot numbers to be above 31 instead of any ‘lucky’ numbers, so long as you are not the superstitious type. The reasoning behind this is that the majority of lottery players select their numbers based around important dates on the calendar. By selecting dates from a higher range, you are less likely to be required to share the jackpot if you win. As well as being lighting quick and packed with cash, EuroJackpot also proves to be near effortless to play.
EuroJackpot Prizes and Jackpots
The prizes that have been paid out in EuroJackpot are amongst some of the largest on the European continent. In terms of the total money paid out, EuroJackpot is second only to EuroMillions. EuroJackpot continues to gain popularity, as the minimum jackpots size is €10 million, or approximately £8.5 million or $13 million. This jackpot then grows for each successive week that there is no winner.
Technically a lotto (as opposed to a lottery), this means that the jackpot will rollover, thus increasing the number of tickets purchased and allowing the top prize to reach mind-blowing amounts. If the maximum EuroJackpot prize of €90 million (i.e. around £77 million or $120 million) is not won, the prize then goes to the next tier winner(s) until a winner is found. The design of the EuroJackpot is such that it is more fast-paced to produce jackpot winners more frequently than what you would find in the EuroMillions. In the latter, it could take weeks for the top prize to be claimed. What’s evident is that EuroJackpot is a game the priorities speed, opting to give players a seldom seen thrill-a-minute lottery experience.
Europe’s Finest Lottery Experience!
It may have the appearance of a EuroMillions clone, but in reality it is actually anything but. As one of the largest lotto games in the world, with 16 different countries all vying to win the big prize, EuroJackpot is really one of the easiest and most fun lottery draw games in the world today. Fast paced and packed wall-to-wall with cold hard cash, EuroJackpot/EuroJacpot is game that should without doubt be on your radar!